any Ford Focus owners here?

[mjeff87]

I managed to get the passenger side knuckle and hub off yesterday afternoon.  I knew I was going to have problems after I had to take it down to the shop to get the strut pinch bolt taken out.....and I was right.  The LBJ pinch bolt was rust-welded in harder than the strut one was, but at least it was thru-bolted with a nut on the other side (strut bolt threaded into the top of the knuckle), so I could wail on it with a hammer.  Ended up hammering the heck out of it, using my air impact on the bolt head side (which is a T50 torx) and my air hammer all around the knuckle at the BJ location.  Left little pock marks all over it with the hammer, but it finally budged and I beat it out the rest of the way with a mini sledge and a punch.

 

Knuckle #2 going into it's vinegar bath for the week.

 

 

[mjeff87]

So, while the other knuckle is soaking, I thought I'd tackle a couple other little issues on it.  The washer fluid reservoir has been leaking slowly, so I figured that would be a quick little fix after work last night.  Wrong.  The tank is actually molded into the inside of the driverside fender.  I ended up pulling the inner fender to get to it, then had to spend 20 minutes figuring out just how to get the darn thing out, then another 20 minutes cleaning my garage floor from the 15+ years of detrius and mouse nest material buried inside the fender.  Turns out the grommet where the pump fits in was leaking, so I pulled the pump and RTV black'd the ever living snot out of everything and put it all back together.  Altogether, it took me about 2 hours to fix this "easy" thing, LOL.

[mjeff87]

Once THAT was done, I started to try to track down the source of the exhaust leak I had.  Everything looked great, including the donut gasket at the cat converter and the flex pipe under the body, and I was stumped.  I was just lying underneath it looking up at things under the engine, and I spotted the problem.  The darn EGR pipe nut unthreaded itself from the fitting on the manifold.  And it was in the most gawd awful place to try to get a wrench on.  I ended up having to unbolt a couple brackets that hold the tube to the side of the engine and was able to get it rethreaded, and was able to get a 6" crescent wrench on the nut enough to tighten it.  No more leaky exhaust, or exhaust smell inside the cabin.  Yay.

[mjeff87]

The joys of working on an old vehicle that wasn't really taken care of......whenever I touch one thing to fix it, something else related to it breaks.  I put a new serpentine belt on it, and the OEM tensioner and idler pulley both crapped the bed.  I put new (junkyard) knuckles on, and now the outer CV boot on the passenger side is slinging grease everywhere  It's not torn, but the oetiker clamp that holds the boot on the large/knuckle side is loose.  I don't have the crimper tool needed to tighten it, needle nose pliers aren't strong enough, and I can't get a pair of larger pliers to work (you really need the actual tool to crimp it properly and noone around here stocks one).  I have to take it to the tire shop tomorrow to get the wheels re-balanced, there's missing stick-on weights all over the place on them LOL, and asked them if they could tighten up the clamp.  They said they would just throw a new clamp on it for me, for free

[Pete M]

customer service still exists! 

[whowey]

Fyi, both Oreillys and Auto Zone have the crimper in their loan a tool program here

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

[mjeff87]

Dang Bill...I'm just gonna start PM'ing you on all my Focus problems

 

On a side note, this little thing is downright zippy, and pretty fun to drive (compared to a slush box KJ anyway).  I just put my second full tank of gas in it today, and it's pulling a solid 30 mpg.  Not too shabby for a 16 year old engine with 213K+ miles on it.  And I'm still fixing little things!

[whowey]

Dang Bill...I'm just gonna start PM'ing you on all my Focus problems:beerchug:
 
On a side note, this little thing is downright zippy, and pretty fun to drive (compared to a slush box KJ anyway).  I just put my second full tank of gas in it today, and it's pulling a solid 30 mpg.  Not too shabby for a 16 year old engine with 213K+ miles on it.  And I'm still fixing little things!

Just trying to help you for the next one, or the next guy who wanders across this thread and has an econobox and a budget to match.

I assumed that you being in a more civilized area than me, probably have better access to those speciality tools than I do anyway.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

[mjeff87]

Thanks dude.  I'm into this thing $1100 for purchase, and I've probably put another $300 or so in new or junkyard parts into it so far.  I don't really have a budget per se, but don't want to blow a wad of cash on it either.  Just need to get it running as a reliable vehicle so I can either give my brother my jeep and drive it, or I might just end up giving it to him altogether and keep my KJ.  I have to admit though, this little thing is a blast to blow around in, and it gets damn near 2x the mpg as my jeep.  Not sure I really want to give it up just yet

[sinkrun]

I work on my own cars so this thread has been of interest to at least one person.

Wife got A  04 few years ago it was Rebuilt wreck R titled my brother in law did the work and he let my niece drive it so I know it was good. Needed nothing and has been the wifes work car for 3-4 years great on gas no rust had 80,000 on it when we got it around 140000 now. I think there  ugly as $#!& cars though however they are durable. In the 3-4 years it has had a rear wheel bearing,valve cover and tires.  It really needs A oil pan its nothing but flaking rust which I read is normal and would like to do the timing belt thats a job for spring. OH and I didnt get it cheap it was $3,000.00 but did have low miles no rust and needed nothing.

