Tag Archives: wet belt

Is the 2018 onwards EcoBoost any different?

The early EcoBoost engine has definitely got a following but probably for the wrong reason so is the later EcoBoost engine any better?

Well, yes and no, Ford have made a few changes to the engine the main one being a new oil pump.

The new oil pump is a bigger unit which incorporates a balance shaft to reduce vibration.

And the oil pump drive belt now has a tensioner instead of being a push fit.

Are they more reliable?

Again like the earlier engines if they are well serviced using the correct oil they are fine.

If on the other hand you miss your service intervals or use the incorrect oil you will have problems!

Ford haven’t really done anything to prevent the rubber debris caused by the degrading belts from blocking the oil pump and starving the engines of oil.

This particular 2018 Fiesta Ecoboost with only 30,000 miles on it was brought into us because of a lack of power and the engine being noisy.

As you can see the wetbelt is in very poor condition and was breaking up.

Because bits of rubber had blocked the oil pump it caused the turbo to fail due to oil starvation.

Once all necessary parts had been replaced the car ran as sweet as a nut.

These problems could have been avoided if the car had been serviced properly and the correct oil had been used.

Click the video

For more information on Ford EcoBoost wetbelt replacements please call us on 01332 205070 or email us at info@aaronsautos.co.uk

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Why is my oil warning light on? – Grandland X Wetbelt

We are seeing more and more wetbelt problems across a range of different manufacturers, this time it was Vauxhall with its 1.2 litre 3 cylinder turbo engine (Peugeot engine).

This Vauxhall Grandland X came in with its oil warning light on and had low oil pressure.

When draining the oil on the engine it became apparent that the wetbelt had degraded quite seriously as large slithers of rubber were coming out with the oil.

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.2 litre 3 cylinder Wetbelt replacement.

Once we had drained the oil we removed the sump to access the the oil pump, the oil pump pick up was full of rubber debris which was blocking the pump and causing the low oil pressure light to come on.

Luckily in this case the customer stopped driving the car and booked in as soon as the light came on, they had it recovered to the garage instead of driving it (which could have lead to serious engine damage).

After cleaning out the oil pump and pick up we stripped the engine and replaced the degraded wetbelt and tensioner, gave it some fresh oil and a new filter and fired her up, she purred like a kitten.

If you watch the video you can see the cracking in the wetbelt suggesting it wouldn’t be long before it would fail causing serious engine failure.

Specific oil must be used in engines running wetbelts, the oil has additives in it which help prolong the life of the wetbelt and reduce the chance of premature degradation and failure.

We advise regular oil changes to help reduce the premature wear of your belt and help reduce the chance of blocking the oil pump, we suggest at least every 10,000 miles or once a year and to make sure the correct oil is used.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

2018 Ford Transit Wet Belt Failure

This Ford Transit was recovered into us after breaking down on the M5, the customer said he suddenly lost all power and pulled into a laybuy.

After a quick investigation it was very apparent that the van had no compression and we suspected the wet belt had failed causing the crank shaft to keep turning without the cam shafts which has caused internal damage.

We removed the front end of the van including head lamps, radiator and bumper to allow easy access to the wet belt cover.

Once we removed the cover we could see that the wet belt had indeed failed, several teeth were missing from the belt which had allowed the crank and cam shafts to turn separately and caused piston and valve contact.

Check your timing belt history! We recommend 80,000 miles or 8 years.

Teeth missing from wet belt

With a quick inspection of the damaged parts we decided it would be cheaper for the customer to fit a reconditioned engine than for us to repair his damaged engine.

Ford are aware of the premature failure of their Wet Belts which on this model were due at 150,000 miles or 10 years but as far as we are aware they are offering no help if the vehicle is out of warranty.

When the new engine arrived we started swapping all auxiliary parts from the old engine to the new engine carefully inspecting for damage or wear in the process, all gaskets and seals were replaced at the same time.

Reconditioned engine from Ford

With the engine and gearbox built up it was time to refit them into the van and get to a stage where we can run the engine and test for any leaks or blows before refitting the front end.

Starting an engine after such a big job is always an intense feeling no matter how confident you are, but after checking and double checking we were happy with our work and we turned the key…….. and voila, life.

We left the engine running for some time to allow the oil and coolant to get up to temperature and so we could check for any problems.

All good so time to refit the front end and road test, after the road test we recheck all levels and hand back to the customer.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Ford Transit 2.0 EcoBlue TDCI Wet Belt Problems!

The Ford Transit is probably one of the most common vans seen on the road today and is championed by tradesmen and delivery drivers up and down the country.

With the latest edition to the Transit range the 2.0 EcoBlue TDCI you get a Timing Belt in replacement of the old Timing Chain which Ford recommend to be replaced at 150,000 miles or ten years.

What we are seeing in the trade though is timing belt failures well before either the 150,000 mile interval or the ten year time frame.

We are recommending customers to get theirs changed around 60,000 miles or five years to prevent the chance of failure and a hefty bill for un-necessary engine repairs caused by the failure.

Transit Timing Belt



Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.