Shamefully, Ford will kick the can down the road not unlike GMs Northstar blast furnace and Chrysler's 2.7l sludge maker. Im betting the RS gets a new motor for the MCE.
I got a complete new engine when my RS suffered from this problem and not just a long block either, everything from the throttle body right through to the turbo including a new clutch and flywheel! I think when the recall comes it'll be an inspection and gasket replacement unless there's evidence of coolant loss and bore scoring in which case it'll have to be the complete engine. It's going to cost Ford a massive amount!
Not sure that Ford will do anything about this but, I am sure there are some enterprising small performance companies out there that would take a scrapped long block that has too much warpage and cut it up into pieces that can be used to reinforce those cylinder sleeves to the block and to the adjacent cylinders without blocking coolant flow. It looks like it could be done with a little bit of effort and make the engine much more reliable.
I'm currently working at Ford. I've literally worked the station putting head gaskets on the new Focus engines (well, before I got laid off and production of the new Focus engines got moved to China). This isn't necessarily super germane to the engineering problems, but speaks to Ford's general attitude- I was trained on that station by another temp employee for less than 10 minutes before being left unsupervised to do it for an entire shift. I was shown the task a few times, observed doing it 'correctly', and then left to my own devices. I'm fairly knowledgeable about cars, so I realized that I shouldn't smear the gasket sealant that is already applied when the engine reaches your station, however, this was never even mentioned to me. Virtually nothing that I would have considered pertinent to the job was explained. What if I put the gasket on upside down and then have to flip it? Oh, whoops, it's all covered in the sealant, and now there's less than there should be on the correct side, guess this engine's going though. I just missed one of the two indexing points and have now pushed the gasket into the sealant, but have to now pivot the whole thing a couple degrees to get it to sit correctly, guess what, that engine's going through. Accidentally smeared a big chunk of sealant off with my hand while placing the gasket. Godspeed lil' engine. I'm not saying I ever did any of this, but based on my interactions with the rest of the work force, I can virtually guarantee situations like that occurred. Now, take into account that roughly 50% of Ford's workforce is part-time temp workers. Half of the assembly of that engine is being performed to this 'standard' with a comparable level of experience at the specific tasks. It was a rare occasion for me to perform a job I had done before, mainly because the temp workers were slotted wherever needed. Everyone actually showed up today? Ok, send the highest payed legacy workers home and slot a part time worker into their team (team, not task, you sure as fuck aren't getting the job that legacy worker was doing). Team 3 is short people today? Grab a temp from team 7 and stick them in a job. And here's the best part- they're not giving you the simplest, easiest to understand jobs, because anyone with seniority is instantly going to bitch if you get slotted into an easier job than them. So, there you go. Part time workers with no incentive to do well (we don't get profit sharing, earn vacation, sick days, or seniority, have no pension, etc, etc) are performing the most difficult or time consuming assembly tasks, mostly unsupervised, that they have virtually no experience doing. "Ford- Quality First" Oh, fun bonus story of working on the final engine test stations. If the engine doesn't pass, you retest it. If it still doesn't pass, you retest it. If it still doesn't pass, you 'reject' it, meaning it does a loop on the conveyor system, and hopefully passes for one of the other stations. Who knows, since they're being made in China now, maybe the next year's Focus engines will be rock solid (oh right, Ford can't design an engine correctly either..). (edited for grammar/ punctuation)
Steven, Cummins diesel engines are made by a lot of temporary workers and workers often rotate throughout the factory. These jobs are not Rocket scientists working on jet engines and all engines are tested after manufacturing. They do the same thing as Ford with testing (different stations for running different tests). Over half the parts on those engines come from China and India. I worked as a product engineer at Cummins so I know what goes on behind-the-scenes with quality. I'm sure Ford goes through the same problems and processes. I've owned lots of Ford's over the past 25 plus years including the 2.0 liter engine and never had any issues with them getting over 200,000 miles on it. I will say that the 2.0 liter engine with the overhead cams run a bit rough during idle, but still are very dependable. Factory recalls are normal for cars these days and often times issues don't appear until years later.
John Hamrick Blown Headgasket are common on 2jz and at the Nürburgring you see them blown often because we got no kiddie tracks and roads like the US . Every company car here do more racing on a daily use then your hyper tuned cars wich can only last a quarter mile before it blows.
MrGrey i'm sure it is going to happen again. Next I'm tell them to buy back the car through the lemon law. Having an open block design is not ideal for high HP engines.
Tony Dinh funny you say honda. Type R (same price point as focus RS) has an issue with going into 2nd gear. In fact, it grinds pretty badly. At least Ford would replace or fix the problem, as honda... did not want to. "Please send in transmission oil sample" still no response. So many people has this issue and Honda wont do a goddamn thing about it. Oh and only about 3% of the RS's has this gasket issue, however, the type R.... just about 17% and its making me want to sell mine.
The problem with this engine is not the open deck design, it's probably the coolant loop. The turbo headers are integrated into the cylinder head, and the engine coolant is used to cool the headers. Research of a very popular German RS and ST (Beast Factory) tuner has shown that steam bubbles build up in the hottest area of the coolant loop. And that's next to the headers between cylinder 2 and 3, where the 4 exhaust pipes come together. The steam bubbles collect at the highest point of the cooling loop, which is at exactly this point, so they stay there and don't exit the system. Steam bubbles can't conduct heat nearly as good as liquid coolant, so these parts of the head and block get even hotter and hotter, beyond 1000°C. This leads to the head and block deforming. They did a very detailed explanation on how the coolant runs, how they tested it, and why this is not an open deck problem. They even explained why the Mustang Ecoboost is not having these issues. I can't give more details out of my head, but you should get the idea. Apparently there have been broken engines with the old and the new head gaskets. Beast Factory uses waterless coolant to work around the problem, since it has a higher boiling point. They did not encounter cooling problems on testing, yet, but only time can tell.
They did a 20 minutes youtube video explaining the issues on some opened up engines, but the video is in german. ua-cam.com/video/5NYIdUztk8M/v-deo.html You'll have to see for yourself if the english subtitles work for you.
A+ on the production value! Production value + solid content = a very happy subscriber! I can't say the same for Frank Focus. Keep these kind of videos coming Alex and this channel will take off. I've been with you since 1k subs.
The head gasket issue was fixed, im at 135k miles , just regular maintenance and 2 set of clutch . Its been an amazing journey with the RS. people have no idea what they missed by avoiding this vehicle . Also makes me feel good because no body wants an RS and that is good because is hard to see an RS n the streets and makes your car unique . Hard to spot one . I have only seen 4 in a 5 year period around orlando Fl.
My 2015 EcoBoost Mustang has the same engine and it blew up at 4k miles. Had a few mods and my warranty was denied, had to pay out of pocket for a new engine. I highly recommend not tuning these motors, like he said in the video Ford is looking for reasons not to put a new engine in your car. Unless you can afford to buy a new motor don't believe what people say about key cycling and stuff to hide you had a tune.
Auto show and go Ford sucks enough said. How about the 1.6L in the old Fusions having problems? To the Chinese made getrag in the Mustang? Ford loves to cut corners and deny warranty work on top of fixing their bullshit problems. Lets also not forget about their shitty dual clutch automatic which is prone to failure aswell. Ecoboost engine is a pile of shit with turbos prone to failing too.
2011 F-150 3.5TT EcoBoost V6 here with 85k miles. 1st gen 3.5TT and been tuned since 20K on a 93oct performance tune @ 20lbs peak boost. Stock is 12lbs and made 305whp, 367wtq, Tuned put down 407whp, 536wtq on pump gas. Daily drive on my tune and known issue was Oil blow by collecting in the intercooler so I drilled a 1/16" weep hole in the lowest spot and watched the blow by spray out until dry. Fingers crossed I make it to 100k :)
I saw another video concerning this where the guy said that it is very possible that the RS was mistakenly fitted with the head gasket at the factory from the 2.3 ECO Mustang engine. Both are 2.3, but the design of the blocks are different. His evidence is pretty convincing.
Lol! This comment! A few years back when I was stationed in Turkey, a Humvee I was driving was low on coolant, I go to the storage spot where we keep extra coolant and fuel. Some dumb ass mislabeled the coolant can and I end up putting disel in the coolant 🙃
@@tonygant2448 How'd you like those Turks? Sketchy bunch, no? It's not racist if it's true lol. There are only two nations on this Earth that I despise. Turkey is one of them, and me being Canadian and all, I think you can guess the second one lol.
The engine isn't bad in the least. The head gasket issue is from the ecostang's gasket being put on the RS by accident in the earlier builds. The difference is a single hole for routing coolant.
First video of yours, you easily sold me on your channel in this video alone the quality is amazing makes it very enjoyable to watch and all facts are straight up and the pictures of what you are talking about are an awesome addition.
Reason why I bought an ST: the RS has a bored out block which is the same as the one in the ST, but therefore has weaker cylinder linings/ walls. Also, both cars have cast rather than forged pistons and con rods. So don't do pulls from low revvs in high gears. The head gasket is also weak because it can't cope with the compression ratios. Usual situation with Fast Fords: great cars, but built to a cost. Great ideas for health of car: meticulously replace oil every 7500 miles; drain and replace coolant every 20-30,000 miles, and do a regular decarbonisation every few thousand miles too (because of the direct injection)
My college instructor worked on engineering the ford focus rs engine. He loves this engine and would often speak of the politics when building it. They had to meet the hp & torque ratings near the desired rpms, make the power-band smooth. I wonder what his explanation of this would be.
The best evidence to determine the over all engine design is poor may be measured by repeat failures. If the replacement engine is equipped with a properly fitted gasket that is a better quality and the engine does not repeat the same failures after similar conditions have been met, than I would consider the over all design of the engine to be sound and the cause of the concern to be the gasket and or the original quality of assembly. Bare in mind during development every manufacturer performs rigorous durability testing. The likes of which are far crueler just about any daily driver will endure. However, the vendors that provide various parts during assembly often change during production if a parts supplier is unable to keep up with demand and or quality. This often the reason for many recalls.
