Under Valve Cover Pics-2012 Ford Fusion

[AJB0009]

2.5L, 209k miles. I noticed at the last (recent) oil change that the gasket was leaking.
The number four spark plug hole had some oil in it, up to the bottom of the boot.
We purchased the vehicle summer of 2015 with 15k miles on it.
It was serviced at the Ford dealership it was purchased new from in central WI for the first 15k miles. That meant bulk (Service Pro) 5W20 and MC FL-400S filters.
From 15k to 100k I changed oil every 5k or so with MC 5W20 and MC FL-400S filters.
We moved from central WI to NC, so I switched to Castrol EDGE 5W30, which it has had from 100k to 209k. Filters have varied from Wix, Fram Titanium, Napa Gold. OCI's since 100k have also stretched out to approximately 7,500 miles.

 

[Donald]

Looks good. I do not see any sludge. But most engines should not sludge with proper maintenance. Then there are some engines prone to sludge!

 

[Klutch9]

One of the best engines Ford ever made.

 

[oldcodger]

Looks almost brand new. Amazing that there is no varnish.

 

[dogememe]

My Escape 2.5 looked as good as that when I had the valve cover off to change the gasket. These are great engines!

Hope you changed the seal for the VVT thing too? I didn’t and mine leaked there a week later lol.

 

[dnewton3]

Love these little engines. My daughter has my wife's old 2017 Fusion SE with one of these.
Your's looks good for another 200k miles!

 

[panthermike]

Looks fantastic!

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Looks good

 

[mrsilv04]

One of the best engines Ford ever made.

Wasn't this engine co-developed with Mazda?

 

[GW.]

Looks great!

 

[ElectroMechanoMan]

I had a 2012 Fusion with the V6 and I got 140,000 miles out of it. My son bought it from me and put another 50,000 miles on it and traded it on a 2018 Ford F150.

 

[Donald]

I had a 2012 Fusion with the V6 and I got 140,000 miles out of it. My son bought it from me and put another 50,000 miles on it and traded it on a 2018 Ford F150.

You did not give your son the car?

 

[pbm]

Wasn't this engine co-developed with Mazda?

It was developed by Mazda as the MZR engine and Ford acquired the rights to build it when they bought a big share of Mazda (since sold). Mazda used this engine in many models (Mazda6, Mazda5 etc...and the smaller 2.0 version in the Mazda3 and even a version in the Miata I think) before coming out with the Skyactiv engine. Both the MZR and it's Duratec version and the Skyactiv are very good, long lasting engines. When I bought my 2016 Ford Escape I purposely opted for the lower trim level to get this engine over the smaller turbo versions. I was willing to take a small MPG hit for the durability and reliability. I just hope my 6F35 A/T holds up and I'm doing regular D&R's of the ATF and adding Lubeguard Red to help it happen.

PS: It's very normal for that gasket to need changing after 100K...I bought a used 2009 Fusion with the 2.3 version of this engine with 120K and when I changed the spark plugs there was oil in the cylinder 4 hole. I sold it to a neighbor a few years ago (we had too many cars after my daughter bought her new Mazda) and it's still running great. My neighbor has thanked me many times for selling it to him.

 

[F150]

I also had a 2012 Fusion with this engine. Sold it at 106,000 almost trouble free.

 

[ElectroMechanoMan]

You did not give your son the car?

He needed a car to go to work and he offered me a decent price. The rear suspension rusted off of his beater he used to go to work and he really wanted it because he knew it was in really good shape.

 

[AJB0009]

You did not give your son the car?

My wife and I bought this Fusion used from the dealership in 2015. About a year ago we sold it to our middle daughter. All parties involved believe it was a fair price.
It is our personal parenting philosophy to not just "give" things to our kids. They buy their cars, pay their insurance, etc.
Our basement is finished and has a mother-in-law suite, of sorts. The daughter that bought the Fusion lives there and pays us rent. She is 21 and works full time as a nurse at a local hospital. She is saving for a down-payment on a house of her own.
YMMV.

 

[AJB0009]

It was developed by Mazda as the MZR engine and Ford acquired the rights to build it when they bought a big share of Mazda (since sold). Mazda used this engine in many models (Mazda6, Mazda5 etc...and the smaller 2.0 version in the Mazda3 and even a version in the Miata I think) before coming out with the Skyactiv engine. Both the MZR and it's Duratec version and the Skyactiv are very good, long lasting engines. When I bought my 2016 Ford Escape I purposely opted for the lower trim level to get this engine over the smaller turbo versions. I was willing to take a small MPG hit for the durability and reliability. I just hope my 6F35 A/T holds up and I'm doing regular D&R's of the ATF and adding Lubeguard Red to help it happen.

PS: It's very normal for that gasket to need changing after 100K...I bought a used 2009 Fusion with the 2.3 version of this engine with 120K and when I changed the spark plugs there was oil in the cylinder 4 hole. I sold it to a neighbor a few years ago (we had too many cars after my daughter bought her new Mazda) and it's still running great. My neighbor has thanked me many times for selling it to him.

I believe another great Ford engine was the 2.0L in my 1997 Escort. I believe that entire vehicle was a Mazda platform; drivetrain (5-speed manual trans) and vehicle.

 

[nascarnation]

Good looking stuff. Isn't that similar to the Escape hybrid engine that many ran a half million miles in NYC taxis?

 

[pbm]

I believe another great Ford engine was the 2.0L in my 1997 Escort. I believe that entire vehicle was a Mazda platform; drivetrain (5-speed manual trans) and vehicle.

I believe for 1997 your 2.0 was either the CVH or the Zetec. The Zetec was the 16V DOHC version. The Zetec was a very good engine with few issues (the plastic T-stat housing sometimes gave problems (leaked) but not much else).
The CVH was an older design and many had issues with dropped valve seats.
I had the Zetec in my 2002 Escort ZX-2 and it had decent power....the A/T didn't seem as durable as the engine. I never owned a CVH equipped Ford.

 

[sw99]

Looks great!