Anthony Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 https://jalopnik.com/why-so-many-ford-focus-rs-owners-are-freaking-out-about-1820280550I had never even heard about this. Clearly, there are lots of theories out there on why Ford Focus RS head gaskets are failing, and while none seem to be conclusive, there seems to be enough commotion from Focus RS owners around the world for this issue to warrant attention.It’s important to acknowledge that we still don’t really know exactly how many Focus RSs have been affected by these apparent head gasket issues. But the outcry from owners all around the world makes it hard not to wonder if God In Hatchback Form really does suffer from a design flaw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Makes me wonder if the Mustang 2.3's will be following suit soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I read that article earlier. First I heard of it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Makes me wonder if the Mustang 2.3's will be following suit soon. Just searched on the MKC and there are a few out there but nothing that seems wide spread, but the sample size of 2.3L MKC would be very small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 A bit of perspective... Dozens of Focus RS owners around the world say they have been experiencing misfires, loss of cabin heat and/or plumes of white smoke spewing from their exhaust pipes. Whatever is causing head gasket failure in the Focus RS is certainly not a widespread problem across the wider 2.3 EB vehicle line up, My guess is something inconsistent with the German assembly process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 A bit of perspective... Whatever is causing head gasket failure in the Focus RS is certainly not a widespread problem across the wider 2.3 EB vehicle line up, My guess is something inconsistent with the German assembly process. what does that have to do with it? All of the 2.3 EB engines are built in Cleveland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) what does that have to do with it? All of the 2.3 EB engines are built in Cleveland. Edit, RS 2.3s come from Valencia.. Edited November 10, 2017 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 The fact that Ford is replacing engines / heads and came up with a new gasket seems to me they saw an issue. Ford's response: "We are aware of the complaints and we are investigating the matter...." “Ford is aware that some 2016-17 Focus RS customers have experienced concerns with their engines, which may initially show white exhaust smoke and/or coolant consumption. We are working on a repair for all customers. In the meantime, if vehicles show these symptoms, customers should visit their dealer for an inspection and repair under warranty.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I know I've seen some reports from the Ecoboost Mustang camp, but it seems like it might be tune related. I remember reading about issues with the 2.3L Ecoboost about a month or two ago with the RS and a lesser extent the Mustang, but never dug into it...not to mention that problems are always amplified on discussion groups making them look worse then they actually are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 what does that have to do with it? All of the 2.3 EB engines are built in Cleveland. Nope. Valencia, Spain. http://thenewswheel.com/ford-valencia-plant-employs-engine-listeners-for-powerplant-perfection/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Don't forget the RS gets a completely different tune and makes way more peak power than normal 2.3LEB engines. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKX1960 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Just searched on the MKC and there are a few out there but nothing that seems wide spread, but the sample size of 2.3L MKC would be very small. Some suspect that the different alloy used in the head and different head gasket may be the cause, since other 2.3's have had few issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 I'm sure constant redlining has nothing to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) Don't forget the RS gets a completely different tune and makes way more peak power than normal 2.3LEB engines. more importantly, they're run in "Overboost" a lot more often and that means more pressure on the head gaskets all through the rev range. The Honeywell Turbo is also bigger than the one used on US based 2.3 EBs Edited November 10, 2017 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) A little digging revealed that it looks like a bad batch of head gaskets on VINs that are sub 4000 on the last four digits. This goes back more than12 months now with affected owners having their whole engines being replaced due to coolant mixing with engine oil - who's gonna guarantee a HP engine after that happens.. Edited November 10, 2017 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Looks like another possibility is that the head gasket supplier shipped gaskets for the Mustang EB which uses a different coolant passage in the block than the Focus RS and thus a different head gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 I wonder what caused that to come about in development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) haven't seen any in our service drive....and I thought the engines were german...Valencia?...just checked...seems weird to me but hey.... Edited December 29, 2017 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupe3w Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 more importantly, they're run in "Overboost" a lot more often and that means more pressure on the head gaskets all through the rev range. The Honeywell Turbo is also bigger than the one used on US based 2.3 EBs If Ford designed the engines to run in "Overboost" this shouldn't be a problem now should it. From what I understand the "overboost" is only 15 seconds. The ECU won't allow overboost to be over used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) If Ford designed the engines to run in "Overboost" this shouldn't be a problem now should it. From what I understand the "overboost" is only 15 seconds. The ECU won't allow overboost to be over used. Yeah and besides that, the head gasket failure is not to do with combustion gasses, it's water in the oil. The Focus RS is Euro tune and doesn't follow the "overboost" time limits imposed on US 2.3 EBs, they have bigger turbos too. As revealed in recent posts , the coolant passages on the Euro 2.3 are different to the US 2.3s and require a different head gasket, thoughts now turn to the supplier possibly delivering the wrong head gaskets to Valencia...... Edited December 29, 2017 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 From reading the patent application on the RS block design it appears as though they changed the coolant passage between cylinders from a V-groove at the top of the block between adjacent cylinders on the Mustang block to a drilled passage between the cylinders on the RS block. The drilled passage improves coolant flow which allows for greater heat transfer and thus better cooling in that critical area between cylinders. Perhaps because of the higher output from the RS engine they needed better cooling in that area than was required for the Mustang??? The Mustang head gasket has two holes, one at each end of the V-groove. The RS gasket only requires one hole that aligns with the exit port of the drilled passage. The coolant flow through that passage is from block to head. If the Mustang gasket is used on the RS block that extra hole could theoretically trap coolant and, over time, weaken the gasket material. At least that is the opinion of the author of this R&T article. What I haven't figured out yet is how coolant would get in that spot in the first place if there is neither a V-groove nor an adjacent hole in the block. There would have to be a hole in the cylinder head that aligns with the extra hole in the gasket in order for coolant to get in there but I don't know if that's true. Maybe it is more about the hole itself weakening the gasket only because there is less material? http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a14510137/ford-focus-rs-head-gasket-issues/?src=nl&mag=rdt&list=nl_rdt_news&date=122817 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Thanks for the info blksn8k2 This may help to visualize Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 I swear R&T had another update linked but they must have pulled it since I read it earlier today. That article included a photo of a failed head gasket. I am also curious to see if there is something different about the Mustang gasket where it covers the V-groove that might also weaken it under the higher output levels of the RS tune other than that extra hole. Either way, R&T seems to be onto something with their wrong head gasket theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Here it is: http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/17246/the-cause-of-the-ford-focus-rs-head-gasket-issues-has-been-discovered I don't see anything in those photos that would suggest the problem is more than just the wrong gasket on the wrong engine which resulted in misaligned cooling holes and the wrong number of cooling holes in the head gasket. They also pointed out that so far it has been a relatively small percentage of cars that actually have had the problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 Here's a picture of the failed Gasket... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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