Porsche used open decks for the 944 and 928 and neither of those engines were notorious for head gasket failures. The principle design is favorable for cooling and allows a higher volume of fluid around the cylinder to absorb vibrations. If the proper gaskets are fitted with the proper fasteners its should not be a problem. If after the first failure the engines are replaced or resurfaced heads and new gaskets experience the same failure conditions than I would agree that the block is the root cause.
1400IntruderVS the open deck appears to me one of the major problems here. The walls seem to slightly elliptical that can only be from wear from cylinders swaying up and down. Changing just the head gasket is just going the cheap rout and might work for now but doesn't solve the problem entirely.
I drive an old volvo 240 with a B230 engine , 114 HP and over 600,000 miles on it without any intervention on the engine short block When I see aberrations like that, I'm sure that I will keep it for a long time. It's sure that such a boosted engine is much more prone to troubles but it is inacceptable to put in the hands of the public engines that should be reserved for competition use where a qualified team is employed to make a close followup. I will not discuss of the technical solutions but simply say that when you buy a "new and improved" product, in fact, you buy a cheaper product that search cobayes to make the tests
It's not only the RS that has issues, the 1.0L, 1.5L and some 1.6L ecoboost engines all have issues. The only one I haven't really seen issues with is the 2.0L in the focus ST. We have done too many cylinder heads and replaced ecoboost engines to count.. The 1.5 has similar issues as the 2.3, but it also has a problem with the PCV system, where it ends up blowing oil straight into the intake manifold and the builds up on the spark plugs and valves (mainly cylinder 2 for some reason) and causes pre-detonation, and then engine damage... My old fiesta ST was the first and last ford I will ever own..
With cars nowadays that channel would be getting plenty of content to display And El Michoacano he's getting at how many newer cars tend to develop catastrophic breaks or failures, usually to defect in materials or flawed design (for example, the flawed design in the I4 ecoboost in this Focus)
Truth be told you did sound like being a Sarcastic Troll fishing for quick entertainment . . . kinda hard to tell with all the P.O.S users cruising YT land. Glad we got that misunderstanding out of the way.
Thanks for the video. For did put out the FSA and I got a new head and head gasket. Ford took responsibility for it and my car is all fixed at no cost to me, including free rental car for the 2 weeks. I do like the car very much. Hopefully, all is fixed. It runs great so far. Update: It had an undiagnosable issue with the auto engine stop/start. Ford took the car back and gave me a 2018 RS. The head gasket issue was on certain models and build time-lines. The 2018s did not have the HG issue as they addressed it. My 2018 now has 45k miles on it and It’s been 100% reliable. I absolutely love it. Also, I do get a bit of a Subaru fan boy/RS hater vibe here but who know heh. There's a portion of this vid that shows how good a WRX head is, opposed to the RS head.. b/c we all know that Subarus never blow a head gasket 🤣.
Had my recall done, car is running perfect and has been to multiple track days. I absolutely love this thing and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
Thanks Kyle. I'm with you. Some (very few) get offended by pointing out an issue. I don't own an RS but if I did I'd want Ford to notice we all know whats up. And they have since they should be issuing a repair soon. Hope you love your car, I know after making this video that they are awesome. I totally want one now, haha. As soon as Ford fixes them of course. Alex
I am also a Focus RS owner and my car has done 25,000 miles and still looks, sounds and goes like a brand new one. Absolutely no problems. And yes - I do occasionally drive it like it was meant to be driven - like a hooligan.
Thus, the reason why I just got a Honda Accord V6 6-speed manual updated with a Tein suspension, Advan RZ-II rims, and Brembo Big Brake Kit. It's reasonable fast and my car won't break.
We had a 2008 Honda Accord and it was a piece of junk (had at least 6 factory recalls). The rear and front end, the key locks and door locks , alternator, power stearing, brakes, and so much more all went bad.
ErwinSchrodinger64 .....lol. So many cars out there. Hondas in your world are the best choice? I bet chocolate ice cream is useless because "vanilla" is the only choice anyone will ever need in life..at some point in your life buy a fucking car that stirs your soul. When you do take your fucking accord and roll it off a high cliff while its on fire..
452 bad ratings by *new* RS owners! Seriously though how can you not rate this highly?! Excellent stuff, well done for this expose. Even with part replacement who wants their engine torn apart on a fairly new car? I'm not in the market for an RS bit if I was I'd be thinking very carefully right about now about a possible purchase!!!!
If you had half a brain you would know almost any 4 banger turbo tuner car on the market all have had major fuckin issues all on their own. That's the reality. Don't buy a tiny little engine and shove a bunch of boost into and rod it and think it's going to be your daily driver. Now there are a lot of high mileage 4 banger tuner cars out there but most of them take care of it the right way as well.... You never know what the driver has done to the car either and will cry about it being someone else's fault when the shit breaks. Get used to it, buy a CTSV , pretty flawless drive train at it's insane hp levels, something you can beat on with confidence. A lot of brands released engines with porous blocks from the factory etc and didn't change it down the road, turbo seals leaking, transmissions exploding, head gaskets prematurely failing. I mean some of you have no fucking clue.
Fast forward to 2023. Wasn’t the issue just an incorrect head gasket installed at the engine plant? How complicated can it get. Wrong gasket…install correct gasket. Fixed.
Lol I feel the same way, glad I went with my Lancer Ralliart, I was looking at a Focus ST, was super nice but all the negative things I kept hearing about them strayed me away
Ford will do nothing about it for now. They probably will lower HP output as quick fix until they redesign new block. I actually like this car and was thinking getting one, now I changed my mind. It think it will be like 5.4 v8 spark plugs issues, until they designed new 5.0. I hope expose other vehicles that have major engineering design issues. Every brand has issues, however some have bad engineering. Thank you for very educational video. Subscribed to your channel.
repairvehicle hatchback? It's trying to be a SUV but it's still a sedan. All these new cars look like shit and I guess run like it too. I just saw that new Honda Civic also have problems with their turbo because the damn thing was overheating.
Ford has a fix. They developed a new head gasket to fix the problem. They are also just replacing entire engines at this point because the head gasket issue tends to cause the block to crack due to excessive cylinder pressure being fed into the coolant passages. So no, Ford isn't doing nothing about it. They aren't lowering power output because it has NOTHING to do with that. This problem exists on the Ecoboost Mustang as well (same engine, same head gasket). One last thing you (and the author of this video should keep in mind) is that less than 1% of Focus RS owners are affected by this. Out of the thousands sold, maybe barely 100 have blown the gasket. That's still a small number of cars affected, but thankfully the RS community is very vocal about any issues.
Actually my friend abused the f out of his inline 4 d17a1 in his Honda civic yes it burned oil but it never stopped running. I see newer fords on the road waiting for tow trucks. Hell I rather own a chevy before a own I ford.
Let me get this right. You sell a product and if you use this product to it’s fullest and it breaks it’s the the consumers fault? That’s sounds like ford logic. As a matter of fact I think it’s Honda’s fault😂
Not been funny but look at current F1 Engines. 1.6 liter V6 that kicks out over 700BHP. Ford has won alot in this. Ford won the world rally championship in the fiesta which gets as much hate as the RS does and the Fiesta only has a 1.6 litre engine. So is it so hard to believe that the 2.3 litre 4 pot engine can crank out 350HP? Iv'e seen Fiestas doing close to that with their 1.6 litre engines when modified. With alot around the 300HP mark with no problems. 300+ usually have to go forged though. It's people like you who have no clue about engines that post shit like you do. Only reason why the Evos and WRX were such great cars to modify was because they was over engineered being popular rally cars.
Also the problem was they took the 2.3 litre engine from the mustang and tried re-using it only to realise when they tried to re use the mustang head gasket it didn't properly seal. So they made new gaskets which is what they fit on the recall. The same 2.3 litre Ecoboost engine which will be in the new Mustang also
I don't know if you get to select the points at which the ads interrupt, but lately they always seem to cut you off at a bad time, creating a cliff hanger. Annoying, I much prefer the ads to come at a natural break in the action! Great work though, you are one of the UA-cam stars. Excellent content!
1. Sorry for my bad Englisch. 2. The Headgasket isnt the Problem. The Problem is the integrated Exhausmanifold in to the Zylinderhead. The Heat is so high that even under the normal Pressure the Coolant boils and creates Bubbels in the Zylinderhead. These Bubbels prevent the Coolant of flowing through the Zylinderhead. Result is the warping of the Zylinderhead and Block. Her is a Video of the Guys from Beastfactory. It's in german ua-cam.com/video/5NYIdUztk8M/v-deo.html
Awesome video and this is good to know. I almost bought an RS but now glad I didn't. Ford has come a long way but I'm disappointed that this open deck design made its way into an otherwise fantastic car. If you're going to build any kind of performance car you HAVE to overengineer certain stress points in the drivetrain and the bean counters need to stay the hell out of it. Who know for sure why this happened in the case of the RS but hopefully Ford has learned a lesson. Utilizing a better design would not have increased costs by that much and has been done in the past. The 4G63 is one example. Here's to hoping Ford will get their heads out of their rears.
I have mine wirh 93k miles and zero issues , they just needed to fix the head gasket and thats it . im a professional drifting now eitht my rs after 3 years
LegitStreetCars No problem. If you get a chance, you should have an email from me a while back about an AMG I'm interested in buying from a friend. Email starts with robhull. Happy holidays.
Good video. Given Ford's history gas tank diff shields with design defects, unless it's projected to cost more than lawsuits they'll ignore it. Anyway, you mentioned suggestions. How about Toyota's ongoing software issues. From the killer Priuses a few years back to the current Tacoma drive by wire issues that they can't seem to resolve. Of all the companies in the world you might expect not to be able to get software right, Toyota is hard to believe.
Alex: You Rock! You provide a logical and linear analysis of a complex problem in a manner that "Non Car Guy's and Gals" can understand. You need an agent to set you up with a syndicated Cable TV Show. Keep up the great work and Happy Holidays.
Still nothing compared to all the catastrophic engine failures that GM has been plagued that they won't do anything about. At least Ford is doing something about this unlike GM who would just leave you to pay for the repairs...
