MajorCommonEngine

Ford Everest: Injector seal (copper washer) failure — 'black death' carbon build-up (3.2 P5AT)

Injector seal (copper washer) failure — 'black death' carbon build-up (3.2 P5AT) is a common engine fault on the Ford Everest on the 2015–2022 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 16 documented faults on the Ford Everest.

Vehicle: Ford Everest
Engine: 3.2L
Years: 2015–2022
Fuel: diesel
System: Engine

This page covers the Ford Everest as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Ford Everest faults16 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

What goes wrong

The 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel shared with the Ranger can leak combustion gases past the injector sealing washers. Escaping gases bake into a hard black carbon deposit ('black death') around the injector body, which makes a chuffing noise and eventually seizes the injector into the head. Caught early it is a seal and clean-up job; left too long the injectors must be machined or cut out and the cylinder head can be damaged. Fuel contamination from dirty NZ rural fuel also kills injectors on this engine, in the worst case dropping fuel onto a piston and holing it.

What you would notice

Rhythmic chuffing or ticking from the top of the engine, louder under load
Diesel/exhaust smell in the engine bay
Black tar-like deposits around the injectors under the engine cover
Rough idle or reduced power with grey/black smoke

How to check it

Where to look. Top of the engine, under the plastic engine cover — around the five injector bodies

Pop the bonnet, remove or look under the plastic engine cover and check around each of the five injectors for hard black tar deposits and a burnt diesel smell.
Listen at idle from cold for a chuff-chuff sound in time with the engine.
Ask to see fuel filter replacement history — short intervals are a good sign.

Parts involved: Fuel injector.

What it costs to put right

$900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Have any injectors or injector seals been replaced?”
“How often has the fuel filter been changed, and has the vehicle ever had contaminated fuel?”
“Has the engine ever made a chuffing/ticking noise?”

Now check the Ford Everest you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Unsealed 4X4 — 'Ford Ranger 3.2L common problems and solutions'
Ranger/Everest owner forums (NewRanger.net / Australian Ford Forums) injector black death threads

Ford Everest buyer questions

Is injector seal (copper washer) failure — 'black death' carbon build-up (3.2 p5at) serious on a Ford Everest?

We rate it major and common on the Ford Everest. The 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel shared with the Ranger can leak combustion gases past the injector sealing washers. Escaping gases bake into a hard black carbon deposit ('black death') around the injector body, which makes a chuffing noise and eventually seizes the injector into the head. Caught early it is a seal and clean-up job; left too long the injectors must be machined or cut out and the cylinder head can be damaged. Fuel contamination from dirty NZ rural fuel also kills injectors on this engine, in the worst case dropping fuel onto a piston and holing it.

How much does it cost to fix on a Ford Everest?

$900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Ford Everest years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2015–2022 Ford Everest. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Pop the bonnet, remove or look under the plastic engine cover and check around each of the five injectors for hard black tar deposits and a burnt diesel smell. Listen at idle from cold for a chuff-chuff sound in time with the engine. Ask to see fuel filter replacement history — short intervals are a good sign. Look here: Top of the engine, under the plastic engine cover — around the five injector bodies