Tag Archives: wetbelt

What caused this Vacuum pump to fail?

This Ford Fiesta Ecoboost was recovered into us after the customer noticed his oil warning light was staying on whilst the car was still running.

When we got the car into the workshop we always like to give them a quick start just to see if there are any other faults we need to look at whilst stripping it down.

In this case we noticed there was no vacuum assistance for the brakes and after a quick look at the vacuum pump i t became apparent there was a problem.

So, what caused this Vacuum pump to fail?

The rubber debris from the failing wetbelt had traveled through the oil galleries and managed to block the little gauze filter going into the vacuum pump causing it to starve itself of oil.

The engine oil in this particular engine had not been changed regularly and possibly not even been the correct specification oil.

Once we had carried out our wetbelt replacement process which in this case included a new oil pump and replaced the vacuum pump the car ran perfect.

We have recommended the customer has another oil change within 2000 miles just to ensure any rubber particles which we couldn’t remove will be flushed through the system and then removed.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Is the 2018 onwards EcoBoost any different?

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

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

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

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

Are they more reliable?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click the video

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

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Why is the correct engine oil important for my wetbelt?

It is becoming very apparent to us that most of the low mileage wetbelt failures on the Ford Ecoboost and Peugeot engines are caused by poor service intervals and incorrect oil.

Garages are using the correct grade of oil but not with the correct additives (specification) which instead of prolonging the life of the wetbelt is actually causing it to fail prematurely.

We urge anyone who has a car with a wetbelt to check with their manufacturer to see exactly what grade and specification oil is required and make sure their garage is using it, it may cost more in the short term but I can guarantee it will save you money long term.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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

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

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

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

Vauxhall Grandland X 1.2 litre 3 cylinder Wetbelt replacement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Fiesta EcoBoost oil warning light on?

This Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost was brought into us with its oil pressure warning light on and its engine sounding a bit noisier than it should.

After stripping the engine our previous guesses turned out to be correct, the wetbelt had been degrading (as they do over time) leaving deposits of rubber in the oil which were being sucked into the oil pump pick up and causing it to block subsequently causing low oil pressure.

If this problem is left to long it can cause serious engine damage as it is starving the engine of its lubrication.

On this EcoBoost engine we replaced its wetbelt kit and oil pump belt and also decided it would be a good idea to replace the oil pump itself rather than clean out the pick up (as it was so bad).

Once the job was completed it was time to see if the repair had worked and turn the engine over on the key!!

Success, the engine started, oil warning light went out and it purred like a kitten.

We think the biggest issue with this particular engine was caused by a lack of servicing, we know the wetbelts degrade over time leaving rubber deposits in the oil but with regular oil changes most of those deposits would be removed from the engine and not be allowed to block the oil pick up.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

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Little Peugeot Wet belt caught just in time!

This little Peugeot 208 1.2 vti was booked in to have its wet belt replaced due to another garage noticing rubber in the oil when it was serviced.

”Make sure to use vehicle specific oil when Servicing”

Once we had stripped down the engine to access the wetbelt we had to fit the timing tools to the camshafts and flywheel.

When we removed the wetbelt you could clearly see its poor condition and by gently pinching the belt see the cracks.

After replacing the wetbelt kit on any vehicle it is good practice to clean out the oil pump pick up due to the rubber debris blocking it and causing oil pressure issues.

Make sure to use the specific oil for the car due to their additives which help prevent premature belt wear.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Another EcoBoost having its wet belt replaced just in time!

The Ford 1.0 EcoBoost engine fitted to the Fiesta, Focus, B Max and some Ford Connect vans is ran by a wet belt (runs inside the engine) and Ford recommend it should be replaced at 150,000 miles or 10 years.

This Fiesta was 8 years old and had only done 80,000 miles and you can see by the pictures the condition of the belt and the debris inside the oil pump pick up caused by the failing belt.

Replacing the wetbelt and oil pump belt is a time consuming job, you have to remove about 90% of the engines ancillaries to be able to access the wet belt and to be able to fit the timing kit which ensures the new belt goes on in exactly the right place.

Wetbelt strip down process

Remove coil packs, fuel rail and rocker cover
Remove AC compressor, AC pipes, alternator and catalytic converter
Drain engine oil, drain coolant, remove drive shaft, starter motor and sump
Remove water pump and aux belt tensioner
Rotate engine to TDC and fit crank timing tools and flywheel locking tool
Fit camshaft timing tools
Remove crank pulley using a Torque Multiplier
Remove front engine cover
Remove wetbelt, oil pump belt and oil pump and inspect

Normally we can just clean out the oil pump pick up but in this case we decided it would be a good idea to replace the oil pump whilst it was stripped down because it was so bad.

There are several other seals and washers we replace when rebuilding the engine such as the block to front cover seal behind the water pump and the crank bolt friction washer (Ford advise fitting this due to early problems of crank slip).

Wetbelts are becoming a big problem in all makes and models of vehicles and we advise you get yours replaced well before the recommended interval to reduce the chance of failure.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.