[MongooseST]

Hey just wanted to get a little bit of a side opinion from the community on a couple things.
I recently bought a 2013 Focus ST @ 127800 km. I drove it for about 5000km and has a sweeter smell coming from my exhaust and a small amount of white smoke during cold start. I proceeded to bring it in to a dealership to get it checked out. I had gotten the 10'000km/6month warranty so I had a some piece of mind. After 2 weeks I got it back, it turned out to be a coolant leak in the turbo and they replaced it completely. I then got it back turned out there was a wallet in my car, garbage in my passenger seat and they damaged my rims. Talked to them about it and they're fixing the damage no problem. Drove the car for about 5 hours after getting it back and heard a loud noise out the exhaust and got that sweet smell again but this time the car had a coolant trail similar to a jet in the sky and I blinded everyone behind me for about a kilometre. Brought it back to the dealership and it has now been there for 3 weeks and they've told me it's a cracked cylinder head. Also going to replace the spark plugs. I have yet to do an oil change (any recommendations????) and I only use 91 Shell.
No mods other then a Roush Performance Exhaust and a Turbosmart BOV.

I'm just wondering if this is going to be an issue and what other issues I'm going to be seeing if this is happening now and if I should get ahead and sell the vehicle now or am I in the clear. Thanks I appreciate any and all advice here and will respond if there's any questions.

 

[SSgtjrobertson]

So what it sounds like is the original complaint was a symptom not the issue.

Unfortunately if you're going to be at the mercy of a dealership then the costs will add up quickly.

Without knowing the full vehicle history or modifications to it you're going to be chasing issues left and right.

A previously installed aftermarket tune or improperly driving the ST (LSPI) will cause engine failures.

Your going to need a whole engine and not just a new cylinder head.

 

[MongooseST]

I'm getting a full list of the maintenance done to the vehicle this Wednesday and I have the warranty at the moment so it's not costing me anything yet. Should I speak to them about a new engine? LSPI what is that? And driving improperly? I wasn't aware tips?

 

[86BlueCobra]

LSPI For Dummies

I’ve been around here for about a year and a half. I’ve read some about LSPI but am not 100% sure regarding what to do/what not to do. Mostly looking for things explained in layman’s terms, as many of the articles seem to get fairly technical. Beyond not lugging the engine, and not going WOT in...

www.focusst.org

LSPI (Low Speed Preignition)

So heading down yet another random rabbit hole between project write ups, answering PM's & wrangling a 5 year old monster I decided to dig deeper into LSPI, it's causes and possible prevention (mitigate not elimination). I was going to do a full-blown write up but I stumbled across this set of...

www.focusst.org

 

[beretta96]

...LSPI what is that? And driving improperly? I wasn't aware tips?

Google knows everything...
What is LSPI?

Amped-up EQS heralds AMG's electric era, Maybach aims for EV SUV - Hagerty Media

In case Mercedes-AMG's first hybrid didn't convince you, EVs are saturating Stuttgart—including the highest echelons of Daimler: AMG and Maybach.

www.hagerty.com

 

[MongooseST]

What oil would you recommend then? & Is this going to haunt me down the road.

 

[beretta96]

Most folks here will tell you any oil that meets the API SN+ standard will be good in our cars.

The article I posted suggests using oils that meet the newer API SP standard.

The bottle will tell you the API version standard to which the motor oil inside the bottle complies to.

 

[MongooseST]

Thanks boss. Is there anything else I should talk to the dealership about or gather any information on?

 

[SSgtjrobertson]

Thanks boss. Is there anything else I should talk to the dealership about or gather any information on?

For the 13 - 14 I would suggest making sure the engine harness TSB for the poor ground wires has been performed and get a new purge valve assembly.

 

[TurboGT]

I've seen a few instances here of the head cracking inside the exhaust port, one was more recently actually. This may be what happened to yours.

 

[MongooseST]

I've seen a few instances here of the head cracking inside the exhaust port, one was more recently actually. This may be what happened to yours.

Is this deadly and lead to other things down the road?

 

[TurboGT]

Is this deadly and lead to other things down the road?

Only if you allowed it to overheat. Also, if you have a cat still, you're spraying coolant at it, it can cause a failure.

 

[MongooseST]

Yeah still got one are you saying if it overheats it'll spit coolant into the cat or is that something I should watch out for? Sorry for all the questions, not a pro

 

[TurboGT]

Yeah still got one are you saying if it overheats it'll spit coolant into the cat or is that something I should watch out for? Sorry for all the questions, not a pro

Oveheating will warp block and head and will soften the aluminum And can cause the threads to pull out of the block when they go to retorque the head. So make sure you do not drive this car until the issue is fixed.

Coolant is entering the exhaust at all times. Relatively Cold coolant (200 degrees) entering a hot ceramic substrate (1200+ degree catalytic Converter) causes shattering and disintegrating Of the substrate.

 

[MongooseST]

Oveheating will warp block and head and will soften the aluminum And can cause the threads to pull out of the block when they go to retorque the head. So make sure you do not drive this car until the issue is fixed.

Coolant is entering the exhaust at all times. Relatively Cold coolant (200 degrees) entering a hot ceramic substrate (1200+ degree catalytic Converter) causes shattering and disintegrating Of the substrate.

Yeah it happened and I stopped on the side of the road and towed it directly to the dealership. Should I ask the dealership if there's damage to the block?

 

[TurboGT]

Yeah it happened and I stopped on the side of the road and towed it directly to the dealership. Should I ask the dealership if there's damage to the block?

If you stopped right away, you should be fine.

They will check deck flatness when the head is off as part of the repair.

 

[ryno9100]

If it is a cracked head and you're having to pay out of pocket, it might be worth trying to pull an engine from a wrecked ST or 2.0T Edge. My out of pocket costs were staggering for a head/head gasket replacement, and that was with the family discount. According to my dad (a mechanic by trade), it's about a 30 book hour job. Swapping the engine requires a lot less book hours (I don't remember the exact number he gave me).

 

[MongooseST]

If it is a cracked head and you're having to pay out of pocket, it might be worth trying to pull an engine from a wrecked ST or 2.0T Edge. My out of pocket costs were staggering for a head/head gasket replacement, and that was with the family discount. According to my dad (a mechanic by trade), it's about a 30 book hour job. Swapping the engine requires a lot less book hours (I don't remember the exact number he gave me).

No thank god I got the warranty on the vehicle it's fully covered!! 😅😅

 

[MongooseST]

If you stopped right away, you should be fine.

They will check deck flatness when the head is off as part of the repair.

Is the coolant left in the cat going to mess with my engine going forward ??

 

[TurboGT]

Is the coolant left in the cat going to mess with my engine going forward ??

No, they just need to visually inspect the substrate when it's off to make sure it isnt damaged. If it isn't damaged now, it'll be fine.