Mondeo engine replacement conundrum

Andrea B.

Basically I have a 02 90kmiles 1.8 Mondeo petrol for 6 months now. Bought for €2.7k and fitted new tyres @ €400.

Great car and no issues until started burning oil on one cylinder.

Engine condemned and am being priced for a secondhand engine (80k miles) + new clutch (while out) supply and fit for €1500.

Am I crazy to go ahead with this?

Drive about 300 miles per week and would like to see 3 more years out of it with scrap value at end.

All opinions welcome. Thanks

Paddy001

Keep topping it up... Much cheaper

benj

it sounds a fair enough price and mondeos are suppose to be a
good enough car,plus the fact you seem to have got it at a very
good price to begin with.

Andrea B.

Thanks guys. Did get it at good price due to owner emigrating at short notice. Have been topping up for last 2 weeks, but now strugglin on 3 cylinders.

Darragh29

I'd say to with the engine change OP. It's either do it or the car will ultimately be undrivable...

Bobo78

Darragh29 wrote: »

I'd say to with the engine change OP. It's either do it or the car will ultimately be undrivable...

Out of curiosity Darragh29 how much would it cost to fix that engine instead of buying another secondhand engine that she wouldn't know if everything is ok with it?
Like taking the head of and replacing the piston rings, valve stem seals and everything that goes with it (overhaul).
Would it be around the same price or more or less?

me_right_one

If you drive 300 kms/week, (15000 kms/year), and you want to keep it for 3 more years, thets 45000 more kms you want to do. You wont do that on a dying engine. Spend the E1500, it'll save you in the long run.

Interceptor

Andrea B. wrote: »

burning oil on one cylinder.

Andrea B. wrote: »

but now strugglin on 3 cylinders.

Sounds more like your head gasket is b0rked - some mechanics would rather change an engine rather than fix a head gasket. A head gasket replacement including head skim and water pump/timing belt/tensioner <should> be less than €800.

If you can be sure that the engine going in is going to last (ie it comes from a reliable source and its mileage is known) then replace it. I've fitted second hand engines only to find them to be worse than what I took out...

Is there anything else wrong with the car? If yes - cut your losses and buy something else with the €1500, a Ford with 90k on it is nearing the knackers yard in my opinion (yes, I know they can last much longer but this one has already eaten its engine...)

'cptr

HashSlinging

So your going to replace your 90k engine with an 80k engine.? thats crazy. there should be a lower mileage engine available from rear shunts etc. It should only cost about 1k to get the engine repaired anyway, I had the same issue with a honda accord and it cost 1k to repair along with a full service.

Mr Benevolent

Get a second opinion and a repair (instead of replacement) quote.

maidhc

A recon shouldn't cost more than 1500, and you would get a guarantee and a lot more peace of mind.

Darragh29

Bobo78 wrote: »

Out of curiosity Darragh29 how much would it cost to fix that engine instead of buying another secondhand engine that she wouldn't know if everything is ok with it?
Like taking the head of and replacing the piston rings, valve stem seals and everything that goes with it (overhaul).
Would it be around the same price or more or less?

Ah had this problem on the very same car, a 1.8 petrol Mondeo Duratec engine and the easiest way out of it was to get a 2nd hand engine and drop it in. I think I got one for £600 in Belfast and whatever it was to fit it... This particular engine is very hard to locate second hand.

jetfiremuck

Do a compression check to check if it is a valvetrain issue (burnt valve) or piston sealing Stuck/ brokenpiston rings.Pull the head then do a valve job if needed or rering the piston. Glaze break the cylinder, new head gasket, and you should be ok. Has to be cheaper than an engine purchase/change out

Andrea B.

It is the Duratec engine and had a second verbal opinion on engine, with same synopsis. Engine might've run low on oil with previous owner and overheated and so banjaxed rings.

Was never considering to keep driving (have just replaced plug again this evening and topped oil) even medium term.

Main issue was the economics of it. Either cut my losses and buy a another car or follow Darragh29's route?

quarryman

yep its down to economics for you. selling the car in its current condition you'd be lucky to get €1000 for it. Even then it would be to a buyer that could do the repair or replacement cheap.

In perfect working order you might be able to sell it for 2.5k.

Get a quote on the repair and the replacement. Decide if that is worth 2 to 3 years or troublefree driving.

You don't seem to have any emotional attachment to the car so just add up the numbers and see which is best.

Bobo78

Darragh29 wrote: »

Ah had this problem on the very same car, a 1.8 petrol Mondeo Duratec engine and the easiest way out of it was to get a 2nd hand engine and drop it in. I think I got one for £600 in Belfast and whatever it was to fit it... This particular engine is very hard to locate second hand.