Dylan Guiney I'm not a Ford fanboy or a GM hater or anything, so I can say this completely unbiased. GM fans are some of the most easily butthurt people I've seen in the car community. They're always so quick to say "Should have bought a Chevy" when someone gets a Ford. Maybe they're just upset that their preferred choice has been playing second fiddle to Ford all their life.
+Eric Fortune Jr. I work on cars for a living, both Ford and GM are having timing chain issues. They both have issues with VVT's also. Most of it stems from poor maintenance. Hyundai/Kia 4 cyl have issues with chains also. Jaguar had chain problems with the early AJ V8's. Aside from maintenance, the issue seems to be tolerance stack. With long chains, if you get a little stretch on each link, you've got a problem.
My first new car was a Ford Escort Pony. After 27,000 miles the timing belt broke. Just got worse after that. When I asked the service manager if there was a known issue with the ignition coil (mine failed twice in 2 months shortly after the timing belt broke) he said... "you get what you pay for." I was 20 years old. I have not bought a Ford since then... and I have no plans to. I'm 52, BTW.
Subscribed! Great video and info. Terrible design by Ford and unfortunately the revised head gasket is just a bandaid on a much larger problem. How in the world did the engineers at Ford not see this coming with this terrible design.
Tom Now here is a stupid comment. Lasting more than a few months Lol, my God some people are stupid! The RS engine is a bad design, EVERY manufacturer has at least one.
true. The original floating deck grenade that I remember was the old saturn 4 bangers. Chevy had several the 2.3 and 2.4 quad engines with oil issues. Dodge had the dreaded 2.7 v6 quad cam. I could go on and on. For the most part automakers do ok ish but there are always compromises in design. This one was just too pricey for compromise. 45k for a platform that's base is like 15k. I fear it will not age well.
A student in my automotive class works at a local Ford dealership that was doing these recals. Apparently the problem is a few of the plants were supposedly unknowingly putting the head gasket from the Ecoboost mustang on these, and there is some notable differences on these motors all though they are basically the same.
Great video especially with the photos of the block & head gasket just ordered a new rs for Feb 18 delivery having 2nd thoughts mabey should stick to Audi😥😥
It’s a shame because the Ford Focus, especially the 2012 and newer ones, are one of my dream cars. All I hear is problems after problems for these cars. I don’t think I’m buying one any time soon.
Wow! I’ve been with subaru for over 12 years and I wouldn’t expect this from Ford. We change every head gasket on every subaru we sell because it’s such an issue. This just blows my mind seeing the gaskets.
I was thinking of seriously getting this car in a few weeks....This video has now turned me off, & I no longer will purchase one now...Thankyou for a informative video!
Jason Smither ...u believe these internet BS stories? Dude this guy ruined his own ride. I know guys have em & race em wkly in Michigan. Test drive it u will love it.
David Klimmek Yea, your right...I will have to check em out myself...it's just discouraging when your about to make a purchase of a vehicle & see a video like this about the car your interested in..thanks for your advice
David Klimmek I can't wait to get rid of mine. I bought mine in May and it's been in the shop almost 2 months out of ownership. It took 38 days for them to give me my car back.
Jason Smither no problems with mine. I love the car. No matter what you buy you’ll end up with issues, and you’ll worry about them until they never happen. Go test drive it and don’t mod it until it’s out of warranty and you’ll be fine. 16s and early 17s have some issues but haven’t seen much from 17s.
Great video and presentation. This issue is not unique to the 2.3. My 2.0 EB in 2016 Edge had the same issues. First eating coolant, they replaced the head at 25K, by 39K they had to replace the long block for same issues.
Any word on if this is an issue with early production RS models only? Has Ford revised anything for the 17 and 18 model years? Fantastic video btw, very interesting.
The engine and head design is flawed. Steam bubbles build up in the coolant lines around the turbo header (header is integrated into head, coolant loop is run around header to cool it), due to the bubbles cooling in this area is nearly non existent, then the head and block deform. No, there is nothing Ford can do apart from developing a new engine. They will just wait until warranty runs out and leave it to the aftermarket to come up with a solution.
The V8 bigot in me would like to laugh, but man, I just can't help but feel the pain of fellow car guys. This is completely unacceptable. Get it together Ford and take care of your customers!
Fourth Horseman - It’s alright, man... I’ll do it for you. ROFLMAO There isn’t a high performance four cylinder econo-box on the planet that has ever demonstrated any ability to last more than a few years. The main reason being, is that they have the literal piss driven out of them, and usually on a daily basis. The Focus RS will be a rarity on the street in less than 10 years. The only ones that will still be out there are the ones (for whatever reason) were initially bought by older people, and never hammered. Is it a bad head gasket design? If your $7K engine goes tits up because you cheaped-out on a 12 dollar head gasket, it ain’t gonna matter in the long run, because Ford’s going to be flipping thousands of engines anyway. The head gasket won’t fix the underlying issue permanently. It’s a structural problem. Ford is going to rid itself of the sedan market and its liabilities in 2020. But let this serve as a lesson. When you squeeze V8 power out of a four banger... enjoy it while it lasts, and get rid of it before it fails... because it WILL fail.
why should ford get it together people keep buying fords they won't change a thing until people stop buying they have been having serious PROBLEMS for years more than any manufacturer out there
"they have the literal piss driven out of them..." Mister Deplorable: Ok, I realize this is completely off topic, but dude, you really need to look up the definition of the word "literal." No, seriously, you l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y should look it up. Then, please do everyone a favor (well, at least those with half a brain, anyway), and start practicing using that word correctly. I'm reasonably confident that no motor vehicle uses -- or ever has used -- piss as a fuel, lubricant or in any other capacity. Did you pass fifth grade English, literally by the skin of your teeth, or just figuratively, or somehow quietly slipped through the system?
I got a used Escort that missed when cold, pulled plugs and one had coolant. I flushed the cooling system, dumped in 3 bottles of stop leak and drove it for 10 years.
Great video! Anyone who understands anything about engine design could have predicted this easily. When BMW started turbocharging their engines a few years ago, they had the same exact problems. Great explanation and photos.
I understand the law of scale, but I don't understand how accountants continue to override engineers to save a little bit of money up front on something like an open deck design when it's been proven time and time again that engineers are smart motherfuckers and make things a certain way for a reason. Those upfront savings simply cannot be less than all the longblocks they have to eat, the labor for the mechanics doing all the labor replacing the engines, the lost public equity, car rentals while cars are in the shop, etc. Go back to the GM/Dexcool/LIM/UIM gasket fiasco from 15 years ago and you think eventually they'd learn. No wonder the big three went bankrupt.
playerskilz I don't think so, but I don't recall definitively. I know the six cylinder engines went from a full open deck to a semi-closed deck in response to it, though.
I'm just getting a Prelude in a couple days with a H22A5 (open deck). I've never heard that this would be an issue on them. I guess it comes into play when it's boosted and stock H22s are not affected.
This video harps on the negative. Though the vid is mostly speculation, the exact issue was identified. Ford did take care of the issue. They put out a full Field Service Action, (FSA) for the RSs in the specific build time-line for it. There was an identified issue that they used the wrong gasket (I believe for a very similar Mustang engine) and they identified the build time-line/which specific RSs were affected. At my free FSA check, the compression check was boarder-line but Ford didn't hesitate to offer the fix. Ford took responsibility and replaced HG at no cost to me, including free rental car. Update: My 17 RS ran great but got an odd thing where the interior audio would cut out for a few moments when engine auto-stop at a red-light/stop sign. Ford took the car back and gave me a brand new 2018 RS. As said, the head gasket issue was on certain models/build time-lines; the 2018s did not have the HG issue as it was identified and addressed pre-build of the 18s. My 2018 that I got brand new now (5 yrs later) has 45k miles on it and It’s been 100% reliable and runs as good as when I got it. I absolutely love it. Also, I do get a bit of a Subaru fan boy/RS hater vibe with the vid host but who know ha. There's a portion of this vid that shows how exemplary a WRX head is, opposed to the RS head.. b/c we all know that Subarus never blow a head gasket 🤣. The 18s are the ones to get if you get one. They're limited edition, have a limited slip differential that the prior years didn't have, and they didn't have the HG issue. I believe only 1,500 were built for the US for the 18s and they also put better shocks in to help improve the suspension from prior years. I've a buddy with an 18 RS with more miles than mine and we both have had no issues and they're running great. Cheers! 😎
Comprehensive and excellent review of this issue. Wanted one of these after I gave up on Subaru for making yet another ugly WRX. The new one looks like a Carolla, And the RS looks cool. Kind looks like the WRC Fiesta that MSport races. But that block design to me is just asking for trouble.
In 2016 i purchased a MB C43 AMG loved the car, but one day i was at a traffic light while it was raining, a big truck drove by on the opposite lane splashing my car, suddenly my 4 month old mercedes benz stalled, to my surprise the engine HYDROLOCKED for the sole reason that the intake filters are on the lower end of the front fascia, belive it or not it was a total loss, the insurance company had to pay the full value of the car, i puirchased a 2017 C63 AMG ( i love the car ) but i am on pins and needles everytime i drive it in the rain, i have heard a couple of cases on C63 AMGs which have hydrolocked too. :( i asked MB if they are doing something about the horrible desing flaw but havent heard anything from them.
High Octane i Know 😱 and it sucks that a brand like Mercedes Benz specialy on a car this expensive didnt even contact me for a solution, thankfully the insurace came through with a total loss. BMW or AUDI next car i get.
Same thing happened to my gf's 2.0 escape 2017 ecoboost, 30 k miles. It is at the dealer now having the engine replaced.. This ecoboost is bad news, it is a lemon.. her car started losing coolant and stinky gases were venting out of the coolant cap as the head gasket was leaking. That escape is a suv, was always dealer serviced, never towed or pushed hard, never tuned, driven by a girl and still blew..
