2.0L wet belt issue - overview / guidance please

[Keith_S]

Hello,

I am in the market for a Transit Custom, likely to be from 2016 or 2017. I had totally rejected the possibility of the 2.0L engine because of the wet belt issue but after test driving 3 vans with a 2.2L engine I thought I would revisit this (I thought the 2.2L engines seemed sluggish and unresponsive, not that I am looking for or expecting high performance).

I will have a look at the related threads on here as part of research but before I go any further with thinking about progressing the 2.0L option I would really appreciate an honest appraisal of the situation i.e. is it a really bad idea (surely it can’t be given that there are so many of these sold!) and I should just stick with the 2.2L option...

I have a few questions:

1. What is the Ford recommended timing belt replacement interval?
2. What is the timing belt replacement interval if you are being cautious / prudent?
3. What might I expect to pay to have the timing belt replaced as part of a service?
4. What come back do I have, if any, with a vehicle that will have had a previous owner and may not have been serviced by a Ford dealership?
5. Even taking all the precautions you can, is it a case of you might be very unfortunate and end up with a destroyed engine (I just can’t believe this might be the case and it's this I really want to avoid)?
6. If I do go down the 2.0L route what precautions can I take to help maintain / prolong the timing belt?

Any help much appreciated!

Thanks,

Keith

[FilW]

As I'm going through this right now, I can tell you what I've learned so far:
1. 144,000 mile or 120 months is the Ford recommended lifespan of the timing belt.
2. Various reccomdations, but given mine went at 106,000m, (with service history) I'd say certainly below 100k.
3. Between £400-600 is the figure I have been quoted (not by Ford)
4. Without Ford documented service history, you have very little chance. Ford will want documented evidence in the form of itemised receipts showing mileage, date, and part numbers to prove all servicing was done on schedule and with correct parts and oil.
Even with Ford documented service history, it is probably potluck.
5. Yes.
6. Buy something else, or if you have to have a Transit, buy it from a Ford dealer, with full service history (check no service was overdue and done late) if the van has done over 80k get the belt done, or at least have it noted you asked about, and take out an extended warranty. And keep up with the servicing...
Good luck. My Transit is becoming an expensive learning curve...

Sent from my SM-S918B using Tapatalk

[Keith_S]

Thanks, that's really helpful.

Part of me can't help wonder how this ever came to be; I have spoken with 2 people (mechanics) who state unequivocally that the wet belt is effectively designed to fail.

I'm assuming the 2024 version absoultely does not have a wet belt.

But there are so many existing Customs on the road so I really don't know what to think...

[Keith_S]

Worth a read, this suggests 60k replacement is the prudent option:

https://www.thevandoctor.co.uk/wet-belt-service/

[metalworker0]

I agree with answer from FilW - spot on

i also agree with you on 60,000.

if you had it replaced by ford ..you'd would not expect to see change out of £1600.

well as far as looks are concerned there is no better looking van for sure,. don't let that sway yoyu.

2.2 ... I'm sure i think i heard there are ways and means of boosting the horse power just with a remap ..this is worth looking into.

all the best.mark

[Keith_S]

Another vote against... Thanks!

I also found this on Youtube; if you read the comments it's just an utter shambles - it looks as if it doesn't matter what you do, you might still be looking at scrap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJD-c13f4Qs

Unless someone can provide something substantial to suggest the wet belt actually is a practical option then I think it's ruled out for me.

I still however can't get my head round the situation as there will be so many people out there oblivious to this and it's all fine (I understand both the Custom AND Transit run the wet belt). Bizarre.

[metalworker0]

Well another angle on it is that almost all the vans made by any manufacturer over the past few years have their faults..some even worse and costly than the fords

so you have to look at every van ..and have to look at every set of faults on those vans too.

a lot here is sort of biased , as some guys here have been into transits all their lives, and its hard to come to terms that a once Superior (engine wise) product is not that anymore..
but look at the competition ..

Note another life long transit nutz enthusiast, Guy martin is running around in a MAN..believe these are is a RE-badged VW Crafter . now that is something ..maybe he knows something we don't or what's best ..or he's being sponsored... hard to know .

whats not the same anymore, when the guys were growing up with the transits ..is that prices of genuine ford spares have gone from reasonable to astronomical and outrageous ...think the reasonable price kept them hooked for a long time

all the best.mark

[loot]

If I bought a transit with wet belt i would change the belt. However.

To be sure of a good outcome. I would be looking at the main wet belt, oil pump wet belt. Oil sump , oil strainer/pick up pipe, timing cover. Vacuum pump inspection and thorough cleaning and any oil/filters etc that I haven't mentioned.
And sealants/consumables related to all the above.

I would like to think annual oil and filter changes would remove any belt debris that is floating around. I do my oil and filter annually and I probably travel less than 7k miles.

A service at Ford is about 300 by my reckoning. I do the service myself.

That said,I'm still driving a euro 4 mk7 around.

