Pete M Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 did you at least throw down a few layers of cardboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 Yeah, I have lots of cardboard plus old carpet scraps I use, but it's still a hard azz concrete floor lol. The biggest PITA of the job is/was splicing in the new stuff to the old stuff at the rear end (the front is flanged, rusted up old bolts/nuts were no match for the air impact and snapped off just like I expected them to...and were replaced with new hardware). The piping runs up/over the rear suspension and connects to a square resonator the size of a small microwave, then exits under the bumper. I had to cut the old stuff out in three different pieces so I could get it all out, then figure out how to cut the new stuff and the forward inlet pipe on the resonator to duplicate the exact length so all the hangers lined up and the resonator and tailpipe didn't hit the body. That took a few different attempts until I got it just right. Here's a pic of the splice which really doesn't show just how crammed and inaccessible it was in that area. And that's the only area of piping that's straight enough to add in a coupler, every other part of the piping is curved or has an exhaust hanger welded on. Its done, it's quiet, I'm happy, and am not eager to ever make this repair again without a floor lift. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 And here's a shot of the old versus new stuff (see how I had to cut the old out in pieces. Tecnically, I could have just cut the muffler out ala saws all and cobbled a new one in with some connectors and a bunch of clamps, but that whole new exhaust I got off of Advance Auto for about $65 and free shipping. I had a few speed perks rewards $$$ to use up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepsouth Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 Hey,iv'e got one of those,and i replaced the exhaust system from the converter back too. common problem with them rotting out i guess. Mine spent some time in chicago by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whowey Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 We have one of those rent a lift places here. Pretty good deal if your not a complete cheap @$$ like me.Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 1, 2019 Author Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 hour ago, jeepsouth said: Hey,iv'e got one of those,and i replaced the exhaust system from the converter back too. common problem with them rotting out i guess. Mine spent some time in chicago by the way. I can't complain about it overall....it hums right along and I'm getting about 32 mpg in it, which is about double the mileage my KJ gets It us an economy car though, with all the lack of creature comforts/quiet ride that comes at that price point. I'm only the second owner, it came from Georgia. Most everything I've been replacing on it so far has been original parts (except for the fuel filter I put on last weekend, it was an aftermarket part). I'm pretty confident that the exhaust was OEM too....it was all a single piece from the front flange back. The only way to install it that way has to be from the factory, before the rear suspension was hung. Not too shabby for 214K miles. 1 hour ago, whowey said: We have one of those rent a lift places here. Pretty good deal if your not a complete cheap @$$ like me. Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk I don't think there's any places like that around me, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepsouth Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 On 3/31/2019 at 9:42 PM, mjeff87 said: I can't complain about it overall....it hums right along and I'm getting about 32 mpg in it, which is about double the mileage my KJ gets It us an economy car though, with all the lack of creature comforts/quiet ride that comes at that price point. I'm only the second owner, it came from Georgia. Most everything I've been replacing on it so far has been original parts (except for the fuel filter I put on last weekend, it was an aftermarket part). I'm pretty confident that the exhaust was OEM too....it was all a single piece from the front flange back. The only way to install it that way has to be from the factory, before the rear suspension was hung. Not too shabby for 214K miles. I don't think there's any places like that around me, sadly. I hear you man ours runs pretty good too. I've replaced power window motors/cables,headlights ,and a few sensors. we only paid $1000.for it though. It's my sons car,he loves it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 Lol, that's about what I paid for mine too, bought it from a coworker. I got it to fix up and give to a family member who's in a rough patch right now and needs a vehicle, but after spending a couple weeks on it fixing up all the little crap wrong with it, I've kind of gotten fond of it. It just flat out runs, and gets as good mileage as my wife's '18 Subaru. I don't really want to give it away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 Not for nothing, but I had to make an emergency trip up to north central PA on Monday for a funeral and decided to take the Focus instead of the Jeep. I've been banging it around locally now for a couple months and have about 3K miles on it since buying it but have never really taken it on a roadtrip. I was a bit gentle with it for the first hour or so of interstate driving, but it was humming along nicely so I decided to run the paint off of it. 770 miles, mostly all interstate, in about 24 hours (with a quick overnight stay at my brother's house) and it averaged about 35 mpg. It is geared low ("southern car" LOL) and has aftermarket 16" wheels on it, and holds 3200 rpm @ 80 mph. For comparison, my buddy's Jetta revs about 4100 @ 80. It really did not like the mountains of PA and WV, I basically had to just keep it in 4th and feather the throttle to keep it around 70 mph. If I tried to push it I ended up constantly shifting between 4th and 5th. But, I was able to drop in in N once I crested the top of a mountain and freewheeled it the whole way down the other side @ idle speed doing about 80-ish. Fun little car, and surprisingly not uncomfortable driving it 14 hours. I'm finally taking it up to give to my brother over Memorial Day weekend..