Great video! It is cool to see stuff like that. I wish I these things would be pre checked by the companys.I had a lot of problems with my subaru sti 2.5L. The 2.5L has a lot of problems and they keep building it. Subaru should know this and do something on the engine.You have to do a lot of stuff by your own to prolong the life of your subaru engine.This could be also an interesting video for you to make. Thanks formthe good conten and best regards from germany
Ford cars are shit. My dad owned a 06 focus svt and it blew the motor at 130k miles stock. Similar issue just happened to my brothers 06 explorer a couple weeks ago at 160k miles. My 07 Cadillac CTS is running good at 190k and I push that thing hard. Never had a problem with a honda or a chevy. Chevy 350 small block is probably one of the best motors out there.
Well done! Too bad Ford was unwilling to spend the money and engineer a better fix than to kill off the car. Makes me appreciate Honda and Hyundai even more for actually not just keeping their hot hatches alive but for actually engineering them to last and backing them up with some great warranties. Still LOVING my Type R!
It’s an old mustang engine which Had issues but ford put it in the RS anyway.They said they fixed it and 2017 models would be fine,but this was far from the truth.Its happening to a lot of people.
This is happening in South Africa too!! 12 cases that I know of,, Ford Motor company is 10mins away from my house and there’s some standing at the factory!! Not cool Ford!!!!!!
The intro to this film was made near where I live in Niles IL. 0:56 you've got the kinda crappy beginning of Golf Mill and at 1:21 that's old Boobys! I pass that place each day coming home from Uni. Small world I swear
It's not just the first year. Ford hasn't really done anything but a new head gasket so who knows how many will come up with issue in the next year or so. Alex
LegitStreetCars I've got a 16 plate RS on 5000 miles, so far no issue, but sadly many 2016 and 17 plate cars are failing here in uk and Europe. Many people now think the number of heat cycles the engine goes through is in effect a countdown to failure, possibly making hg failure inevitable. I'm curious to see if failures occur on RS edition cars as they will have the latest and last engines that will ever come from factory in a mk3 RS.
Those of you looking to get a Focus RS don't need to worry. This was only a problem for the 2016 models. Since then they put the new updated head and head gasket in the newer models. And if you have a 2016 you can take it to your local Ford dealer and they'll check if your vehicle may require the updated head or just the head gasket. And after the update the vehicle will be just fine. Better even.
I haven't had a ford since the Focus ST (ST225 5-Cyl) and I've only been hearing and reading about ford going down the toilet ever since. Sad, really sad
The ST225 was my last Ford too - was a pretty good car but I remember people having issues with the cylinder heads when they were tuned. Can't remember exactly what those issues were though! My last Ford I REALLY loved was an ST220 Mondeo.. that was solid!
I bought those exact same wheels with a nice set of blizzak tires. Because I wasnt about to run the RS2 pack wheels in winter, they are $1950 from ford. Makes it easy to swap seasons too, my cup 2's are still on the factory wheels in the garage. Luckily my ticking time bomb engine hasnt exploded yet. Im expecting it at any time though, and expecting shit ford to do everything possible to avoid responsibility. You are absolutelly correct when you say they knew about the issue. But if they DONT fix mine under waranty "zero mods" you will see me on the local news cheering as my car flies through the showroom front door.
Fords where fully aware of the issue at the engine plant,,,, that’s why the plant manager told all people at quality control meetings ( do not print any paperwork off under any circumstance regarding gasket, and head issues with rs engine, anybody found doing so ,will face serious warning , up to including dismissal,, this way they can reply that they weren’t aware of any issues,,,,,
The VW EA888 is far from perfect BUT it is built to handle boost and that is why they continue to run with near 400 ft/lbs with an upgraded turbo take a look at the VW block semi open deck, compacted graphite.
No cars perfect but to have to replace the engine more than twice or for some people 3 times I will just ask for my money back I still think the Ford Focus RS and St are really good looking cars knowing these issues with the RS I will just pick up a brand new St and save myself some money for modifications
I sold my RS MK2 from 2010 one year ago and I can say that the RS2 has a better engine , a better look and is probably more reliable. Regarding the other characteristics, the Mk3 is better from my point of view.
I almost picked up a RS.... but I ended up purchasing a almost brand new C7 Z06. Very happy with my purchase... sorry to hear about some issues with the RS...
In the end, what do you think Ford will do about this?
Shamefully, Ford will kick the can down the road not unlike GMs Northstar blast furnace and Chrysler's 2.7l sludge maker. Im betting the RS gets a new motor for the MCE.
I got a complete new engine when my RS suffered from this problem and not just a long block either, everything from the throttle body right through to the turbo including a new clutch and flywheel! I think when the recall comes it'll be an inspection and gasket replacement unless there's evidence of coolant loss and bore scoring in which case it'll have to be the complete engine. It's going to cost Ford a massive amount!
Not sure that Ford will do anything about this but, I am sure there are some enterprising small performance companies out there that would take a scrapped long block that has too much warpage and cut it up into pieces that can be used to reinforce those cylinder sleeves to the block and to the adjacent cylinders without blocking coolant flow. It looks like it could be done with a little bit of effort and make the engine much more reliable.
Mermaids
Pretty accurate sum-up of the Northstar and 2.7L haha
I'm currently working at Ford. I've literally worked the station putting head gaskets on the new Focus engines (well, before I got laid off and production of the new Focus engines got moved to China). This isn't necessarily super germane to the engineering problems, but speaks to Ford's general attitude- I was trained on that station by another temp employee for less than 10 minutes before being left unsupervised to do it for an entire shift. I was shown the task a few times, observed doing it 'correctly', and then left to my own devices.
I'm fairly knowledgeable about cars, so I realized that I shouldn't smear the gasket sealant that is already applied when the engine reaches your station, however, this was never even mentioned to me. Virtually nothing that I would have considered pertinent to the job was explained. What if I put the gasket on upside down and then have to flip it? Oh, whoops, it's all covered in the sealant, and now there's less than there should be on the correct side, guess this engine's going though. I just missed one of the two indexing points and have now pushed the gasket into the sealant, but have to now pivot the whole thing a couple degrees to get it to sit correctly, guess what, that engine's going through. Accidentally smeared a big chunk of sealant off with my hand while placing the gasket. Godspeed lil' engine. I'm not saying I ever did any of this, but based on my interactions with the rest of the work force, I can virtually guarantee situations like that occurred.
Now, take into account that roughly 50% of Ford's workforce is part-time temp workers. Half of the assembly of that engine is being performed to this 'standard' with a comparable level of experience at the specific tasks. It was a rare occasion for me to perform a job I had done before, mainly because the temp workers were slotted wherever needed. Everyone actually showed up today? Ok, send the highest payed legacy workers home and slot a part time worker into their team (team, not task, you sure as fuck aren't getting the job that legacy worker was doing). Team 3 is short people today? Grab a temp from team 7 and stick them in a job. And here's the best part- they're not giving you the simplest, easiest to understand jobs, because anyone with seniority is instantly going to bitch if you get slotted into an easier job than them.
So, there you go. Part time workers with no incentive to do well (we don't get profit sharing, earn vacation, sick days, or seniority, have no pension, etc, etc) are performing the most difficult or time consuming assembly tasks, mostly unsupervised, that they have virtually no experience doing. "Ford- Quality First"
Oh, fun bonus story of working on the final engine test stations. If the engine doesn't pass, you retest it. If it still doesn't pass, you retest it. If it still doesn't pass, you 'reject' it, meaning it does a loop on the conveyor system, and hopefully passes for one of the other stations.
Who knows, since they're being made in China now, maybe the next year's Focus engines will be rock solid (oh right, Ford can't design an engine correctly either..).
(edited for grammar/ punctuation)
This comment right here. Working environments have greatly changed and for the worst.
Steven, Cummins diesel engines are made by a lot of temporary workers and workers often rotate throughout the factory. These jobs are not Rocket scientists working on jet engines and all engines are tested after manufacturing. They do the same thing as Ford with testing (different stations for running different tests). Over half the parts on those engines come from China and India. I worked as a product engineer at Cummins so I know what goes on behind-the-scenes with quality. I'm sure Ford goes through the same problems and processes.
I've owned lots of Ford's over the past 25 plus years including the 2.0 liter engine and never had any issues with them getting over 200,000 miles on it. I will say that the 2.0 liter engine with the overhead cams run a bit rough during idle, but still are very dependable. Factory recalls are normal for cars these days and often times issues don't appear until years later.
Harry Gaul I think I’m going to believe the guy who actually worked on the engines himself than someone with just an opinion like everyone else.
ffs
Ford is shit and you know it, don’t excuse the brand
That had me cracking up!! Tokyo drift, Poor guy and his dreams ... Ford crushed them.
speaking of head gasket failures...
Should have put the 2jz in it...run forever
John Hamrick
Blown Headgasket are common on 2jz and at the Nürburgring you see them blown often because we got no kiddie tracks and roads like the US . Every company car here do more racing on a daily use then your hyper tuned cars wich can only last a quarter mile before it blows.
Warped Perception ...he crushed his own dreams. This whole scenario seems like BS!
+mira007
Fucking
Over
Rated
Disaster
Blown head gasket mode! Love it
Friend Built Yeah, sounds like a Ford.
What do you call a Ford RS with 20,000 miles on it? A miracle
hahahahahahahaha
Ba Dum Pssssst
What do you call a ZR1 and Z06 with 10,000 miles literally a miracle.
An antique.
Mine has 50k...no issues yet
Mine blew a head gasket at 7k miles. They replaced the head. It did it again at 18k miles. They replaced the motor.
Unreal!
Alex
MrGrey you should’ve just replaced the car.
MrGrey ford = found on road dead for a reason
MrGrey i'm sure it is going to happen again. Next I'm tell them to buy back the car through the lemon law. Having an open block design is not ideal for high HP engines.
Tony Dinh funny you say honda. Type R (same price point as focus RS) has an issue with going into 2nd gear. In fact, it grinds pretty badly. At least Ford would replace or fix the problem, as honda... did not want to. "Please send in transmission oil sample" still no response. So many people has this issue and Honda wont do a goddamn thing about it. Oh and only about 3% of the RS's has this gasket issue, however, the type R.... just about 17% and its making me want to sell mine.
