Black Tar/Carbon Build Up Near Cam Gears

[bpray9223]

Hi Folks,

I just recently joined the FiST community and was taking some time the other day to familiarize myself with the engine configuration on this car. I was poking around the engine bay and decided to take the plastic engine cover off. I happen to notice over near the timing belt in the crevice next to the left-most coil pack there was an unusual build-up of sticky black tar/carbon substance. I took a small flat head screwdriver and a pick to scrape the substance out. See the pictures below for reference, these were taken after scraping the material out. The metal felt soft when pushing directly down with the pick I used.

Question is, has anyone ever experienced this or seen anything like this before? The vehicle has 37K miles (purchased 1 month ago with 35K miles) and still has some of the factory warranty remaining, so I would like to have this addressed if it is something a warranty could cover. I did search the forums here first, but could not find any other instances of this situation.

Thank you in advance.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Pics no worky!

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[bpray9223]

Hopefully pics work now?

 

[FiSTicuffs]

Whats the back of your ST engine cover look like?

 

[bpray9223]

Whats the back of your ST engine cover look like?

Checked the back of the engine cover and it looks clean. There are no signs of residue anywhere in that area.

I did check that spot again after about a week since I first noticed and scraped away the substance build up. It appears to have new oil/substance on the surface. I touched it and it is definitely "wet". Could there be a pin hole corrosion spot in the metal that is passing this black substance through? Might be something to have the dealership take a look at, I can imagine something like this would be covered under warranty as the factory warranty is still in effect.

 

[alexrex20]

Put the plastic cover back on and don't worry about it.

 

[redmoe]

If is still under warranty I would take it in ASAP. Have you checked the oil level?

 

[TyphoonFiST]

If it was me...I brake clean the shit out of it....wipe it out and see if it returns.....

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[FiSTicuffs]

If it was me...I brake clean the shit out of it....wipe it out and see if it returns.....

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I agree, if you clean the hell outta it, on your drive to the dealership, you should be able to see exactly where it is originating from. No engine with 37k should be doing this. It looks like heated engine oil that has caked on over time. Have you checked your oil levels lately?

 

[FiSTicuffs]

Just noticed in your very first pic, that plastic line with the bevels (is this an evap line?) looks saturated around the cloth wrap on top. Have you peeled that back to see if the oil/residue is originating from there somehow?

 

[TyphoonFiST]

If you wanna get Technical ....go to Oreillys....Autozone.....Advanced and get oil Dye and by a UV light that will react with the Dye. This will lead you to the source of the leak!

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[redmoe]

Just noticed in your very first pic, that plastic line with the bevels (is this an evap line?) looks saturated around the cloth wrap on top. Have you peeled that back to see if the oil/residue is originating from there somehow?

Nice catch, I was thinking PVC/breather as well but focused on the portion closer to the firewall. OP you should take a close look at the cloth taped area on that tube.

 

[bpray9223]

Thank you for the quick replies everyone. I think the first step is to clean best I can, and then check to see where/when it reappears after driving. I will take a closer look at the EVAP line, but it seems like a far distance for that black residue to travel into the crevice if the EVAP line is leaking more downstream as suggested.

 

[redmoe]

The reason we are focusing on that line is that it is part of the PCV system and would carry oil vapor. Looks like the residue may be oil in nature. You may want to disconnect one end of the line while you are cleaning and see if there is any buildup on the underside of it. I hope it is something minor like the PCV line so you can get it fixed easily. Good luck.

 

[bpray9223]

Update:
So I took a deeper look yesterday and checked all hoses/lines including EVAP in that vicinity, all lines are bone dry and clean of any residue or oily substance. The collection of black substance in that crevice clearly appears "wet", i.e. there is an active leak somewhere in that area. It looks as if it has accumulated since the last time I checked it and is beginning to harden or cure onto itself, I would describe the appearance very similar to JB Weld or a similar epoxy fully cured. The highest concentration and build-up of this substance is not located anywhere near a hose/line or external engine component, which leads me to believe it is purging through a very small hole or crack in the metal itself.

I did read an interest bit of news online in that Ford recalled a good chunk of the 1.6L engines, the 2014-2015 Fiesta ST being effected, for overheating, coolant consumption, and cracked heads/leaking oil. I have noticed my coolant level is low, lower than it was when I purchased the car over a month ago.

I have scheduled an appointment at my local Ford dealership this week and I will have the opportunity to show the technician first-hand.

 

[A7xogg]

Update:
So I took a deeper look yesterday and checked all hoses/lines including EVAP in that vicinity, all lines are bone dry and clean of any residue or oily substance. The collection of black substance in that crevice clearly appears "wet", i.e. there is an active leak somewhere in that area. It looks as if it has accumulated since the last time I checked it and is beginning to harden or cure onto itself, I would describe the appearance very similar to JB Weld or a similar epoxy fully cured. The highest concentration and build-up of this substance is not located anywhere near a hose/line or external engine component, which leads me to believe it is purging through a very small hole or crack in the metal itself.

I did read an interest bit of news online in that Ford recalled a good chunk of the 1.6L engines, the 2014-2015 Fiesta ST being effected, for overheating, coolant consumption, and cracked heads/leaking oil. I have noticed my coolant level is low, lower than it was when I purchased the car over a month ago.

I have scheduled an appointment at my local Ford dealership this week and I will have the opportunity to show the technician first-hand.

You should have gotten a recall notice on the mail. Anyway you should be 100% for the recall

 

[bpray9223]

You should have gotten a recall notice on the mail. Anyway you should be 100% for the recall

I am not the original owner, I just bought this car 2 months ago, so I'm not sure I would have received this recall notice.

I will report back coming out of the dealer.

 

[Burritoman]

It looks like mouse poo that melted from the heat of the engine.

 

[stascom]

Could be just an oil spill from a careless fill.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Could be just an oil spill from a careless fill.

I will have to agree with this statement....the lube techs just about everywhere are meatball highschoolers who dont care about your car the way you probably do....let us know what the find is when done at the dealer! Dont let them bully you into paying for something that should be covered by warranty either

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