Ford engines

[Mike/Denise]

My son is looking at motorhomes but many of them have ford engines. What are your thoughts as regards to reliability ,any advice would be welcome.

 

[Jonno1103]

The reason the wet belt deteriorates is due to independents servicing the Panther engine in the same manner as the older Puma.

Injector issue is due to a component fault, Ford have changed supplier. The pandemic has extended this problem as the remainder of the 2019/'20 chassis' are still trickling through the supply chain.

Our 2020 130 Ecoblue 6sp AT had the injectors replaced FOC within the first 6 months. Over 3 years later, zero problems, excellent performance and pulls like a train.

Most are supplied in 'Trend' spec giving the driver all the conveniences including a heated screen, lane monitoring etc. Usual base vehicle upgrades such as engine & gearbox are very cost effective.

Very modern wide track motorhome chassis which Ford designed in partnership with both Thor (Hymer) & Trigano, standard paper up plating is to 4100kg.

The answer to the usual question? No, I don't experience any rainwater over topping the scuttle to drip onto the airbox as I keep the scuttle drains free of debris.

3rd revision of the MK8 is about to be launched, new 8 speed AT giving the L3 a 2750kg towing capacity plus other improvements.

All of the coachbuilders and a few van converters will offer Ford in 2024 & french builder Chausson won't build their flagship motorhome on any other platform, they'll also no longer offer Fiat, deciding on Peugeot as the alternative from next year.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

The reason the wet belt deteriorates is due to independents servicing the Panther engine in the same manner as the older Puma.

Well try telling that to my builder friend who’s had his Transit Custom serviced at the Ford main dealership it came from since new. It’s had the belt failure and it’s now got turbo failure.

 

[pagey]

Dethleffs now use the Ford lump.
Mike.

Mike I've seen 2 sunlights today one was on a citroen the other on a transit the first one a out 2 years old the tranny looked new

 

[RobertJary]

We’ve had 2 Mercs; a 2005 Frankia based on a 416 Sprinter with SprintShift and an e220 auto estate. The Frankia has 45k on the clock and has needed a replacement turbo and a new ands controller. The e220 had 345k; other than regular servicing and replacement of consumables, the only failure was the water pump. The Frankia has a 2.7l 5 cylinder engine whilst the e220 has basically the same engine but only 4 pots. Both are chain driven; the e220 was still going strong at 345k on the original chain.

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[Billy192]

unless you get the fiat 9 speed auto

 

[gus-lopez]

The reason the wet belt deteriorates is due to independents servicing the Panther engine in the same manner as the older Puma.

So why are there plenty which have died that only have been serviced at main dealers?

 

[chaser]

So why are there plenty which have died that only have been serviced at main dealers?

For the very reason that we discovered in another thread that a lot have never been looked at between these dealer services because the owners didn't even know where to fill the fluids or even check them.

 

[Aly1]

If you go on the Ford Transit Owners forum you will discover a lot of owners, who know a lot about engines and the care of them and who have had their vans serviced at main Ford dealers, who have had major problems with injectors and timing belts.
Water ingress from rain, with completely clear scuttle holes, is also a real problem. I now check my scuttle obsessively and make sure it is always clear. I have the diverter tray fitted and I have put the hose from it into a container and it is full of water after it has rained.

 

[PeterCarole29]

Isnt there an issue with injector failures in later transits?

I personally would avoid anything with adblue.

I was sceptable about adblue having now had 2 Renault masters a while one has done 235.000 and the other 100,000 with no adblue issue at all
I would be interested to hear any problems specifically with the Renault master

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[JJ]

My 2012 Ford Puma engine in a Peugeot Boxer purrs like a kitten.

... but can it climb down from a tree?

JJ

 

[Jonno1103]

If you go on the Ford Transit Owners forum you will discover a lot of owners, who know a lot about engines and the care of them and who have had their vans serviced at main Ford dealers, who have had major problems with injectors and timing belts.
Water ingress from rain, with completely clear scuttle holes, is also a real problem. I now check my scuttle obsessively and make sure it is always clear. I have the diverter tray fitted and I have put the hose from it into a container and it is full of water after it has rained.

There are currently 3 editions of the Mk8 on the road, 2014-'17, '17-'19 & '19-'23. There is soon to be a 4th. Each edition is improved.

Simply to say all Mk8's suffer from the same issues is wrong, each has a specific issue. The first tranche was injector corrosion, the Duratorq was famous for it. 2nd the engine bay firewall, 3rd the BCM.