The problem with this engine is not the open deck design, it's probably the coolant loop. The turbo headers are integrated into the cylinder head, and the engine coolant is used to cool the headers.
Research of a very popular German RS and ST (Beast Factory) tuner has shown that steam bubbles build up in the hottest area of the coolant loop. And that's next to the headers between cylinder 2 and 3, where the 4 exhaust pipes come together. The steam bubbles collect at the highest point of the cooling loop, which is at exactly this point, so they stay there and don't exit the system. Steam bubbles can't conduct heat nearly as good as liquid coolant, so these parts of the head and block get even hotter and hotter, beyond 1000°C. This leads to the head and block deforming.
They did a very detailed explanation on how the coolant runs, how they tested it, and why this is not an open deck problem. They even explained why the Mustang Ecoboost is not having these issues. I can't give more details out of my head, but you should get the idea.
Apparently there have been broken engines with the old and the new head gaskets.
Beast Factory uses waterless coolant to work around the problem, since it has a higher boiling point. They did not encounter cooling problems on testing, yet, but only time can tell.
interesting... can I have a link to the article?
They did a 20 minutes youtube video explaining the issues on some opened up engines, but the video is in german.
ua-cam.com/video/5NYIdUztk8M/v-deo.html
You'll have to see for yourself if the english subtitles work for you.
Ultrabenbooyah thank you I'll see if the subtitles work!💪
A+ on the production value! Production value + solid content = a very happy subscriber! I can't say the same for Frank Focus. Keep these kind of videos coming Alex and this channel will take off. I've been with you since 1k subs.
Sanctus Vianney Thanks a lot! You are a channel OG for sure.
Alex
"A year later Frank found the fifth drive mode, Blown Headgasket Mode" hahahaha 😂
They really do have a blown gasket mode, it’s called “ Limp In Mode “
The head gasket issue was fixed, im at 135k miles , just regular maintenance and 2 set of clutch . Its been an amazing journey with the RS. people have no idea what they missed by avoiding this vehicle . Also makes me feel good because no body wants an RS and that is good because is hard to see an RS n the streets and makes your car unique . Hard to spot one . I have only seen 4 in a 5 year period around orlando Fl.
My 2015 EcoBoost Mustang has the same engine and it blew up at 4k miles. Had a few mods and my warranty was denied, had to pay out of pocket for a new engine. I highly recommend not tuning these motors, like he said in the video Ford is looking for reasons not to put a new engine in your car. Unless you can afford to buy a new motor don't believe what people say about key cycling and stuff to hide you had a tune.
Auto show and go
Ford sucks enough said. How about the 1.6L in the old Fusions having problems? To the Chinese made getrag in the Mustang? Ford loves to cut corners and deny warranty work on top of fixing their bullshit problems. Lets also not forget about their shitty dual clutch automatic which is prone to failure aswell. Ecoboost engine is a pile of shit with turbos prone to failing too.
ah yes, the shitty dual clutch auto that you had to basically floor from a stop to keep the clutches from slipping and overheating.
2011 F-150 3.5TT EcoBoost V6 here with 85k miles. 1st gen 3.5TT and been tuned since 20K on a 93oct performance tune @ 20lbs peak boost. Stock is 12lbs and made 305whp, 367wtq, Tuned put down 407whp, 536wtq on pump gas. Daily drive on my tune and known issue was Oil blow by collecting in the intercooler so I drilled a 1/16" weep hole in the lowest spot and watched the blow by spray out until dry. Fingers crossed I make it to 100k :)
Just lovely that Ford discontinued the NA 3.7 for the eco :/
Devon Clancy they didn’t discontinue the N/A v6? They just came out with a new one. Look it up again bud.
“A year later Frank found the fifth drive mode called blown head gasket mode” lmaoooooo
So this is how ken block gets those smokey drifts!
Lmfao
Ken block is a homosexual
@@angry-white-men your a homosexual
I saw another video concerning this where the guy said that it is very possible that the RS was mistakenly fitted with the head gasket at the factory from the 2.3 ECO Mustang engine. Both are 2.3, but the design of the blocks are different. His evidence is pretty convincing.
This is correct. This was the issue and Ford did a recall and sorted it out.
Easy fix, just put gasoline into the cooling system.
Just put petrol on the entire car. FIFY.
@@wf6951 😂😂😂😂😂👍 better buy a Civic Typ r and this car will be running forever without any Probs😎
Gas in the coolant and run a 100 dry shot of nitrous.
Lol! This comment! A few years back when I was stationed in Turkey, a Humvee I was driving was low on coolant, I go to the storage spot where we keep extra coolant and fuel. Some dumb ass mislabeled the coolant can and I end up putting disel in the coolant 🙃
@@tonygant2448 How'd you like those Turks? Sketchy bunch, no? It's not racist if it's true lol. There are only two nations on this Earth that I despise. Turkey is one of them, and me being Canadian and all, I think you can guess the second one lol.
The engine isn't bad in the least. The head gasket issue is from the ecostang's gasket being put on the RS by accident in the earlier builds. The difference is a single hole for routing coolant.
First video of yours, you easily sold me on your channel in this video alone the quality is amazing makes it very enjoyable to watch and all facts are straight up and the pictures of what you are talking about are an awesome addition.
Reason why I bought an ST: the RS has a bored out block which is the same as the one in the ST, but therefore has weaker cylinder linings/ walls. Also, both cars have cast rather than forged pistons and con rods. So don't do pulls from low revvs in high gears. The head gasket is also weak because it can't cope with the compression ratios. Usual situation with Fast Fords: great cars, but built to a cost. Great ideas for health of car: meticulously replace oil every 7500 miles; drain and replace coolant every 20-30,000 miles, and do a regular decarbonisation every few thousand miles too (because of the direct injection)
My college instructor worked on engineering the ford focus rs engine. He loves this engine and would often speak of the politics when building it. They had to meet the hp & torque ratings near the desired rpms, make the power-band smooth. I wonder what his explanation of this would be.
You cant have everything!
Please ask and let us know
The best evidence to determine the over all engine design is poor may be measured by repeat failures. If the replacement engine is equipped with a properly fitted gasket that is a better quality and the engine does not repeat the same failures after similar conditions have been met, than I would consider the over all design of the engine to be sound and the cause of the concern to be the gasket and or the original quality of assembly.
Bare in mind during development every manufacturer performs rigorous durability testing. The likes of which are far crueler just about any daily driver will endure. However, the vendors that provide various parts during assembly often change during production if a parts supplier is unable to keep up with demand and or quality. This often the reason for many recalls.
Porsche used open decks for the 944 and 928 and neither of those engines were notorious for head gasket failures.
The principle design is favorable for cooling and allows a higher volume of fluid around the cylinder to absorb vibrations. If the proper gaskets are fitted with the proper fasteners its should not be a problem.
If after the first failure the engines are replaced or resurfaced heads and new gaskets experience the same failure conditions than I would agree that the block is the root cause.
1400IntruderVS the open deck appears to me one of the major problems here. The walls seem to slightly elliptical that can only be from wear from cylinders swaying up and down. Changing just the head gasket is just going the cheap rout and might work for now but doesn't solve the problem entirely.
I drive an old volvo 240 with a B230 engine , 114 HP and over 600,000 miles on it without any intervention on the engine short block
When I see aberrations like that, I'm sure that I will keep it for a long time.
It's sure that such a boosted engine is much more prone to troubles but it is inacceptable to put in the hands of the public engines that should be reserved for competition use where a qualified team is employed to make a close followup.
I will not discuss of the technical solutions but simply say that when you buy a "new and improved" product, in fact, you buy a cheaper product that search cobayes to make the tests
“Blown head gasket mode”. Hehe
"Drift Blown Head Gasket Mode" that was Hilarious!! or is it a steam engine????
sounds like a regular ford mode to me. found on road dead
I'm pretty sure that was implemented by Subaru on the Impreza
Automatically engaged, for your convenience.
It's not only the RS that has issues, the 1.0L, 1.5L and some 1.6L ecoboost engines all have issues. The only one I haven't really seen issues with is the 2.0L in the focus ST. We have done too many cylinder heads and replaced ecoboost engines to count.. The 1.5 has similar issues as the 2.3, but it also has a problem with the PCV system, where it ends up blowing oil straight into the intake manifold and the builds up on the spark plugs and valves (mainly cylinder 2 for some reason) and causes pre-detonation, and then engine damage... My old fiesta ST was the first and last ford I will ever own..
And that's why I have a focus st. Engine is more better and reliable 👌
I *really* like the idea of a channel that looks at how many newer cars have time bomb issues.
El Michoacano YOU don't make sense or have any, apparently. 😕✌
With cars nowadays that channel would be getting plenty of content to display
And El Michoacano he's getting at how many newer cars tend to develop catastrophic breaks or failures, usually to defect in materials or flawed design (for example, the flawed design in the I4 ecoboost in this Focus)
Truth be told you did sound like being a Sarcastic Troll fishing for quick entertainment . . . kinda hard to tell with all the P.O.S users cruising YT land. Glad we got that misunderstanding out of the way.
Sad
The old five cylinder was totally awesome and now this....
krezo, that was an Volvo engine.....
it could be a ssangyong engine, doesnt matter as long as its reliable and somewhat fun
Oh yeah, a much better engine, sounded very good, could handle boost and in volvo applications, routinely lasted several hundred K.
thats what im talking about!
volvo engine was great
Thanks for the video. For did put out the FSA and I got a new head and head gasket. Ford took responsibility for it and my car is all fixed at no cost to me, including free rental car for the 2 weeks. I do like the car very much. Hopefully, all is fixed. It runs great so far.
Update: It had an undiagnosable issue with the auto engine stop/start. Ford took the car back and gave me a 2018 RS. The head gasket issue was on certain models and build time-lines. The 2018s did not have the HG issue as they addressed it. My 2018 now has 45k miles on it and It’s been 100% reliable. I absolutely love it.
