Ford Focus Tdi Problems :(

[shorty_15-92 1]

I'll start from the start...

 

I had to take my brother to Wolves on monday morning (~5am).

Firstly the car wouldn't start - replaced the battery and it was fine.

Off we went. About 3 - 5 miles before telford, the car started loosing power (I had my foot flat and it was struggling to stay at 60!!! (Great).

After about 10-20 seconds it started getting worse - having to change down to 2nd to stop it stalling! It had also started smoking one hell of a lot of blue/white smoke (it was dark so i didnt notice it at first) So I pulled onto the side and had to struggle down the side of the dual carriageway (Ignoring the big plumes of smoke from the exhaust, and an uncountable number of people beeping as they went past) to a parking (~1/4mile).

I pulled over as the blowers started to fill the car with smoke - it really smelt of boiling engine. (First thought headgasket gone )

Anyway, once i'd pulled onto the layby i opened to bonnet to a lot of smoke, steam etc etc in my face. First thought was to check the water - completely fine. Checked the oil - not a single drop! (I had checked it the night before and it had been a couple of mm under the max level). There was also a fair bit of oil coming out the exhaust.

Put in the roughly 2-3L I had in the boot into the car and started it up to see if it was spewing out oil anywhere (pipe came disconnected etc), but no, everything was fine. I noticed it had stopped smoking as well.

After a few minutes i decided to try and make for telford so my brother could get the train. About 10 minutes down the road it started smoking again but a lot worse. I pulled off the dual carriageway ( i was right by an exit) and into a supermarket car park - just as i pulled into the car park the oil pressure light came on (definitely time to stop!!!!!!)

My brother go a taxi to the station and I was left waiting for the RAC.

 

After about an hour a guy showed up in an RAC van. After looking at the car (very briefly - he didnt even want to start it!) he told me the turbo was gone.

After another 2 hours a towtruck showed up to take me home (yay )

We started the car up to drive it onto the towtruck, it started on 2 cylinders, with a 3rd coming in a few seconds later, and the 4th firing very intermittently.

Got home pretty uneventfully.

 

 

Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?

 

As I said, my first thought was the headgasket, but the water seemed fine. Can the gasket go between the cylinder and oil channels?

The RAC man told me it was the turbo, yet wrote headgasket on the sheet of paper for the towtruck driver (i had told him i thought it was the gasket gone)

I have also thought it could possibly be piston rings?

 

I will do a compression test as soon as i get a chance.

From the symptoms, it looks to me like there is oil getting into one (or 2) of the cylinders, but I can't figure out how it could of got through so much oil (after topping it up again, 8 litres in about 3 miles!), unless its just chucking it out the exhaust?!

 

 

Would be grateful if anyone has any ideas, and im hoping I wont have to get the head off!

 

Forgot to say, it's a W reg, 1.8tdi

Edited January 22, 2013 by shorty_15-92

[welshpug 1,657]

Pull a pipe off the intercooler and check how much oil there is.

 

Is this the 1.8 TD DI endura engine?

[shorty_15-92 1]

Pull a pipe off the intercooler and check how much oil there is.

 

The dipstick is coming out clean - not a drop on it. Will have a look in the intercooler when i get a chance.

Is this the 1.8 TD DI endura engine?

Don't think so. It doesn't say endura or anything on it.

There is a sticker just above the inlet manifold with a code that says: LYNX TCI STAGE 2

[welshpug 1,657]

i said nothing about the dipstick...

 

Lynx is the commonrail (TDCI) Version of the old Endura Di 1.8.

[shorty_15-92 1]

The car is currently not at mine ( cos of the snow). Im currently waiting for the snow to go so I can get it towed up, then I see what i can find.

 

Thanks for the quick replys btw welshpug, much appreciated!

Edited January 22, 2013 by shorty_15-92