The late 2016 Mk8 was a simple engine swap, a 2014 design with an ecoblue engine. The heat this engine produced warped the firewall hence why it was improved for 2017. This only solved some of the problem so in 2019 Ford subtly redesigned the cab to improve bay airflow and fitted an aluminium bonnet.
The 3rd is moisture in the Body Control Module.

All of these historical issues are classed as anecdotal when global sales are taken into account. As an example there are currently 83,000 Mk8 Transits on UK roads, In 2022 Ford sold over 42000 Transit Custom's alone. The engine issues effect around 1%.

The 2019/20 injector recall was caused by faulty components used by a usually faultless global supplier. They deteriorate or 'corrode' with the heat generated.

I've stood in a commercial garage and watched as an Ecoblue was serviced using 5W-30 engine oil. It is this type of ignorance which is shortening the life of the wet cambelts.

 

[andyelbac]

A friend of mine with a brand new 2023 Ford Transit based Swift has just had all 4 injectors replaced under warranty with a few hundred miles on the clock.

I know this is not an engine in an MH but my 59 plate Honda Accord has just clocked 206,000 (133,000 by me) miles with original chain.

 

[andyelbac]

I know this is not an engine in an MH but my 59 plate Honda Accord has just clocked 206,000 (133,000 by me) miles with original chain.

Sorry, 173,000 by me. She's a good old girl!

 

[pagey]

Our little picanto 1.2 is now 9.5 years and done 28,000 miles on its chain I have got to change the spark plugs at 100,000 or 10 years I think I will expire before the chain but I will save up for the 4 spark plugs

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[jongood]

I know this is not an engine in an MH but my 59 plate Honda Accord has just clocked 206,000 (133,000 by me) miles with original chain.

the problem is apparently that these days they specify lighter chains. probably accountants with the fi al decision.

 

[Aly1]

There are currently 3 editions of the Mk8 on the road, 2014-'17, '17-'19 & '19-'23. There is soon to be a 4th. Each edition is improved.

Simply to say all Mk8's suffer from the same issues is wrong, each has a specific issue. The first tranche was injector corrosion, the Duratorq was famous for it. 2nd the engine bay firewall, 3rd the BCM.

The late 2016 Mk8 was a simple engine swap, a 2014 design with an ecoblue engine. The heat this engine produced warped the firewall hence why it was improved for 2017. This only solved some of the problem so in 2019 Ford subtly redesigned the cab to improve bay airflow and fitted an aluminium bonnet.
The 3rd is moisture in the Body Control Module.

All of these historical issues are classed as anecdotal when global sales are taken into account. As an example there are currently 83,000 Mk8 Transits on UK roads, In 2022 Ford sold over 42000 Transit Custom's alone. The engine issues effect around 1%.

The 2019/20 injector recall was caused by faulty components used by a usually faultless global supplier. They deteriorate or 'corrode' with the heat generated.

I've stood in a commercial garage and watched as an Ecoblue was serviced using 5W-30 engine oil. It is this type of ignorance which is shortening the life of the wet cambelts.

I accept that you are really knowledgeable on this subject and appreciate your advice but I don’t understand how you are saying that rainwater only gets onto the engine when the scuttle is blocked. I have the diverter tray fitted (I know you advise against this) and I can see the amount of rainwater it is collecting even after only light rain so it isn’t as if the scuttle is overflowing with heavy rain. That rainwater must be getting in somewhere as my scuttle is completely clear, I have checked the scuttle is draining by pouring water into it.
That is after light rain. It hasn’t drained out of the try as I’m not level. How do you explain this?

 

[thegronows]

I accept that you are really knowledgeable on this subject and appreciate your advice but I don’t understand how you are saying that rainwater only gets onto the engine when the scuttle is blocked. I have the diverter tray fitted (I know you advise against this) and I can see the amount of rainwater it is collecting even after only light rain so it isn’t as if the scuttle is overflowing with heavy rain. That rainwater must be getting in somewhere as my scuttle is completely clear, I have checked the scuttle is draining by pouring water into it.
That is after light rain. It hasn’t drained out of the try as I’m not level. How do you explain this?View attachment 818288

The water ingress is caused by a combination of a poor seal between the windscreen glass and scuttle rubber lip, plus tapering of rainwater / screenwash droplets onto one of both wiper arms within the engine compartment.

Here’s a couple of images of a mild example (original windscreen removed and refitted by Ford main dealer).

The scuttle tray has a detachable drainage channel on either end and must be correctly in place (attached under each scuttle drain hole) and draining into through either wheel arch. In the rare chance that if either of these are either missing or not fitted correctly then the situation is chronic with litres of water entering the engine bay.