Also, I do get a bit of a Subaru fan boy/RS hater vibe here but who know heh. There's a portion of this vid that shows how good a WRX head is, opposed to the RS head.. b/c we all know that Subarus never blow a head gasket 🤣.
U should have gone for the type r 😁. Its a bit slower, but it runs!! 😎😎
@@SilverDelSol and only fwd lol and more expensive 😂 fuck the type R
Had my recall done, car is running perfect and has been to multiple track days. I absolutely love this thing and it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
It's still a pos.
Masked Masters really? Have you driven one? Awesome bit of kit and definitely not a pos.
I am a RS owner and I appreciate this video. I hope more people can see this so the word spreads like the California wild fires.
Thanks Kyle. I'm with you. Some (very few) get offended by pointing out an issue. I don't own an RS but if I did I'd want Ford to notice we all know whats up. And they have since they should be issuing a repair soon. Hope you love your car, I know after making this video that they are awesome. I totally want one now, haha. As soon as Ford fixes them of course.
Alex
Is it worth buying? I'm getting 1 this weekend. Now I'm hesitant
@@spidyduzit did you ever pick it up
@@XspeakerXforXmarsX yes I did. Dont regret it at all. Never had a problem so far!
I am also a Focus RS owner and my car has done 25,000 miles and still looks, sounds and goes like a brand new one. Absolutely no problems. And yes - I do occasionally drive it like it was meant to be driven - like a hooligan.
Thus, the reason why I just got a Honda Accord V6 6-speed manual updated with a Tein suspension, Advan RZ-II rims, and Brembo Big Brake Kit. It's reasonable fast and my car won't break.
Oh really? let me drive the car.
We had a 2008 Honda Accord and it was a piece of junk (had at least 6 factory recalls). The rear and front end, the key locks and door locks , alternator, power stearing, brakes, and so much more all went bad.
@@harrygaul4475 that's kinda hard to believe we got a 07 Accord 150k miles and the only problem it's given us is the starter need to be changed
ErwinSchrodinger64 .....lol. So many cars out there. Hondas in your world are the best choice? I bet chocolate ice cream is useless because "vanilla" is the only choice anyone will ever need in life..at some point in your life buy a fucking car that stirs your soul. When you do take your fucking accord and roll it off a high cliff while its on fire..
452 bad ratings by *new* RS owners! Seriously though how can you not rate this highly?! Excellent stuff, well done for this expose. Even with part replacement who wants their engine torn apart on a fairly new car? I'm not in the market for an RS bit if I was I'd be thinking very carefully right about now about a possible purchase!!!!
If you had half a brain you would know almost any 4 banger turbo tuner car on the market all have had major fuckin issues all on their own. That's the reality. Don't buy a tiny little engine and shove a bunch of boost into and rod it and think it's going to be your daily driver. Now there are a lot of high mileage 4 banger tuner cars out there but most of them take care of it the right way as well.... You never know what the driver has done to the car either and will cry about it being someone else's fault when the shit breaks. Get used to it, buy a CTSV , pretty flawless drive train at it's insane hp levels, something you can beat on with confidence. A lot of brands released engines with porous blocks from the factory etc and didn't change it down the road, turbo seals leaking, transmissions exploding, head gaskets prematurely failing. I mean some of you have no fucking clue.
Fast forward to 2023. Wasn’t the issue just an incorrect head gasket installed at the engine plant? How complicated can it get. Wrong gasket…install correct gasket. Fixed.
Literally this lol
Wow great job ford keep up the good work! !! I'm glad I went with an sti
Lol I feel the same way, glad I went with my Lancer Ralliart, I was looking at a Focus ST, was super nice but all the negative things I kept hearing about them strayed me away
I just bought a new Focus ST. It's been great so far but I'm praying I don't get these engine problems
Lmao! Built tough my ass🍑.
Fuck ford🖕🏼
SraiTdenI I don't think that's helping anything
Mason mcderp Focus ST isn't even remotely the same as the RS.
Ford will do nothing about it for now. They probably will lower HP output as quick fix until they redesign new block. I actually like this car and was thinking getting one, now I changed my mind. It think it will be like 5.4 v8 spark plugs issues, until they designed new 5.0. I hope expose other vehicles that have major engineering design issues. Every brand has issues, however some have bad engineering. Thank you for very educational video. Subscribed to your channel.
repairvehicle Should have revived the Essex engine
repairvehicle hatchback? It's trying to be a SUV but it's still a sedan. All these new cars look like shit and I guess run like it too. I just saw that new Honda Civic also have problems with their turbo because the damn thing was overheating.
Ford has a fix. They developed a new head gasket to fix the problem. They are also just replacing entire engines at this point because the head gasket issue tends to cause the block to crack due to excessive cylinder pressure being fed into the coolant passages.
So no, Ford isn't doing nothing about it. They aren't lowering power output because it has NOTHING to do with that. This problem exists on the Ecoboost Mustang as well (same engine, same head gasket).
One last thing you (and the author of this video should keep in mind) is that less than 1% of Focus RS owners are affected by this. Out of the thousands sold, maybe barely 100 have blown the gasket. That's still a small number of cars affected, but thankfully the RS community is very vocal about any issues.
Ford fixed the 3 valve plugs before the 5.0 in 2008
High Octane ohhh yeaahhh I'm so scared that my 41k mile RS is going to blow. Wanna try being a better troll?
Make a 350hp 4-banger.....then you can blame EVERYTHING on driver abuse.
Actually my friend abused the f out of his inline 4 d17a1 in his Honda civic yes it burned oil but it never stopped running. I see newer fords on the road waiting for tow trucks. Hell I rather own a chevy before a own I ford.
pretty much, beating the shit out of it.
Let me get this right. You sell a product and if you use this product to it’s fullest and it breaks it’s the the consumers fault? That’s sounds like ford logic. As a matter of fact I think it’s Honda’s fault😂
Not been funny but look at current F1 Engines. 1.6 liter V6 that kicks out over 700BHP. Ford has won alot in this. Ford won the world rally championship in the fiesta which gets as much hate as the RS does and the Fiesta only has a 1.6 litre engine. So is it so hard to believe that the 2.3 litre 4 pot engine can crank out 350HP? Iv'e seen Fiestas doing close to that with their 1.6 litre engines when modified. With alot around the 300HP mark with no problems. 300+ usually have to go forged though.
It's people like you who have no clue about engines that post shit like you do.
Only reason why the Evos and WRX were such great cars to modify was because they was over engineered being popular rally cars.
Also the problem was they took the 2.3 litre engine from the mustang and tried re-using it only to realise when they tried to re use the mustang head gasket it didn't properly seal. So they made new gaskets which is what they fit on the recall. The same 2.3 litre Ecoboost engine which will be in the new Mustang also
I don't know if you get to select the points at which the ads interrupt, but lately they always seem to cut you off at a bad time, creating a cliff hanger. Annoying, I much prefer the ads to come at a natural break in the action! Great work though, you are one of the UA-cam stars. Excellent content!
1. Sorry for my bad Englisch. 2. The Headgasket isnt the Problem. The Problem is the integrated Exhausmanifold in to the Zylinderhead. The Heat is so high that even under the normal Pressure the Coolant boils and creates Bubbels in the Zylinderhead. These Bubbels prevent the Coolant of flowing through the Zylinderhead. Result is the warping of the Zylinderhead and Block.
Her is a Video of the Guys from Beastfactory. It's in german
ua-cam.com/video/5NYIdUztk8M/v-deo.html
Danke! für den Versuch, Englisch zu schreiben!
So your saying there's a problem?
Awesome video and this is good to know. I almost bought an RS but now glad I didn't.
Ford has come a long way but I'm disappointed that this open deck design made its way into an otherwise fantastic car. If you're going to build any kind of performance car you HAVE to overengineer certain stress points in the drivetrain and the bean counters need to stay the hell out of it. Who know for sure why this happened in the case of the RS but hopefully Ford has learned a lesson. Utilizing a better design would not have increased costs by that much and has been done in the past. The 4G63 is one example.
Here's to hoping Ford will get their heads out of their rears.
I have mine wirh 93k miles and zero issues , they just needed to fix the head gasket and thats it . im a professional drifting now eitht my rs after 3 years
Awesome vid Alex. Every one gets better. I can tell you're getting more comfortable in front of the camera.
Thanks Robert. Appreciate that.
Alex
LegitStreetCars No problem. If you get a chance, you should have an email from me a while back about an AMG I'm interested in buying from a friend. Email starts with robhull. Happy holidays.
Good video. Given Ford's history gas tank diff shields with design defects, unless it's projected to cost more than lawsuits they'll ignore it.
Anyway, you mentioned suggestions. How about Toyota's ongoing software issues. From the killer Priuses a few years back to the current Tacoma drive by wire issues that they can't seem to resolve.
Of all the companies in the world you might expect not to be able to get software right, Toyota is hard to believe.
Alex: You Rock! You provide a logical and linear analysis of a complex problem in a manner that "Non Car Guy's and Gals" can understand. You need an agent to set you up with a syndicated Cable TV Show. Keep up the great work and Happy Holidays.
Thank you for taking the time to make theses videos. I believe you have a solid future doing this given your expertise and polished presentations.
Still nothing compared to all the catastrophic engine failures that GM has been plagued that they won't do anything about. At least Ford is doing something about this unlike GM who would just leave you to pay for the repairs...
ap 123 that is very true it’s funny cause when gm makes junk nobody freaks out but when ford does everyone starts talking shit it’s just funny
Dylan Guiney I'm not a Ford fanboy or a GM hater or anything, so I can say this completely unbiased. GM fans are some of the most easily butthurt people I've seen in the car community. They're always so quick to say "Should have bought a Chevy" when someone gets a Ford. Maybe they're just upset that their preferred choice has been playing second fiddle to Ford all their life.
ap 123 GM has been plagued with timing chain issues and most are just out of warranty so the customers have been left out in the cold.
+Eric Fortune Jr. I work on cars for a living, both Ford and GM are having timing chain issues. They both have issues with VVT's also. Most of it stems from poor maintenance. Hyundai/Kia 4 cyl have issues with chains also. Jaguar had chain problems with the early AJ V8's. Aside from maintenance, the issue seems to be tolerance stack. With long chains, if you get a little stretch on each link, you've got a problem.
