Inside Line: Forte

This Ford Fiesta range also uses the 1.6 TDCi engine and this is one area a garage should look at when servicing. Oil sludge caused by contaminated injectors reduces oil flow to critical moving parts. In many cases when the turbo has failed the engine components such as the crankshaft has already been subject to wear. It is important when servicing these engines to inspect the oil filter when removed, if there are signs of oil sludge then the banjo bolt and gauze filter on the vacuum pump should be checked. If oil sludge is present then there should be some manual cleaning of the crankcase including oil sump removal then the engine flushed and oil and filter change carried out. It is also important to clean the fuel system regularly as the oil contamination starts from contaminated injectors. The customer should be advised accordingly on the action, which is required.

Problem: Fault diagnosis after turbo charger failure.

Cause: Lack of lubrication due to a decreasing oil quality and (partially) blocked oil strainer and filters in the oil supply, the hollow bolt in the oil supply tube and in the vacuum pump.

The contamination is caused by combustion residue in the engine oil as a result of incomplete combustion due to contaminated and leaking fuel injectors (poor spray pattern).

Treatment: First check the following components for contamination. If these parts are not contaminated excessively, follow Procedure 1.

Procedure 1

• Renew oil filter
• Remove the filter from the hollow bolt
• Clean the filter from the vacuum pump manually and replace with a new gasket
• Replace the damaged turbo charger
• Add 2 x Forté Advanced Formula Diesel Treatment to the fuel tank
• Add 2 bottles Forté Advanced Formula Motor Flush per 4 litre engine oil and run the min-1 to get the maximum oil pressure
• Replace the engine oil and oil filter
• Add 1 x Forté Oil System Protector per 4 litre new engine oil
• Road test vehicle for 25 miles and perform a final check

After the test drive during cold situation the return amount of engine oil from the turbo engine at idle for 60 minutes. Every 5 minutes shortly raise the engine speed up to 2.500 charger is measured. Let the engine idle for 1 minute and collect the returned oil. This should be at least 300ml. If the return oil amount is enough, the car can be returned to the driver.

If these checks are not carried out correctly, the diagnosis will be incomplete resulting in unrepairable engine damage.

The following parts must be removed and checked for contamination:

• The sump
• The oil strainer and the suction tube
• The oil filter housing
• The oil return tube from the turbo charger
• The oil supply tube to the turbo charger

To determine engine damage remove one connecting rod bearing and check the big end and big end bearing for wear. If severe wear is determined, one should check for wear in the engine generally.

Procedure 2

The following parts should be cleaned and refitted:

• The oil filter housing and the connecting “sealing surface”.
• The vacuum pump and replace with a new gasket.
• The oil sump with new fluid gasket.
• The intercooler and the intercooler tubing also checking for damage or cracks.
• Carefully mount the new turbo charger. See the turbo charger mounting instructions.
• Check the oil supply tube for the turbo charger and replace if required.
• Remove the small metal gauze filter from the hollow bolt.
• Carefully check the complete air intake system including the air filter for damage or leakage.
• Replace the oil filter and top up the engine oil to minimum level.

Start the engine and take the following steps:

• Check the oil pressure as prescribed by the manufacturer.
• Add 2 x Forté Advanced Formula Diesel Treatment bottles to the fuel tank.
• Add 2 bottles Forté Advanced Formula Motor Flush per 4 litre engine oil and run the engine at idle for 60 minutes. Every 5 minutes shortly raise the engine speed up to 2.500 min-1 to get the maximum oil pressure.
• Replace engine oil and filter.
• Add 1 x Forté Oil System Protector per 4 litre new engine oil.
• Next, road test the vehicle for 25 miles and perform a final check.
• After the test drive during cold situation the return amount of engine oil from the turbocharger is measured. Let the engine idle for 1 minute and collect the return oil. This should be at least 300 ml.
• If the return oil amount is less, the engine is suffering from too much internal leakage on crankshaft, connecting rod and camshaft bearings.
• If the return oil amount is enough, the car can be returned to the driver.