[Frag]

1. What is the Ford recommended timing belt replacement interval?
Keith

As of earlier this week,
The Ford timing belt interval has been reduced to 6 yrs or 100k

[My van hates me]

I had belt degradation engine/vacuum failure at 80k. Cost over 2 grand because I had changed my own oem recommended oil every 5k
Likewise, turbo failure at about 100k through oil contamination (though age will have played its part as it’s a relatively feeble turbo).
Factoring in the repairs, purchase and lost earnings 3 years of motoring set me back well in excess of 20 grand.
If I wanted another transit I’d lease or buy a mk7/2.2 custom and pass on the ulez cost to my customers. Unless I did the belt service annually myself or at 30k (it costs a grand roughly) I’d definitely be wary.
Vehicles are generally not built nowadays with owners beyond 3-5 years as a consideration

[Keith_S]

Well another angle on it is that almost all the vans made by any manufacturer over the past few years have their faults..some even worse and costly than the fords

You seem to be saying that, look closely enough, and you'll find problems with any vehicle and that some or many on here are in denial about the ridiculous set up that is the 2.0 engine?

[Keith_S]

I had belt degradation engine/vacuum failure at 80k. Cost over 2 grand because I had changed my own oem recommended oil every 5k
Likewise, turbo failure at about 100k through oil contamination (though age will have played its part as it’s a relatively feeble turbo).
Factoring in the repairs, purchase and lost earnings 3 years of motoring set me back well in excess of 20 grand.
If I wanted another transit I’d lease or buy a mk7/2.2 custom and pass on the ulez cost to my customers. Unless I did the belt service annually myself or at 30k (it costs a grand roughly) I’d definitely be wary.
Vehicles are generally not built nowadays with owners beyond 3-5 years as a consideration

So I think this might have sealed it for me: the most to the point post highlighting the real (potential / likely) cost of the 2.0 engine.

One of the things that strikes about this is that even if you do go down the route of preventative belt replacement, it is (from my limited understanding) a very involved procedure that requires the replacement of many parts, not just the timing belt. So it's not, if done properly, say £300 it's more like £1,000?

Still, I remain very confused and think there has to be more to this than meets the eye. The AA run these, BT and Welsh Water too (though I'm unsure of fleet arrangements so maybe there is no responsibility / cost if the belt fails in these cases); the Parker's review (https://www.parkers.co.uk/vans-pickups/ ... 12-review/) doesn't mention this issue, the What Car review doesn't mention it (https://www.whatcar.com/ford/transit-cu ... ship-costs). There seems to be a healthy used market for them with dealerships offering warranties. So is it that bad? If you had the statistics would this issue look any different from that for another vehicle; it's worth considering that there are probably more Customs on the road than any other medium van meaning more vehicles to go wrong.

On a different point, exactly what was done when these were recalled for the timing belt inspection? Were the belts literally inspected and if they looked okay left alone? Were they all changed and replaced with something different? I read somewhere (perhaps in the comments for the YouTube video I linked above) that the wrong software was used and this was partly responsible for increased diesel in the oil for the timing belt and that once the sofware was updated there was an improvement - was this done as part of the recall?

Thanks all for the helpful replies so far.

[My van hates me]

There are huge numbers of them on the road as somebody else pointed out a while back. Though the grimace on the AA driver’s face when he realised he would be towing my failed ecoblue with his own, which had just had a new engine put in by Ford, spoke a thousand words.
It is such an engineering failure I’ve see mechanics who specialise in just maintaining or repairing this problem.
If they wanted to step backwards and use a belt, put the bloody thing where it won’t perish in diesel bypass laden oil and you can actually change it yourself or not spend the wrong side of £1000 having a mechanic do it.
Ford outright said my engine was toast and it was 8k+ for a new one. Got it back good as new for 2k inc. labour.
If you maintain it religiously and don’t beat the crap out of it for 30k+ a year I’d imagine they serve people well. Though low mileage examples usually have a history of forced regens and clogged dpf issues.
Even Mercedes vans aren’t what they used to be. Best bet is to get stuff delivered to the job and drive a Prius

[metalworker0]

Well another angle on it is that almost all the vans made by any manufacturer over the past few years have their faults..some even worse and costly than the fords

You seem to be saying that, look closely enough, and you'll find problems with any vehicle and that some or many on here are in denial about the ridiculous set up that is the 2.0 engine?

Yes . they probably are in denial - its still early days yet ..probably soon there will be a rush of posts here about belt failures,

Was following the Rover forum ..from the start when they brought out the DOHC version of the K series engine ....a trickle of complaints in the first 3 years .......then a deluge after that...

Anyone (that means enthusiasts) who did manage to sort that K series engine with the MLS gasket and new ladder rail were very happy positive owners.

Yes know the ecoblue has been out since 2015 ish
There is no deluge yet ...but you could become an enthusiast and do it yourself ..and be very satisfied and proud and happy owner and earned life points as you have beaten the system ..if you cant, you are in for an expensive miserable time.

all the best.mark

[My van hates me]

Another tourneo custom with 4 fully inflated tyres sat still in the fast lane of the m25 this morning.
Guarantee it was the belt