Advice Needed On Engine Reliability, Please!

[speedyfreak24]

Hi, I am new to the site and am VERY close to buying a Fiesta ST. I need a good gas mileage daily driver and may also occasionally autocross with it. The thing I wish to AVOID is buy one and having a catastrophic engine failure and the cost to deal with that. I did get some good information on specific member experiences with coolant intrusion into the cylinders, which I understand to be the one major "design flaw" of the open channel block cooling design, which often necessitates a engine change due to warping or cracking of the top of the engine block.

1. Is my understanding correct that from 2014 to 2019 the OEM short block design never changed, so that there is NO BENEFIT (from a design standpoint and longevity) to a newer model year vs. an older from that standpoint?

2. Is the 2014 and 2015 recall still available for the low coolant warning sensor if not yet performed? Do the 2016 and up models come with the coolant sensor/warning installed and that's why the recall only effects '14 and '15? (Seemingly if the block design never changed).

3. Can you give me a sense of what percentage of STs have had coolant intrusion into the cylinder/bad head gasket/warped block type issues compared to how many have been on the road?

4. Lastly, what should I search for (years, miles, history) to limit the chance of having a major failure in this area?

Thanks a ton for any and all perspective and I hope to be an ST owner soon!

 

[SteveS]

The videos you find on youtube about the ecoboost do not apply to the Fiesta ST. There is nothing about the kinds of engine problems you ask about in this forum or in real life.

However, if you are concerned, the 2016-up Fiesta ST has a different cylinder head design which changes the coolant flow and eliminates the potential hotspot.

You can see the changes to the FiST through the years in this thread: https://www.fiestastforum.com/threa...-improvements-to-fist-through-the-years.9186/

If you take a look through the forum you'll see FiSTs of all years which are very high mileage cars. Likewise, when I look at facebook Marketplace there are a lot of 100,00+, 150,000+ and higher mileage FiSTs for which the owner claims no problems.

 

[rallytaff]

I have a 2014 which I've had since new. I have NEVER had any problems with overheating or cooling problems during the 112,500 miles so far. I bought a Mountune radiator even though I didn't need it and still have the undamaged stock one in my garage. I've been out in 110 degree weather in Palm Springs with the old and new, so don't worry about cooling for this car.

 

[Grsemky]

I'm a second owner 2018, and I've only overheated once in 100+ with AC on stock radiator... That's with a upgraded intercooler and stage 2 tune, the temps dropped immediately after turning ac off. I replaced with an eBay mishi clone radiator and I haven't had issues since.

That being said in the 10k stock miles I had zero issues and many many smiles

 

[Capri to ST]

The cars have proven to be quite reliable. This has been true even when horsepower is increased as reported by many members on the Forum over the years. I have had mine since it was new in 2016 and have been very active on this forum since then, and I have never seen any reference to the type of problems which you're talking about. Mine has been trouble free except for a couple HVAC actuators. I agree with the other members that your concern is misplaced.
One thing that always gave me a good feeling about the reliability of the engines is that they have been used in racing. They were used virtually stock for many years in the Formula Ford series. One was also used stock in a winning rally car, as discussed in the video below. If the engines can stand up to the demands of racing, they should be quite reliable in street use.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM1nkR8pkX4&list=FLur65YQuzud3gXqwZTZTrxQ&index=11

 

[speedyfreak24]

I appreciate the quick response folks! That thread on year changes was helpful n speaks to head related hotspots, which may be connected to the block issue. I posted 4 parts of several threads on this forum with guys talking about the block design leading to coolant intrusion into chamber, white smoke out of exhaust and warped/cracked block to where putting a new head gasket on will not fix the problem. Maybe more likely on high HP Fiestas? I would love to know your thoughts, as this issue is definitely chronicles under coolant loss etc on this site. Thanks in advance for any response!

 

[dhminer]

You should search for how many people have had no issues from this engine despite pushing high horsepower instead of searching for the rare failure.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

Check out the use of essentially the same engines in Formula Ford platforms. It seems they can take a pretty good beating.

 

[SteveS]

The common thread in those threads is that the user overheated the engine to cause the problem. Overheating can be a problem in these cars, especially in modified cars run in very hot temperatures. Many drivers have never seen overheating, but it is talked about frequently. That's why so many use larger radiators and intercoolers.

 

[speedyfreak24]

Thanks fellas, appreciate the experience and input!