Car ownership can always be full of scary stories, and the Ford EcoBoost engine’s wet belt is no exception. Online forums and garages are rife with tales of catastrophic engine failure due to neglected or prematurely worn wet belts.
As part of a wider series by Garage Wire on the Ford EcoBoost wet belt issue, this opener takes a brief look at the problem along with some ‘best practice’ to avoid belt failure from those in the know.
What’s the big deal about wet belts?
Unlike traditional timing belts made of rubber, the EcoBoost’s wet belt is bathed in engine oil. This lubrication helps it endure the high heat and friction of the small turbocharged engine. But, like any engine component, the wet belt can degrade over time – or seemingly a lot sooner. Oil contamination, wear, and tear can all compromise its integrity, potentially leading to belt failure and engine damage.
So, should you panic?
The horror stories online often lack context. Yes, wet belt failure can be catastrophic, but the available data suggests it’s not as common as some might have you believe. Ford themselves recommend replacing the wet belt at 10 years or 150,000 miles – whichever comes first.
While some reports suggest a higher risk of premature failure, there haven’t been widespread reports of a “tsunami of litigation” stemming from wet belt issues, as some might have you believe.
This doesn’t mean you can completely ignore the wet belt issue though. It is, after all, a crucial component, and neglecting maintenance intervals can lead to expensive repairs down the line. So it’s probably best taking a balanced approach as a driver and/or advising your customers of the below.
Taking care of your EcoBoost’s wet belt:
- Don’t stick to the service schedule: Ford’s recommended replacement interval is probably best to be ignored. Instead, opt for a much earlier replacement for peace of mind.
Some garages recommend replacing them at four—or five-year intervals, or at less than 40,000 miles just to be safe—or at a maximum of eight years or 80,000 miles for lower mileage vehicles.
But even then you aren’t always safe, there have been stories of well maintained vehicles failing as their belts begin to degrade and debris enters the vacuum pump. - Listen to the engine: Unusual noises like whining or grinding can indicate a worn belt.
- Use the right oil: Using the correct oil viscosity recommended by Ford is vital for proper lubrication of the wet belt – Ford will check and test to see what oil has been used before approving any sort of warranty claim.
It’s not just a Ford thing…
While the Ford EcoBoost gets a lot of attention for its wet belt, it’s not alone. Other car manufacturers also use them:
- General Motors: Some GM 1.4L turbocharged engines use a wet belt design.
- PSA Group (Peugeot, Citroen, DS): Their 1.2L PureTech turbo engines also utilise wet belts.
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA): The 1.0L Firefly turbo engine found in some Fiat and Alfa Romeo models have a wet belt.
Stick to an earlier maintenance schedule
The EcoBoost’s wet belt shouldn’t be a source of constant worry. As long as the right maintenance schedule is put in place and you or your customers are made aware of changing the belt far sooner than the Ford recommendation.
Ian Somerville
Your email said “We take a look at the Ford EcoBoost wet belt issue to try and get to the facts.”. But you’ve barely skimmed the surface. This isn’t journalism.
Mike Gunasekara
You suggest slightly shorter intervals, the failures I have seen 3 causing engine damage in 2023 was all below 50k miles with Ford service stamps and 1 from us, we did use the correct oil, we always do that, also there is a problem with filtration, how does the debris from the belt enter the vacuum pump, this has implications for the trade as garages are forced to clear up a mess caused by poor design and the end user our customer un happy as they blame the garage for the bill not the poorly designed engine.
Karen
These engines are commonlly known in the industry as Ecoboom, because unless they are meticously looked after with clean oil they will go boom. Long service schedules are fine if you are doing mainly motorway miles. A good place to start is every 12 months or 10k to 12k miles then service the car. Much cheaper in the long run.
Andrew Parsons
We agree with the other comments. We have had a number of fords and Peugeots suffering from wet belt degradation, three of which causing catastrophic failure and engine replacement, the rest we have saved by getting to them in time. We have seen many issues from 40k upwards.
Stephen
Was this written by AI?
Julian
Probably written by the vehicle manufacturers
Eddie Bamber
I’ve heard from a garage on another forum that they have Transit vans queued up around the block with belt failure – and these are regularly serviced vehicles. Any ordinary ‘man in the street’ will tell you that putting a rubber belt in oil is just asking for trouble, regardless of what the engine designers and manufacturers may say about the specification of the belt. I remember many years ago being on a training course for an overhead cam engine with a recently introduced cam belt rather than a chain. I said to the Instructor that if the belt snapped, the pistons would hit the valve. He just shrugged his shoulders and said ‘Yep’. They don’t really care once the car is out the factory gate.
Bob Elliot
My beloved neighbour Len..ex -Royal Navy..then 30 years in the Fleet World told about me when one of the well known Diesel Engine manufactures in the late early 60’s first went to rubber cam belt…” not if but WHEN it breaks use this road side kit….a complete set of camshaft pillar supports and a belt….you simple removed all the snapped pillars(they were all ‘weak point’ designed..)replaced with the kit mounts torqued down, on with the belt…1hr at roadside….Might have been Gardener Engines…can’t remember…maybe Dennis..he loved Dennis vehicles..Len Florey Royal Navy 1948-1957 P.O. Artificer (=to Sergeant rank) Hillingdon Council Fleet 1958-1987 :1932-2001…gave me a free Motor Fitter training course over the years…still have 4 lathes today…one is his loved Myford’s……
Mark
Change the belt every 4 years?
Who would buy a car with a routine maintenance item costing over £1000 needed every 4 years?
Not me!!
graham+cox
poor design no doubt
the real issue we find is a customer faces large invoice to replace and they think it is our fault
so as per normal we are the bad guys
what needs to happen is us garages need to get together and get a plan to inform the public of the issues
why do we not have a trade group sharing real life everyday issues ?
just a thought
AJ
Fiats are garbage, ecoboosts are garbage either wet timing belt or wet belt on oil pump or both. I believe the 1.3 T GM had wet belt but 1.4 T has timing chain. Dry belts were a problem earlier Fords, but easy to replace. Good luck replacing a wet timing belt especially on newer more complicated motors. Many of my older fords hit 250k mile and some fleet vehicles over 600k…..now your lucky to get 100k…..without major work…garbage I say.
AJ
1.3t gm has wet timing belt