[mjeff87]

Thanks mang....I'm cheap by my nature. Glad you find it interesting.

 

I took advantage of a crappy/rainy day to show the Ferd some love.  I pulled the seats out and shampooed the whole interior.  The worst part was the headliner, lol.  The water mix that came out of the machine was downright disgusting.

[mjeff87]

And I also cleaned up the other knuckle/hub that was soaking in vinegar all week.  Now that both are done, I'll press new bearings and hubs into them, paint them and swap them back in.

[mjeff87]

So yeah....I ordered a new set of hubs and bearings on the cheap from a vendor on Walmart.com.  Trying to keep this on a cheap budget.  The stuff shows up last week as promised and I check out the shipment.  All is great, except the new axle nuts and snap rings that hold the bearings in the knuckles are missing.  I report that via the feedback thingy on the website, they respond by saying sorry, we will ship you a full replacement set and don't need/want the first sets back.  Cool.  Overnight shipment arrives today, I open it up and the same pieces are still missing. So I just sent them the following email....clearly they are a "virtual" warehouse and have no idea what their Chicom suppliers are doing.  I guess it's a sign of the times, but a small part of me just died today.

 

Hi Cortney,

I did receive the replacement shipment today, thank you very much for your prompt service.  However, the same parts are still missing.  At this point, I will source the missing parts locally as I need to get the parts installed as soon as possible.  I'd suggest you look at the illustration photo your company has listed on the web to make sure it is accurate (I don't think it is).  The picture of this parts kit clearly shows that axle nuts and bearing retainer clips are parts of the package, and it's evident that they are really not.  You may want to check with your supplier and update the illustration accordingly.

 

Thank you again for your prompt response and reshipment, it shows a real concern for customer service.  Verifying things with your supplier and changing things will further that effort.

Regards,

Jeff

On March 7, 2019 at 2:40 PM EverydayAutoParts <s-5B8E061B61D84D7C83137BA8484404FB@relay.walmart.com> wrote: 
 

Hi Jeff,

We are sorry to hear there was an issue with your order.

Unfortunately we cannot ship the missing items.

We have shipped your replacement today. You will receive tracking information by the end of the day, which will include the ETA.

You may discard the current merchandise as we do not need anything returned.

Thank you,
Cortney
EverydayAutoParts.com
RMA0311823

 

 

On Mar 07, 2019 at 08:33AM MST Jeff Janisko <c-5b8e061b61d84d7c83137ba8484404fb@relay.walmart.com> wrote: 

Hi EverydayAutoParts, 

Jeff Janisko wants to connect with you regarding the following order: 

Sales Order ID: 3281967634945 

Item ID: 441829295 

Item: Pair Set Front Wheel Hub Bearing Assembly Kits Replacement for Ford Focus 7S4Z1104A HA590263K 

Message: 

I received this order but it is NOT complete. It is missing the 2 new hub nuts and the 2 snap rings that hold the bearings into the knuckles. Can you please ship me the missing items as soon as possible? If not, I would like my money refunded. I did call and leave a detailed message with my return contact information on Sunday, March 3rd and to this date have not received any communication. Please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you. 

**Note: You have received this message from the customer, who has made a purchase from your company on Walmart.com. Please respond within 24 hours.** 

Thank you, 

Walmart Customer Service Team

[mjeff87]

Actually, the snap rings can be reused...that's not the issue.  The new axle nuts I was counting on though, as they really shouldn't be reused (although I've been doing that with all the knuckle swaps so far).  They get torqued to 233 lb/ft, and can only do that so many times.  I think the FSM says 3x is the max and they have to be replaced after that, and I'm on 2x right now.  They cost about $15 each.  That's why I bought from this vendor, the picture of the kits shows that new nuts are included in the price (along with the retainer clips).  Obviously, that's not the case, lol.

[mjeff87]

Whelp, the pressing of the new bearings didn't go so well

 

I got both hubs pressed out with no problem, but ended up snapping the knuckle while trying to press the first bearing out.  The problem is the unusual shape of the knuckle and trying to set it up in the press both square and level.  Damn near impossible.  I'd bet the dealership has a jig they use, which I don't have.  I threw in the towel after snapping the ear off the first knuckle, but I did eventually get it out after I did the damage just to know I could do it.  Ended up putting a nice bend in the press crossbar too in the process, lol.  Those darn bearings are really tight.

 

Now that I know what I'm doing, I'll try the other side later on and maybe grab another knuckle/hub out of the junkyard for $20 to replace the one I broke.

 

The old saying goes, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

[Pete M]

did you try heating the knuckle in the oven first?  maybe throwing the bearings in the freezer?

