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Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi 90hp Cool & Sound common faults.

2008–2011, estate, diesel, 90 HP.

The fault list covers: GPDA, GPDB, GPDC, HHDA, HHDB engine, IB5, M66, MMT6, MTX75 transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

5 fault write-ups. All are important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

5 important faults

IB5 manual: worn synchros and differential bearings in the larger models

expensive

In the smaller models, the Fiesta, the Fusion and the B-Max, the IB5 holds up well, but in the larger Focus and especially the Mondeo it does less well: there the engine torque and the weight of the car put a heavier load on the same gearbox.

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The synchros and the gears can wear before 100,000 km, and around 150,000 km the differential bearings need replacing. On cars with the 1.8-litre engine the differential pinion pin often breaks when the wheels spin.

between 100,000 and 150,000 km

What to check

  • While rolling, change down into second and third: worn synchros grate here
  • At a steady speed, listen for noise: a worn differential bearing gives a droning sound
  • In a slow corner, listen for knocking from the gearbox
2 more steps in the write-up

Injector copper washer: the soot blocks the turbo's oil filter

expensive

The copper washers under the injectors start to leak at around 100 000 kilometres, and sooty gas gets from the combustion chamber into the engine bay. The soot first collects in the injector sleeve and makes the seal worse there, and then it gets into the engine oil.

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From there the path leads to the turbo. A fine gauze filter sits in the banjo bolt of the turbo's oil feed pipe, and the soot blocks it. Measured on such a car, the oil pressure at the turbo at idle was 0.8 bar, while the specified minimum is 2.3 bar; after the gauze was taken out it became 3.4 bar. With that much less oil the bearing of the turbo fails, and that typically happens above 130 000 kilometres.

The early signs are the smell of diesel in the cabin and black, oily deposits around the injectors on the engine cover.

The repair is not just the turbo, and that is the most important part of it. The oil feed pipe and its banjo bolts, the sump, the oil pick-up strainer, the oil filter housing and the oil cooler, the intercooler, the particulate filter with the exhaust and the vacuum pump of the brake system all have to be cleaned or replaced, and all the injector sleeves, seals and copper washers have to be replaced. If any of these is left out, the new turbo goes the same way.

above 100,000 km

What to check

  • Open the bonnet and look at the base of the injectors: a black, oily ring shows a leak
  • Look at the engine cover as well: the black, oily trace appears there too
  • Smell the cabin after a cold start: the smell of diesel points to the same thing
3 more steps in the write-up

M66 manual: worn shift mechanism behind the powerful engines

expensive

The gearbox is reliable and durable, but it sits behind particularly powerful engines, and that shows on the shift mechanism: between 100,000 and 150,000 km it often wears out, which makes shifting stiff, and that is most obvious in winter.

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Above 200,000 km the bearings can drone and the dual-mass flywheel can knock. The oil level is worth watching, because leaks are common and the gearbox tolerates a dropping level badly.

between 100,000 and 150,000 km

What to check

  • Set off from cold: every gear must engage without snagging
  • Stop and select reverse: it must not grate or need force
  • At a steady speed, listen for noise: a worn bearing drones
2 more steps in the write-up

MMT6 manual: worn shift mechanism, hard shifting when cold

expensive

The gearbox itself is reliable, but the shift mechanism wears noticeably between 100,000 and 150,000 km. Shifting becomes stiff, and it is most obvious when cold: the lever does not want to find its place, or the gear only goes in with force.

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At high mileage the synchros on the first two gears wear out, and then the shift grates. The gearbox comes with a dual-mass flywheel, which is not the most durable part either.

between 100,000 and 150,000 km

What to check

  • Set off from cold: both first and second must engage without snagging
  • Stop and select reverse: it must not grate or need force
  • While rolling, change down into second: this is where worn synchros are audible
2 more steps in the write-up

MTX75 manual: leaking seals, worn shafts

expensive

The gearbox itself is reliable and has two weak points. One is the input shaft bearing, which is short-lived, the other is the oil seals, which leak continuously.

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The leak is the more dangerous one: any drop in the oil level wears the shafts and the gear rims, and that wear cannot be undone. Most versions come with a dual-mass flywheel, which is not the most durable part either.

What to check

  • Look at the bottom of the gearbox and where the driveshafts come out: fresh oil means a leak
  • Ask when the gearbox oil level was last checked, and ask for the invoice
  • At a steady speed, listen for noise: a worn input shaft bearing drones
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi 90hp Cool & Sound

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

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Engine and transmission

5 engines · 4 transmissions

GPDA · 1.6 TDCi

66 kW (90 HP) · diesel

IB5 · 5-speed manual

manual · 5 speed

Torque limit185 Nm
MakerFord/Getrag

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it. More than one engine code is possible. The fault list shows the faults of each. More than one transmission is possible. The gear count does not tell them apart. The code is on the side of the transmission.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Cool & Sound
Body
estate
Fuel
diesel
Transmission
manual
Engine size
1560 cc
Power
66 kW (90 HP)
Drive
FWD
Production
2008–2011

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Fuel filter, diesel

    • 60,000 km or 2 years
All Mk2.5 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms