The 2016 Ford Focus RS is a small but mighty powerhouse of a hatchback. Naturally, it appealed to YouTuber Tavarish, also known as Freddy Hernandez, who has a soft spot for high-performance Ford vehicles, but his beloved bright blue Focus is currently experiencing some issues. To make matters worse, he couldn’t get much help from the dealership, backing him into a corner.
The 2016 Ford Focus RS packs the turbocharged 2.3L EcoBoost I4 engine, which produces quite a bit of horsepower for its size – over 350 in this instance. Hernandez found that his Focus presented with an alternator issue, which would have been easy enough to fix, but while tearing into that issue, he found an oil leak. That wouldn’t normally be cause for so much concern, but it indicates a greater issue with the 2.3L EcoBoost, which often blow head gaskets. In fact, The Blue Oval has a recall out for that very issue.
This particular 2016 Ford Focus RS already had its head gasket replaced under the recall, but, unfortunately, that leak is back. Hernandez is understandably frustrated, but it gives him the perfect opportunity to give the Focus some upgrades, including an engine swap to the turbocharged 2.0L EcoBoost I4.
But first, the teardown. He hands the hatchback off to his friend, Will, resident Focus expert, to find out what happened to that 2.3L engine in the meantime. The teardown reveals some sickening results, as the dealership that performed the head gasket repair reused the head bolts. That, unfortunately, caused the massive oil leak in the 2016 Ford Focus RS.
When Hernandez gets back, he laments the fact that the Ford store that did the work on the 2.3L engine didn’t stand behind their service. He says the repair would have cost him over $10,000, so instead of just having the dealership handle it, he decided to go scorched earth and just handle the project himself. Hence, the 2.0L engine swap with over 440 horsepower. After one drive, he’s absolutely thrilled with the results.
Hernandez spends quite a bit of time around fellow Ford fans, and has appeared alongside Shmee150 to prep his Ford GT for a long trip, and his former daily driver, a 1999 Ford F-350, actually ended up in the hands of Tyler Hoover of Hoovie’s Garage.
After Ford determined the root cause of the issue.
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