[mjeff87]

No, this was just trying to get the old ones pressed out.  The hubs press out in one direction (the easy part), then you have to flip the knuckle over, remove the giant snap ring, ad press the bearing out in the other direction.  There was a glorious explosion of parts,sockets, bearings and knuckle pieces when it all finally went crazy.  I was wearing safety goggles in anticipation of just such an occurrence happening, lol.  And it did.  I wasn't pressing straight on the bearing and things got all bound up.

[Pete M]

what the hell?   you broke the giant chunk of steel trying to press out the bearings?  sounds like a time to bring in the pros.     

[mjeff87]

Had a very productive weekend on the Focus.  Hit the junkyard Saturday and picked up 5 new axle nuts, a pair of swaybar links, a center console cover, clutch safety switch, rear wiper arm, front wiper arm covers (stupid plastic thingys that break every time you try to remove them), a passenger door speaker, and a washer reservoir with pump, all for $30.  Spent the day Sunday swapping all that out except the axle nuts (I just wanted some spares....they are $17 EACH, new).  I also replaced the fuel filter....what a sumbich that was.  All Ford had to do was install the plastic clips that hold the filter on the fuel lines 180 degrees opposite and it would be a 2 minute job.  But, no...it ended up taking the better part of 30 minutes and I got a sweatshirt arm soaked in gasoline, LOL.

 

I do have an annoying exhaust rattle on cold startup that I tried to fix.  It ended up being the muffler, the insides are slowly starting to die and the baffles are loose.  I'll probably end up swapping on a new one.  If I'd have known it was the muffler, I would have taken the sawzall with me to the junkyard and grabbed one

 

edit:  I ended up not using the clutch safety switch.  I got it so I could take it apart and jumper the contacts inside (I didn't want to cut the wiring and splice it) but it's a sealed plastic POS that can't be taken apart without destroying it.  I ended up just jumpering the wire connector on the car.  Works like a charm, and I no longer have to push the darn clutch the whole way to the floor to engage the starter.

 

 

[Pete M]

that's usin' your noodle!

[mjeff87]

I absolutely can't stand a clutch safety switch.  I remember on my TJ all you had to do was insert a fuse in the auto trans slot in the fuseblock (manuals didn't come with a fuse) to bypass it.  That's not an option on the Foci.  And I swear Ford didn't spend an extra .00001c on wiring when they built these things.  There's just an exact amount of wire on most plug in things for the connector to connect.  Like the washer pump....which I replaced yesterday too (my homebrew RTV job on the original one didn't hold up).  I pulled the whole inner fender again and installed the junkyard bottle/pump, got it all reconnected and plumbed and put it all back together, THEN decided to check to see if it worked.  It didn't.  So I had to pull the inner fender for the third time.....only to discover that the connector on the pump detached itself.  If only there was like an extra 1/2" even of wiring, it never would have disconnected itself.

[mjeff87]

Not too much going on with the Focus right now, I've been showing my poor KJ some love by driving it.  It's been sitting in the garage for the last couple weeks, LOL.  I grabbed a bunch of front suspension hardware along with those axle nuts down at the junkyard last weekend just to have for spares and they were all a bit rusty.  I tossed them in a small container of vinegar and am letting them sit all this week.  I popped the lid off the container last night to check on them, and I've got a pretty good science experiment going on  I'm on vacation next week (it's a stay-cation, my birthday is Tuesday and I need to get a bunch of crap done around the house without my wife being there to nag me.....).  I'm sure I'll end up doing something to the Focus along the way.  I know I need to put a new muffler on it, at least.

 

the bubbling crude (sorry for the sideways pic):

 

 

[mjeff87]

Just about done fixing crap on this thing....today I swapped another driver side sway bar link to get rid of the annoying thunk going over bumps and tried to get rid of the dash rattle on the passenger side that's been driving me crazy.  Success on the first, fail on the second.

 

I also replaced most of the exhaust, from the rear flange on the cat back.  Planned on about 2 hours for the job, ended up taking 6.  But there's no more annoying rattle coming from the inside of the muffler anymore, so I'm happy about that.  If Ida been working on it on a 2or 4 post lift it probably would have been done in an hour, lol.  Let's just say I hate doing exhaust work, especially on the garage floor on a car that's about 2 inches off the ground, but the shop quoted me about $600 to do it and I pulled it all off for about $80 in parts.

[Pete M]

I'd love to make $520 in 6 hours.   that sounds like a good deal to me.  

 

 

wait, you did the exhaust work with the car on the ground?  no stands or ramps or anything?

[mjeff87]

Lol, no.  I was going to use ramps but they were buried in the shed and I didn't feel like digging them out (hindsight says I should have).  I used 2 trolley jacks, a bottle Jack and 3 jack stands......I basically had the whole driver side off the ground.  I wish I had or knew someone with a 2 or 4 post lift.  The whole job would've probably only taken an hour or so with the whole thing up in the air.

 

I'm paying for it today though, both of my shoulders, my traps, the back of my head and the sides of both hips are reminding me that I'm 49 years old now.