As does BMW. They have just extended the warrant on the timing chain in the N20 turbo 4 cyl. in the 228i to 7yrs./70K miles. Ask me how I know.
My first new car was a Ford Escort Pony. After 27,000 miles the timing belt broke. Just got worse after that. When I asked the service manager if there was a known issue with the ignition coil (mine failed twice in 2 months shortly after the timing belt broke) he said... "you get what you pay for." I was 20 years old. I have not bought a Ford since then... and I have no plans to. I'm 52, BTW.
Subscribed!
Great video and info.
Terrible design by Ford and unfortunately the revised head gasket is just a bandaid on a much larger problem.
How in the world did the engineers at Ford not see this coming with this terrible design.
I thought automakers learned their lesson in the 90's about that shitty floating deck. It failed all the time WITHOUT being boosted.
Fastford 13 : That's for sure, couldn't imagine spending 15 Grand over msrp to deal with this mess. I would be so pissed .
Because engineers are fucking idiots,a mechanic would have looked at that and laughed
Tom Now here is a stupid comment.
Lasting more than a few months Lol, my God some people are stupid!
The RS engine is a bad design, EVERY manufacturer has at least one.
true. The original floating deck grenade that I remember was the old saturn 4 bangers. Chevy had several the 2.3 and 2.4 quad engines with oil issues. Dodge had the dreaded 2.7 v6 quad cam. I could go on and on. For the most part automakers do ok ish but there are always compromises in design. This one was just too pricey for compromise. 45k for a platform that's base is like 15k. I fear it will not age well.
Nice video. Do a video on the GM ls7/ls9 valve guide/valve drop problem. A lot of destroyed Ls7 Corvette and Camaro engines out there.
Craig Ream Totally going to do that
Still the most reliable engine
David- Yes. The LS series, as a whole, is extremely reliable. But the ls7 (and possibly ls9) heads are considered time bombs by many owners.
The Ls7 suffers more
@David Stevenson Not for hard track use without numerous mods.
"blown head gasket mode" lmaooo
A student in my automotive class works at a local Ford dealership that was doing these recals. Apparently the problem is a few of the plants were supposedly unknowingly putting the head gasket from the Ecoboost mustang on these, and there is some notable differences on these motors all though they are basically the same.
@ferkemall that's funny!!
the entire intro was comedy gold... esp. blown headgasket mode lolll
Poop I disagree. It was trash. Though the blown head gasket joke was good.
Great video especially with the photos of the block & head gasket just ordered a new rs for Feb 18 delivery having 2nd thoughts mabey should stick to Audi😥😥
Michael Fitzgerald yeah, like Audi never had engine problems. Lol
Mr. Man s and rain models don’t really
Buy a 2005-2008 Subaru Legacy GT or WRX/STI
Do a video on my crappy 2013 Ford Fiesta transmission. Currently a Class Action Lawsuit going on in regards to it.
Jeremy Niewinski
What is the problem with yours?
I had a fiesta as a rental for full week few years ago and the transmission was jerky as hell.
It’s a shame because the Ford Focus, especially the 2012 and newer ones, are one of my dream cars. All I hear is problems after problems for these cars. I don’t think I’m buying one any time soon.
You should do a video about the rod bearing issues in S65 and S85 engines. Manufacturer defect? Just plain false? User error?
It’s a Ford. Working as intended.
Bull, just the toy 4 cyl, pushing too much horsepower through a micromachines engine...
It's like running the 5k with high blood pressure.
lol dam!
I bet it wasn't engineers fault, pretty sure it was some managements stupid decision
Wow! I’ve been with subaru for over 12 years and I wouldn’t expect this from Ford. We change every head gasket on every subaru we sell because it’s such an issue. This just blows my mind seeing the gaskets.
I was thinking of seriously getting this car in a few weeks....This video has now turned me off, & I no longer will purchase one now...Thankyou for a informative video!
Jason Smither ...u believe these internet BS stories? Dude this guy ruined his own ride. I know guys have em & race em wkly in Michigan. Test drive it u will love it.
David Klimmek Yea, your right...I will have to check em out myself...it's just discouraging when your about to make a purchase of a vehicle & see a video like this about the car your interested in..thanks for your advice
David Klimmek I can't wait to get rid of mine. I bought mine in May and it's been in the shop almost 2 months out of ownership. It took 38 days for them to give me my car back.
Jason Smither no problems with mine. I love the car. No matter what you buy you’ll end up with issues, and you’ll worry about them until they never happen. Go test drive it and don’t mod it until it’s out of warranty and you’ll be fine. 16s and early 17s have some issues but haven’t seen much from 17s.
Casual Car Talk cool, I really want to pull the trigger on one...just don't want to regret it afterwards! Thanks for the "heads up" 👍
This was in my recommendeds for fuckin ages, thought it was a clickbait but gave in and watched, very informative actually
Thanks! Glad you clicked.
Alex
Great video Alex, can’t wait to see more of these
Great video and presentation. This issue is not unique to the 2.3. My 2.0 EB in 2016 Edge had the same issues. First eating coolant, they replaced the head at 25K, by 39K they had to replace the long block for same issues.
Mate the 1.0 litre eb is worse we called them ecoboom take a guess to why haha
Any word on if this is an issue with early production RS models only? Has Ford revised anything for the 17 and 18 model years? Fantastic video btw, very interesting.
The engine and head design is flawed. Steam bubbles build up in the coolant lines around the turbo header (header is integrated into head, coolant loop is run around header to cool it), due to the bubbles cooling in this area is nearly non existent, then the head and block deform.
No, there is nothing Ford can do apart from developing a new engine. They will just wait until warranty runs out and leave it to the aftermarket to come up with a solution.
FunkyShaf happened to my fiances at 12579 ish miles...
The V8 bigot in me would like to laugh, but man, I just can't help but feel the pain of fellow car guys. This is completely unacceptable. Get it together Ford and take care of your customers!
Fourth Horseman yes exactly I'm one of them I have had the rs for a year an it has been in the shop more then I have had it
Fourth Horseman
The ecoboost is next lol.
Fourth Horseman - It’s alright, man... I’ll do it for you. ROFLMAO
There isn’t a high performance four cylinder econo-box on the planet that has ever demonstrated any ability to last more than a few years. The main reason being, is that they have the literal piss driven out of them, and usually on a daily basis.
The Focus RS will be a rarity on the street in less than 10 years. The only ones that will still be out there are the ones (for whatever reason) were initially bought by older people, and never hammered.
Is it a bad head gasket design? If your $7K engine goes tits up because you cheaped-out on a 12 dollar head gasket, it ain’t gonna matter in the long run, because Ford’s going to be flipping thousands of engines anyway. The head gasket won’t fix the underlying issue permanently.
It’s a structural problem.
Ford is going to rid itself of the sedan market and its liabilities in 2020.
But let this serve as a lesson. When you squeeze V8 power out of a four banger... enjoy it while it lasts, and get rid of it before it fails... because it WILL fail.
why should ford get it together people keep buying fords they won't change a thing until people stop buying they have been having serious PROBLEMS for years more than any manufacturer out there
"they have the literal piss driven out of them..."
Mister Deplorable: Ok, I realize this is completely off topic, but dude, you really need to look up the definition of the word "literal." No, seriously, you l-i-t-e-r-a-l-l-y should look it up. Then, please do everyone a favor (well, at least those with half a brain, anyway), and start practicing using that word correctly. I'm reasonably confident that no motor vehicle uses -- or ever has used -- piss as a fuel, lubricant or in any other capacity. Did you pass fifth grade English, literally by the skin of your teeth, or just figuratively, or somehow quietly slipped through the system?
Subbed after Frank Focus said exactly what the narrator said he said. Nuff said.
I got a used Escort that missed when cold, pulled plugs and one had coolant. I flushed the cooling system, dumped in 3 bottles of stop leak and drove it for 10 years.
But point was --shouldn't of had to do that..
Great video! Anyone who understands anything about engine design could have predicted this easily. When BMW started turbocharging their engines a few years ago, they had the same exact problems. Great explanation and photos.
I understand the law of scale, but I don't understand how accountants continue to override engineers to save a little bit of money up front on something like an open deck design when it's been proven time and time again that engineers are smart motherfuckers and make things a certain way for a reason. Those upfront savings simply cannot be less than all the longblocks they have to eat, the labor for the mechanics doing all the labor replacing the engines, the lost public equity, car rentals while cars are in the shop, etc. Go back to the GM/Dexcool/LIM/UIM gasket fiasco from 15 years ago and you think eventually they'd learn. No wonder the big three went bankrupt.
ChrisInIndy06 Thanks for your comment. I recently bought a 2013 BMW 320i and I was wondering does these BMW’s have these problems?
playerskilz I don't think so, but I don't recall definitively. I know the six cylinder engines went from a full open deck to a semi-closed deck in response to it, though.
common on some of the Honda engines to install a block guard when boosting
I'm just getting a Prelude in a couple days with a H22A5 (open deck). I've never heard that this would be an issue on them. I guess it comes into play when it's boosted and stock H22s are not affected.
Keep this series up!
I'm glad I bought my mustang instead of the RS! It was close!
Dude your car is awesome. Glad you went that route.
Alex
wait a min.... doesn't the Ford Mustang use the same engine???
no
Its the same engine...but, let him be happy for a couple of hours.
he probably bought the v8 version
This video harps on the negative. Though the vid is mostly speculation, the exact issue was identified. Ford did take care of the issue. They put out a full Field Service Action, (FSA) for the RSs in the specific build time-line for it. There was an identified issue that they used the wrong gasket (I believe for a very similar Mustang engine) and they identified the build time-line/which specific RSs were affected. At my free FSA check, the compression check was boarder-line but Ford didn't hesitate to offer the fix. Ford took responsibility and replaced HG at no cost to me, including free rental car.