Yeah but she said that a new secondhand engine would cost 1500 euro which is quite a lot of money and she doesn't really know is this engine in perfect condition.
So would the rebuild of this engine cost as much or would it be more then 1500 euro.
I m asking this because I would like to know it myself as well.
If it is around the same price I would rather fix that engine and be sure it s ok after wards rather then buying another secondhand engine and then again have some trouble with it.

Andrea B.

Yeah but she said that a new secondhand engine would cost 1500 euro which is quite a lot of money and she doesn't really know is this engine in perfect condition.

Once it is clear that it is an all inclusive €1500 cost as below;

am being priced for a secondhand engine (80k miles) + new clutch (while out) supply and fit for €1500.

quarryman

Also be aware that an engine replacement might cause issues after you get the car back. Since its a major job on a car it might have to go back to the mechanic to get things sorted. It shouldn't cost you extra but would be inconvenient.

ford jedi

the most common cause of upper engine failure on that engine is the inner swirl flaps breakin up and goin into the engine and getting caught in the valves causing the cylinder to loose compression .piston and ring failure is very rare. the reason this failure will need to be verified is most second hand engine dont come with manifolds. and when the parts are been swapped from bad engine to new engine this could throw annother 400 euro on the bill.
the manifold will need to be removed first to find the cause of youre problems.
jonathan.

quarryman

The inner swirl flaps would get chewed up in the engine though and would cause more symptoms than burning oil though?

vw4life

can your mechanic pinpoint if its the rings or valve stem oil seals,could be a fairly straightforward repair job,could get a dog of a second hand engine,better to find out for sure whats wrong with your engine first,just my opinion

Interceptor

ford jedi wrote: »

the most common cause of upper engine failure on that engine is the inner swirl flaps breakin up and goin into the engine and getting caught in the valves causing the cylinder to loose compression

Hi Jonathan,

Would it cause one cylinder to go down so badly? Would it not cause problems with all of them at the same time? Would a compression test or leakdown test be worthwhile before deciding to replace the engine?

What do you think of the logic of swapping a 90k engine for an 80k one on this car?

thanks,

'cptr

HashSlinging

Had a quick look on ebay and theres a 1.8 ford Duratec engine suitable for this car for 199 pounds.

Only 59,000 miles on.

Just read that AD again and it says number 3 piston is gone, maybe possible to get some parts from your own to fix this..

vw4life

HashSlinging wrote: »

Had a quick look on ebay and theres a 1.8 ford Duratec engine suitable for this car for 199 pounds.

Only 59,000 miles on.

2003 FORD 1.8 DURATEC
COMPLETE ENGINE (HEAD, BLOCK, SUMP, ETC.)
SOME ANCILLARIES MAY BE INCLUDED - CONTACT FOR MORE DETAILS.
SOLD FOR SPARES OR REPAIRS - NO.3 PISTON HAS GONE
LOW MILES - APPROX. 59,000
COMES FROM A 2003 MONDEO THAT WE HAVE BEEN BREAKING

ford jedi

you really need to do all the relavant tests first like compression and leak off,, weve put some replacement engines in with high milege and they were perfect its abit of a luck factor.we use a video scope to look into the effected cylinder to see if theres real carnage first before we go in to splititing an engine

Andrea B.

When I google "inner swirl flaps" I end up back here only.

Can somebody explain in more detail please?

Furthermore, would anybody know an engine specialist that would carry out tests that ford-jedi recommends in Galway city / Galway west?

Thanks to all for feedback and discussion. It has been enlightening and helpful.

ford jedi

sorry andrea b the swirl flaps are built in to the inlet manifold if you google that you should get a few hits ,dont know anyone in the galway area who could carry out the nessary tests for you but any good mechanic worth his salt should be able.

quarryman

Andrea B. wrote: »

When I google "inner swirl flaps" I end up back here only.

Can somebody explain in more detail please?

Furthermore, would anybody know an engine specialist that would carry out tests that ford-jedi recommends in Galway city / Galway west?

Thanks to all for feedback and discussion. It has been enlightening and helpful.

From honestjohn:

WARNING An engine rattle from 4 - 5 year old 2.0i petrol engines might indicate wearing of the shaft of the injection air inlet manifold flaps. If these come off they are then ingested by the engine, wrecking it. This is beoming increasingly common. Also affects 1.8i engines. See www.fordmondeo.org/forum/showtopic.php?tid/777251

i plan to get mine sorted soon enough.