Engine revisions and dates released – Block cracking between cylinder 2 & 3

I thought the blocks that cracked where the ones that the head gaskets failed and caused a lockup in the cylinder putting tons of undersigned force into the blocks causing the cracking.

RS Edition.

FPM375 Rocks

The rest of the “M” maps suck

I’m getting a vision. There’s only one version.

@turbo30… all RS blocks the same?

Ford has made 5 changes to the 2.3L Ecoboost Block since its first release. Most of them have been minor, but some have been substantial. Some of the first variants/part numbers were casting changes. The quality from V1-2 to V3 was much different, smoother, and much much cleaner. V4 changed the slotting on the deck it looked, and very minor other changes. V5 was the biggest change, all the oil galleys were changed from a huge aeronautical style rivet to threaded bungs. The rivets weren’t able to be replaced if you ever took the engine apart unless you had a $100,000 machine or a $10,000 tool. So on the older engines we would just thread them and plug them ourself, or use freeze plugs. Then the other difference were the reliefs on the deck surface between the cylinders.

Now, V5 started showing up to us for builds around NOVEMBER of 2016, I imagine they were used in previous build months before we were able to get them as just a empty block. Since the RS has released we have been seeing nothing but the V5 block come in from customers for builds, but just last week we received a complete longblock from a customer that was complaining of sputtering/noise/ and powerloss.

We disassembled his engine and found damage to the #3 cylinder wall, and the gasket was slightly damaged on that cylinder. I inspected the block and found it was a V4, instead of a V5. I asked the customer for the build dates and it was a few months before we started seeing the V5.

So, it seems some of the very first Focus RS’s were built with the V4 block, but that isn’t the only weird thing we noticed. The head gasket was a different part number that what is requested by Ford as a replacement. I was already aware of the different gaskets for 2.3 in EU vs US but have yet to see one on an engine here. So I went back to another longblock that came in from a customer and it was V5, but had the new headgasket part number on it. His engine was perfect, just wanted a build so no blown head gasket.

With all this different info, I came to the following conclusion. The engine/gasket you get is not specific to your build date, it is going to be specific to the engine in your car. Now this isn’t saying that anyone with a V4 engine is going to have an issue it seems to be very hit or miss. I have customers that have checked that have been tuned for 10K+ miles with zero issues. It seems the ones that ARE having issues are happening within the very first thousand miles and most have been UNTUNED. To see if you have a V4 or V5 engine you are going to need to look just above your starter, there are two plugs, a larger one and a smaller one. You want to look at the smaller one almost directly behind the starter on the front of your engine just below the intake manifold. Literally dead center of the car. Check to see if it is a flat rivet or a Hex Key plug (16mm diameter)

No nothing.

No Mods. No rockers. Just a chunky knob, thats now been replaced by an RS knob innit.

No tackiness.

Std as Ford intended, but with a space saver wheel and jack and nuts and wheel brace. oh.. and flaps, a man has got to have flaps.

Innit?

Thanks, Professor Copy Paste.

Lionel manblake, it is far easier to inform someone by cutting and pasting all that info in less than a second than having to write it all down fresh.

No nothing.

No Mods. No rockers. Just a chunky knob, thats now been replaced by an RS knob innit.

No tackiness.

Std as Ford intended, but with a space saver wheel and jack and nuts and wheel brace. oh.. and flaps, a man has got to have flaps.

Innit?

I find it easier to write about my knowledge and experience than trawl the internet to find someone else’s. You seem to have a constant need to prove how smart you are and how dumb everyone else is. Not everyone is your Dad, BDA.

Lionel, from my experience of you on here, I find it easy to say “go and do one pal”

No nothing.

No Mods. No rockers. Just a chunky knob, thats now been replaced by an RS knob innit.

No tackiness.

Std as Ford intended, but with a space saver wheel and jack and nuts and wheel brace. oh.. and flaps, a man has got to have flaps.

Innit?