Fiesta Zetec 1.25 Leakey rocker gasket

[northernchappy]

Changed the plugs, on my 59 plate only to find a fair amount of oil pooling next to number 3 and 4 spark plug.

I changed the plugs and fitted new HT leads , silicon grease on spark plug end boots with cotton bud careful not to touch the connector but didnt do the boots at coil end as silicon was already visible where the boots fit on the coil/distributer end .

I was told by a neibour that a small leak of oil was common, but I reckon it looks a fair amount. The oil on the dipstick has only dropped about 3mm in a month.

I couldn't get a good pic of oil on cylinder head but got pic of plugs I took out., laid out In cylinder order
Oil "tide mark" a good cm up on ceramic I think. Oil looked about 1 or 2 mm deep at number 4 plug.
It leaks Very slightly at the rear of engine outside surface
I was estimated 100 quid to fix. Would it last a week or two?

 

[Burnerman]

I can't see how they get a price like that, unless we are missing something......why not buy the genuine Ford gasket first? As far as I know its a thin rubber seal that is siliconed in place- fairly typical of DOHC engines but this one doesn't have the circles that go around the plug housings. A bigger issue is water getting in there which causes plug rusting.
Expect a ring around plugs that have been in a while - that's not a fault.
John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The oil on the dipstick has only dropped about 3mm in a month.

Consumption or loss, good or bad, is dependent on the mileage and 3mm is hardly noticeable/ measurable on a dipstick. Most petrol powered head gaskets are an easy, quick job to swap in a new one.

 

[Burnerman]

I'm wondering.....for a hundred quid maybe that includes a new plastic rocker cover?
No idea, but I do recall doing a Focus one, 08 plate I think but I don't know what engine size it was.
John

 

[northernchappy]

Hi Sorry for the delay in getting back, I shopped around and got it done for £60.
Full Story.. (scene going all wiggly as we go back in time)
My previous car, a Polo which was great, written off after someone crashed into the back of me September last year...
Lockdown meant that getting another car was difficult , but between lockdowns I bought this 59 plate Zetec 87k mileage in December 2020 (3 months without a car) supposedly with a new cam belt, service and MOT. When I got the car I looked the car over and looked like the cam belt was done., but had the following problems arising..

On the test drive, there was a very faint whine from the front of the car, the garage told me it's because of the winter tyres fitted, however, when i was going at speed, it was definitely the wheel bearing whining away. The garage is 15 miles away , so rang him up and said he;d take a look but when I got there he said he couldn't look at it that day.
It also hadn't been serviced, new oil yes but the filter had been on for so long I couldn't get it off and crushed the filter slightly, spark plugs & air filter were shagged.

Asked a local garage to just look the car over, and found the following issues which he let me look at when the car was up a hight;

-Front left wheel Bearing
-Play in inner track rod end joints (advisory on mot)
-Both rear tyres perished and a large nail in at angle to write the tyre off anyway
-blowing back box

Needing the car and a another lockdown coming I got the work done except the inner joints incase I ended up without a car for god knows how long in a second lockdown,
just recently Lately the rocker cover was leaking , and now with another mot looming I called a round garages with an estimate of £80.

the guy from the garage i bought the car from also rang me late at night from a withheld number to make a nuisance phone call , describing the car in a fake east european accent and wanting to talk about it..

I doubt I'll be able to do anything about it now.. it but there you are... I was going to do something about it at the time but the other half , mum and my sister were all frightened of him, and him knowing our address etc..

So there you are ;

Cant afford another car as im skint, so stuck with this one ... Anyway; inner joints of steering rack on mot.. will shop around.

 

[Burnerman]

At least it was an Advisory so can be ignored until the next MOT......sometimes there is a little play there for ages, and it’s best to see if it gets any worse.
Hope you get some trouble free motoring for a while!
John