Update: My 17 RS ran great but got an odd thing where the interior audio would cut out for a few moments when engine auto-stop at a red-light/stop sign. Ford took the car back and gave me a brand new 2018 RS. As said, the head gasket issue was on certain models/build time-lines; the 2018s did not have the HG issue as it was identified and addressed pre-build of the 18s.
My 2018 that I got brand new now (5 yrs later) has 45k miles on it and It’s been 100% reliable and runs as good as when I got it. I absolutely love it.
Also, I do get a bit of a Subaru fan boy/RS hater vibe with the vid host but who know ha. There's a portion of this vid that shows how exemplary a WRX head is, opposed to the RS head.. b/c we all know that Subarus never blow a head gasket 🤣.
The 18s are the ones to get if you get one. They're limited edition, have a limited slip differential that the prior years didn't have, and they didn't have the HG issue. I believe only 1,500 were built for the US for the 18s and they also put better shocks in to help improve the suspension from prior years. I've a buddy with an 18 RS with more miles than mine and we both have had no issues and they're running great.
Cheers! 😎
Comprehensive and excellent review of this issue. Wanted one of these after I gave up on Subaru for making yet another ugly WRX. The new one looks like a Carolla, And the RS looks cool. Kind looks like the WRC Fiesta that MSport races. But that block design to me is just asking for trouble.
Great video. I would love to see you do a video and get your thoughts on the Mercedes m156 engine head bolt issue.
Its coming.
Alex
LegitStreetCars That's awesome. You're E55 is killer btw
Thumbs up for Niles, Illinois where I grew up!
Thank you so much. Now I understand better why theres no 2019 or 2020 focus RS. You saved me from getting into a 30k mile 2017 RS
Fantastic video man, great work and perfect presentation
This is why I kept my 1993 Nissan Sentra SE R, thank goodness
Back when Nissan made reputable cars and weren't influenced by Renault.
@@Gunny426HemiPlymouth Agree
You kept a 26-year-old Sentra? I guess you weren't in the market for an RS then were you?
In 2016 i purchased a MB C43 AMG loved the car, but one day i was at a traffic light while it was raining, a big truck drove by on the opposite lane splashing my car, suddenly my 4 month old mercedes benz stalled, to my surprise the engine HYDROLOCKED for the sole reason that the intake filters are on the lower end of the front fascia, belive it or not it was a total loss, the insurance company had to pay the full value of the car, i puirchased a 2017 C63 AMG ( i love the car ) but i am on pins and needles everytime i drive it in the rain, i have heard a couple of cases on C63 AMGs which have hydrolocked too. :( i asked MB if they are doing something about the horrible desing flaw but havent heard anything from them.
High Octane i Know 😱 and it sucks that a brand like Mercedes Benz specialy on a car this expensive didnt even contact me for a solution, thankfully the insurace came through with a total loss. BMW or AUDI next car i get.
have a customer with a 2016 BMW 335, drove thru a puddle, hydrolocked it
Same thing happened to my gf's 2.0 escape 2017 ecoboost, 30 k miles. It is at the dealer now having the engine replaced.. This ecoboost is bad news, it is a lemon.. her car started losing coolant and stinky gases were venting out of the coolant cap as the head gasket was leaking. That escape is a suv, was always dealer serviced, never towed or pushed hard, never tuned, driven by a girl and still blew..
Great video! It is cool to see stuff like that. I wish I these things would be pre checked by the companys.I had a lot of problems with my subaru sti 2.5L. The 2.5L has a lot of problems and they keep building it. Subaru should know this and do something on the engine.You have to do a lot of stuff by your own to prolong the life of your subaru engine.This could be also an interesting video for you to make.
Thanks formthe good conten and best regards from germany
Ford cars are shit. My dad owned a 06 focus svt and it blew the motor at 130k miles stock. Similar issue just happened to my brothers 06 explorer a couple weeks ago at 160k miles. My 07 Cadillac CTS is running good at 190k and I push that thing hard. Never had a problem with a honda or a chevy. Chevy 350 small block is probably one of the best motors out there.
A good tune will help it, as well as an equal length header.
STI_fan subarus aka do you even ringland?
STI_fan well that's kinda what you get for putting highlighter on your rims
Brandon Sinclair I like colours on cars, doesn´t matter on what car ;-)
hey man thanks for doing the research and sharing with us. its so sad that the RS engine is poorly designed
First time checking you out instantly hooked
Thanks! Welcome to the channel.
Alex
Well done! Too bad Ford was unwilling to spend the money and engineer a better fix than to kill off the car. Makes me appreciate Honda and Hyundai even more for actually not just keeping their hot hatches alive but for actually engineering them to last and backing them up with some great warranties. Still LOVING my Type R!
Yup
Have you heard about the transmission shift issues with Jeep Grand Cherokees? My 2015 needed to have a new transmission
installed at 12,000 miles.
No I haven't but I'll put it on the list
Why?
It’s an old mustang engine which Had issues but ford put it in the RS anyway.They said they fixed it and 2017 models would be fine,but this was far from the truth.Its happening to a lot of people.
Reflection Car Care Detailing 2017 has still the same issue
Britain and Germany are having the same issues.....terrible
Reflection Car Care Detailing ..total bullshit!.
David Klimmek Its not bullshit mate it’s happening to lots of RS owners..The videos are all over the tube.
This is happening in South Africa too!!
12 cases that I know of,,
Ford Motor company is 10mins away from my house and there’s some standing at the factory!!
Not cool Ford!!!!!!
Newbie first video of yours subbed good job very informative
The intro to this film was made near where I live in Niles IL. 0:56 you've got the kinda crappy beginning of Golf Mill and at 1:21 that's old Boobys! I pass that place each day coming home from Uni. Small world I swear
Had a 2016, 5,000k had a level 4/5 engine leak...sold it immediately!!
Mine 93k miles no issues after head gasket recall done
Great video, in other words don’t buy the first year rs
It's not just the first year. Ford hasn't really done anything but a new head gasket so who knows how many will come up with issue in the next year or so.
Alex
LegitStreetCars I've got a 16 plate RS on 5000 miles, so far no issue, but sadly many 2016 and 17 plate cars are failing here in uk and Europe. Many people now think the number of heat cycles the engine goes through is in effect a countdown to failure, possibly making hg failure inevitable. I'm curious to see if failures occur on RS edition cars as they will have the latest and last engines that will ever come from factory in a mk3 RS.
cerebellum lol... slight typo! Corrected now! Don't think any RS engines will be clocking that many miles lol
Don't buy a Ford
Raf Orr Don't buy the first of any car.
410K views in a week. Good job,Alex!!
Tokyo drift is the best one
Victory Road Performance that movie is just awful
But instead you get the blown head gasket mode
initial d was my tokyo drift....
Tokyo drift is the only fast and furious movie worth watching. The rest are trash
For Fucks Sake that movie is so fucking stupid...lol
All Fast and Furious movies are stupid!
OK this video was fantastic :-) now you're really stepping up the game, Alex!
Thanks Chris. This one took some effort but really happy with it.
Alex
i have ford focus 2014 - 60,000 km now
the problem in speed 1& 2 not working as well.
Those of you looking to get a Focus RS don't need to worry. This was only a problem for the 2016 models. Since then they put the new updated head and head gasket in the newer models. And if you have a 2016 you can take it to your local Ford dealer and they'll check if your vehicle may require the updated head or just the head gasket. And after the update the vehicle will be just fine. Better even.
Great informative content👍. Don’t own an rs but subscribed.
I haven't had a ford since the Focus ST (ST225 5-Cyl) and I've only been hearing and reading about ford going down the toilet ever since. Sad, really sad
And that was the nice Volvo 5 pot
Ford has always been going down the toilet. why do you think the cars are so cheap. you dont get quality
The ST225 was my last Ford too - was a pretty good car but I remember people having issues with the cylinder heads when they were tuned. Can't remember exactly what those issues were though! My last Ford I REALLY loved was an ST220 Mondeo.. that was solid!
I bought those exact same wheels with a nice set of blizzak tires. Because I wasnt about to run the RS2 pack wheels in winter, they are $1950 from ford. Makes it easy to swap seasons too, my cup 2's are still on the factory wheels in the garage.
Luckily my ticking time bomb engine hasnt exploded yet. Im expecting it at any time though, and expecting shit ford to do everything possible to avoid responsibility.
You are absolutelly correct when you say they knew about the issue. But if they DONT fix mine under waranty "zero mods" you will see me on the local news cheering as my car flies through the showroom front door.
Herp Derp love it👍 and sorry at the same time 😪
What is the name of the rim
Fords where fully aware of the issue at the engine plant,,,, that’s why the plant manager told all people at quality control meetings ( do not print any paperwork off under any circumstance regarding gasket, and head issues with rs engine, anybody found doing so ,will face serious warning , up to including dismissal,, this way they can reply that they weren’t aware of any issues,,,,,
Sounds like a Ford coverup.....
The VW EA888 is far from perfect BUT it is built to handle boost and that is why they continue to run with near 400 ft/lbs with an upgraded turbo take a look at the VW block semi open deck, compacted graphite.
They've made 550wtq on stock engine.
Matt Brewer yeah because nothing says heterosexual like a Focus 😂😂
Very descriptive video. Good job!
Great info and presentation. Subbed.
Excellent video, thanks for all your time and effort, Bob 😎
No cars perfect but to have to replace the engine more than twice or for some people 3 times I will just ask for my money back I still think the Ford Focus RS and St are really good looking cars knowing these issues with the RS I will just pick up a brand new St and save myself some money for modifications
So glad I kept my old 2009 mk2 RS.... That thing is a tank.
I sold my RS MK2 from 2010 one year ago and I can say that the RS2 has a better engine , a better look and is probably more reliable. Regarding the other characteristics, the Mk3 is better from my point of view.
Better handling and traction for the mk3 for sure :) But the 5 cylinders noise is so damn good compared to the 4 cylinders EcoBoost !
Love this type of video. subscribed.
Keep up the good work.
I almost picked up a RS.... but I ended up purchasing a almost brand new C7 Z06. Very happy with my purchase... sorry to hear about some issues with the RS...