Professionals identify 10 Ford 1.6 ecoboost engine problems:

1. General design weakness: Opendeck, aluminum, downsize.
2. Overheating.
3. Turbine location.
4. Oil and maintenance intervals.
5. Firmware: factory firmware has a relatively poor mixture under load for the sake of consumption/ecology.
6. Oil pressure. Adjustable oil pump.
7. The start-stop module focuses only on the air temperature (from +5 to +30) and on the battery charge.
8. The intake air temperature is 50-60 degrees.
9. High oil temperature.
10. Oil injection into the cylinders.

What happens?

The cylinders of the aluminium opendeck are inflated by a cone/ellipse. Grooves between the cylinders and upper aluminium part of the cylinder additionally weaken the cylinders. Thin weak rings lose their elasticity and lie under the dropped additives, thickener, burning. A small piston with a micro-skirt dangles in the cylinder on the crossbar. All the troubles can happen at the same time, or maybe only one of them. It doesn’t matter. It is important that a gap is formed between the piston and the cylinder. Gasoline starts to burn in this gap, on the side of the piston and melts the piston. Engine overheating and a long oil change interval are aggravating factors. Additives, thickener, burning fall out of the oil more actively.

There is also melting of the piston, chipping and loss of jumpers between the rings. These are different processes with different causes.

The melting forms a gap and combustion of mixture behind the heat belt, on the side of the piston.

Chipping and loss of jumpers leads to thermal heating during or after work. Most likely, it is the heating of the piston with a poor mixture, a turbine through a thin block after stopping and an oil coat, that is the main reason for the breakdown of the piston of the 2nd 1.6t cylinder.

Bottom line: this is a problematic engine that needs improvements, special care and attention.