I understand Ford are aware of the issue and am assured by a main dealer workshop controller that because of this the fuel injectors are now (since 2021) factory fitted with hydraulic grease which prevents water ingress and failure. To my knowledge there is no official solution offered by Ford to fully eradicate the water drips. I understand solutions like yours are effective and variations have been adopted by numerous Ford based m/h owners esp. Chausson.

It appears most current mainstream motorhome platforms/ranges have various shortcomings whether cab based or hab based, and sadly it is a bit of a maze in finding something that is both reliable and well-designed/screwed together!

On a positive note the 2.0 Eco Blue (Panther) engine is a pleasingly strong and capable lump especially in 170bhp form, 6spd AT, holding a steady 105kph (Sat Nav) at 2k revs and returning a smidge under 30mpg on the autoroutes at 3.5-3.85T loaded.

Advised to change engine oil and AT fluid much earlier/more frequently than official schedule to minimise issues especially with lower mileage and more infrequent use than say a household car.

Recently got home from the Med after a trip of 950 miles in 2.5 days, and pleased to say the engine/transmission didn’t miss a beat. Approaching 10k miles in 18mths without any major dramas and hope the next 18mths are just as reliable.

‘Lemons’ exist in all marques/models and no ideal/perfect van exists, however just relying on a combination of a decent build, regular preventative maintenance, regular extended use, manufacturer warranty and a trustworthy cab dealer.

It is a bit of a lottery out there, but the joys of complete freedom, travelling to new or familiar places and having memorable experiences, to us is more than worth that risk. Enjoy it whatever motorhome you have!

 

[Jonno1103]

The water ingress is caused by a combination of a poor seal between the windscreen glass and scuttle rubber lip, plus tapering of rainwater / screenwash droplets onto one of both wiper arms within the engine compartment.

Here’s a couple of images of a mild example (original windscreen removed and refitted by Ford main dealer).

View attachment 818302

View attachment 818303

The scuttle tray has a detachable drainage channel on either end and must be correctly in place (attached under each scuttle drain hole) and draining into through either wheel arch. In the rare chance that if either of these are either missing or not fitted correctly then the situation is chronic with litres of water entering the engine bay.

I understand Ford are aware of the issue and am assured by a main dealer workshop controller that because of this the fuel injectors are now (since 2021) factory fitted with hydraulic grease which prevents water ingress and failure. To my knowledge there is no official solution offered by Ford to fully eradicate the water drips. I understand solutions like yours are effective and variations have been adopted by numerous Ford based m/h owners esp. Chausson.

It appears most current mainstream motorhome platforms/ranges have various shortcomings whether cab based or hab based, and sadly it is a bit of a maze in finding something that is both reliable and well-designed/screwed together!

On a positive note the 2.0 Eco Blue (Panther) engine is a pleasingly strong and capable lump especially in 170bhp form, 6spd AT, holding a steady 105kph (Sat Nav) at 2k revs and returning a smidge under 30mpg on the autoroutes at 3.5-3.85T loaded.

Advised to change engine oil and AT fluid much earlier/more frequently than official schedule to minimise issues especially with lower mileage and more infrequent use than say a household car.

Recently got home from the Med after a trip of 950 miles in 2.5 days, and pleased to say the engine/transmission didn’t miss a beat. Approaching 10k miles in 18mths without any major dramas and hope the next 18mths are just as reliable.

‘Lemons’ exist in all marques/models and no ideal/perfect van exists, however just relying on a combination of a decent build, regular preventative maintenance, regular extended use, manufacturer warranty and a trustworthy cab dealer.

It is a bit of a lottery out there, but the joys of complete freedom, travelling to new or familiar places and having memorable experiences, to us is more than worth that risk. Enjoy it whatever motorhome you have!

You'll get really confused when the dashboard tells you your power steering fluid needs changing even on Transits with electronic steering.

 

[Prop]

If you go on the Ford Transit Owners forum you will discover a lot of owners, who know a lot about engines and the care of them and who have had their vans serviced at main Ford dealers, who have had major problems with injectors and timing belts.
Water ingress from rain, with completely clear scuttle holes, is also a real problem. I now check my scuttle obsessively and make sure it is always clear. I have the diverter tray fitted and I have put the hose from it into a container and it is full of water after it has rained.

Sorry I thought it was on this site, please disregard this post.
Hi I am considering a Transit for a self build, can you please point me in the direction of the Ford Transit Owners Forum?

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[Aly1]

Sorry I thought it was on this site, please disregard this post.
Hi I am considering a Transit for a self build, can you please point me in the direction of the Ford Transit Owners Forum?

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