School me on the early Ford Focus

[04MysticCobra]

My DD for the last 10 years has been a 2002 Focus ZX5. It has 188K on the clock and it has all its original drivetrain including original water pump, starter, alternator and full exhaust. I started new with Mobil one and the Zetec engine runs great with all its power still there. I plan on going 250-300K with this Focus before I get into a new Focus. Mine has had 3 minor problems over the 10 years. Ignition coil, 1 wheel bearing replaced and a power window motor.

 

[kevinatfms]

must get the zetec 2.0 twin cam. watch out for the following:

~cooling system leaks around the thermostat housing
~cracked front or REAR springs
~original FPDM and fuel pump which needs to be updated by cutting out retaining ring at bottom of tank, so whole tank must be removed from vehicle.
~auto trans will crap out due to torque converter slipping causing fluid heat up and toasting trans since no real cooler.
~airbag lights due to loose connector in clock spring, just 2 torx bolts to remove and grease connector and reinstall-no parts needed
~rear hatch shocks on hatchbacks leak
~pretensioners on passenger side get wiring problems due to design.
~pcm issues to due being mounted in footwell area on passenger side, moisture and dust issues over time
~wiring harness near center console rubbing against seat mounting track causing PRNDL switch not to disengage.
~rear taillight housings melting due to people swapping in higher wattage bulbs over the originals
~SVT cars had transmission issues/clutch issues which is a major PITA and you need to replace everything under TSB to get fixed correctly. each part updates to a newer part to complete transmission upgrade for terrible synchros, clutch engagement, shifting issue fixes.

i worked on them for a while if you need any help let me know.

 

[kevinatfms]

I think you should google the 98-02 corollas. They get into the habit of burning a quart of oil every thousand miles after like 90-100k miles on them.

yeah toyota valve seats and valve seals are crap after the 96ish year. a fellow tech i worked with bought a 99 camry for his daughter and it burned oil up until they went with the class action lawsuit against toyota. IIRC he ended up getting a new motor. 10k later and it was doing the same thing. he ended up getting rid of it for a taurus twin cam v6.

its a hit or miss with those cars, beware.

 

[mrlrd1]

I the SOHC motors the valve guides have dropped just like the old 1.9's in the escort.

Valve seats. They crack and fall out of the head. I have one in my shop right now.

Edit: Ford, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to discontinue these heads!!

 

[racerbox77]

I've had 4 Foci and they were all over 150k except my current 04 SVTF. Good comfortable cars that are cheap to fix. All my cars were 02-04. Love my SVTF.
You should be able to find a nice 02-04 for $3000. I just sold an 02 Zx5 with 180k automatic that ran perfect and looked great for $2900.

Sent from me.

 

[boatcop1]

incorrect, all the ZX3's had the Zetec motors....the SPI was only offered in the 4 door sedan (usually SE models). To verify, check the 8th digit of the VIN. 3 is zetec, P is SPI and 5 is SVT.

I hate to say it as a Focus fanboi, but avoid the 2000 models, that was the year they had all the issues, which is common for first year models (2000 was the year the focus was introduced in the states).

The 2001-2004 made the 10 best list every year.

The focus is a great car, I have owned 8 of them, all 2001-2004 models.

Great info, Thank you.

must get the zetec 2.0 twin cam. watch out for the following:

~cooling system leaks around the thermostat housing
~cracked front or REAR springs
~original FPDM and fuel pump which needs to be updated by cutting out retaining ring at bottom of tank, so whole tank must be removed from vehicle.
~auto trans will crap out due to torque converter slipping causing fluid heat up and toasting trans since no real cooler.
~airbag lights due to loose connector in clock spring, just 2 torx bolts to remove and grease connector and reinstall-no parts needed
~rear hatch shocks on hatchbacks leak
~pretensioners on passenger side get wiring problems due to design.
~pcm issues to due being mounted in footwell area on passenger side, moisture and dust issues over time
~wiring harness near center console rubbing against seat mounting track causing PRNDL switch not to disengage.
~rear taillight housings melting due to people swapping in higher wattage bulbs over the originals
~SVT cars had transmission issues/clutch issues which is a major PITA and you need to replace everything under TSB to get fixed correctly. each part updates to a newer part to complete transmission upgrade for terrible synchros, clutch engagement, shifting issue fixes.

i worked on them for a while if you need any help let me know.

:beer:

I've had 4 Foci and they were all over 150k except my current 04 SVTF. Good comfortable cars that are cheap to fix. All my cars were 02-04. Love my SVTF.
You should be able to find a nice 02-04 for $3000. I just sold an 02 Zx5 with 180k automatic that ran perfect and looked great for $2900.

Sent from me.

I like hearing about the longevity. Thanks for the info:beer: