Ford Reviews

This engine uses what’s called a wet timing belt. So, instead of the toothed, rubber belt running under a cover as most timing-belt engines do, the Ford engine runs its timing belt inside an oil-bath. The idea is that the oil will lubricate the belt, but experience has shown that sometimes, the oil can degrade the belt, causing either belt failure or contamination of the rest of the engine’s oiling system. Many mechanics regard the wet timing belt as a liability rather than an asset.

Some owners have had no bad experiences, others haven’t been so lucky. However, it’s probably worth noting that the replacement for this engine (announced recently) has reverted to a conventional timing chain in the interests of durability and reliability.

In the old days, the advice on this would have probably have been to have the fuel injectors cleaned. But these days, the modern diesel is a much more complex and sophisticated thing, and black smoke from the tailpipe could be any number of things to do with the fuel system.

You may find the injectors are, indeed, the problem, but you need to check the condition of the pump, filters, EGR valve and even the turbocharger and its plumbing. Something as simple as a split in the plastic turbocharger piping can lead to excess black smoke.

It’s serious inasmuch as it’s pointing to a problem with the car’s anti-lock brakes which are a critical safety system on any car. It could be caused by a faulty ABS module (which is the component that physically modulates the brake pressure to avoid the wheels locking up). But it could also be the fault of a sensor somewhere on the car. You may even find something as random as low battery voltage can trigger this sort of alert.

It could even be a simple leak in the system that has allowed the brake fluid to fall below the minimum level. So start with that and check the contents of the brake master cylinder under the bonnet. If that’s okay, a brake specialist is probably your best bet.