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Well, sad to say but the Focus is gone. I drove it up to my brother over the holiday weekend. It's kind of bittersweet because the reason I picked it up in the first place was to give it to him.....but I didn't think I'd ever get to liking it so much LOL. Time will tell if he's good to it and doesn't either blow it up (not really possible from all my testing) or he wraps it around a telephone pole. I handed it off in top notch mechanical condition, so what will be will be I guess. The only stipulation I gave him is that if he decides at some point to get rid of it for whatever reason, I have first right of refusal on it. Heck, I just might go shopping for another one down here in the meanwhile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COM86 Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I'm late to the focus story. Bummer. I'm the original owner of a 2000 Ford focus zx3. And a 2001 wagon. When I first bought the 2000, I drove it to Idaho and averaged 40 mpg if I stayed above 80 mph. Fun car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share Posted September 18, 2019 Welp, I bought another one 2001, 5 speed with the 2.0 Zetec, 160K miles. Needs a passenger side front wheel bearing (fixing that tonight/tomorrow), and a good service done to it (LOF, plugs, tranny fluid change, etc.). It does have a slow leak from the front crank seal, but I'm not going to worry about that until I change the timing belt (unknown history on it, just changing it for peace of mind) since you have to pull that all off to get to the seal. Will do it all in one shot, someday in the not-too-distant future. I got it titled/registered/plated/insured today but am not driving it until I swap the bearing out. It is very driveable (I drove it home from the PO's house about a half hour away), I just don't want to stress the bad bearing out any more than it already is (LOUD). I'll continue this thread with updates on it as I work on it, while I'm also working on repairing/replacing the head on my KJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 looks pretty clean! how's the rust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 18, 2019 Author Share Posted September 18, 2019 Extremely clean. Couple little spots on the carpet (which I'll get gone) and that's it. And rust? We don't have rust here in Virginia......LOL. It has 4 almost brand new tires on it, but I just noticed the passenger rear tire is a different brand than the others. My OCD is not going to permit that long term, but for now it's fine. Funny thing, on the drive home I stopped to fill the tank. When I got back in it, I had a no-crank situation. Thought about it for a second, then got out and reached under the dash and pushed the clutch safety switch plunger in with my finger and it cranked right up. And then the PO's "attempt" to fix the problem fell off onto the floor. I had to laugh......these clutch switches are notorious for failing (my first Focus had the problem as well). So I drove home, popped off the switch connector and installed a short jumper wire and taped it up. Viola.....permanently fixed. Here's how the PO tried to fix it, by rigging up a homebrew thingy attached to the clutch pedal arm with a ziptie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJXJjeepguy Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 Used to have 04 focus SVT 6 speed, love that car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 SVT....nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 Got the old bearing and hub pressed out and the new ones pressed into the spare knuckle after work tonight. What an incredibly stupid design that took way too long to do. The bearing presses in from the back side of the knuckle and is held captive by a 3" snap ring. The hub presses into the inner bearing race from the front side of the knuckle and is only held captive via the axle nut once it's all installed. It wouldn't be so bad except you need a very specific diameter something or other that press s on the outer race bearing (which is only about 1/32" thick) but not so large OD that it fits inside the hole in the outer knuckle. I did not possess such a tool, so I ended up pressing the inner guts out of the bearing and then finding something (a 1-13/16" 3/4" drive impact socket) to press on the remnants of the inner race to push it out. And ended up I bedding said socket firmly into the knuckle....until I beat it out with a hammer. Anywho, it's all done, and I'll swap the whole knuckle in tomorrow after work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 27, 2019 Author Share Posted September 27, 2019 Well, this focus is giving me the opportunity to wrench a little bit, lol. Got the knuckle swapped in ok, but it has recently developed a case of not idling very well. The IAC is going bad I supposed, so I grabbed one at the junkyard from a 2002 model. After wrestling around with it for 2 freaking hours I got mine out.....and it's a different style than the one I got at the yard. Crap. So I cleaned the heck out of mine and spent another hour or so reinstalling it (seriously, it's in the most god awful place an IAC could ever be put...google it for some fun and laughs). It's a little better, doesn't stall at a stop, but it's still idling at around 575-600. I also pulled the TB off and cleaned the heck out of it too. New problem is the front crank seal is shot and it's leaking oil like the Exxon Valdez. I was planning to put a new timing belt on it at some point, but that's been accelerated to this weekend, since I have to pull the whole front end of the motor off to replace the leaking seal. I'm not doing all that work twice, so I'm doing it all on Sunday along with a new serpentine belt, belt tensioner, idler pulley and valve cover gasket. Fun times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 29, 2019 Author Share Posted September 29, 2019 So, I ordered a special timing gear lock set off amazon late Thursday night, and paid an extra $11 for expedited shipping to get it here yesterday (Saturday) so I could replace the front seal and timing set today. Amazon driver showed up around 7:00 last night and handed me a padded shipping envelope......that was empty. The damn thing wasn't even sealed shut, and somewhere along the line my timing tools slipped out. Long story short, I called Amazon and pitched a royal fit. They refunded my shipping fees and have a replacement coming to me tomorrow. They also gave me a $20 voucher to use on a future Amazon purchase. The timing set tools only cost $18, so that's nice, but now I have to wait until next weekend to get the job done.. Today was the only day (off) I had to work on it until next Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whowey Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 Is that like the Taurus and a stuck or fouled IAC won't even throw an emissions code, just run like crap once you let off the gas?I'm very surprised you got ahold of an Amazon employee capable of speaking a language you understand well enough to communicate.Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Share Posted September 30, 2019 Yeah, it doesn't throw any codes, it just won't idle high enough. I know it's the IAC becuase I can turn on the defrost and cycle the AC compressor and it does tach up to about 1000 when it does. I cleaned it as best I could and let the AC compressor cycle for about 10 minutes and it did free the pintle up a tiny bit. Now it doesn't stall at idle, but only idles around 600-650. Bottom line is I need to just buy a new one and swap it in. I dread the thought of having to do that job again. And yes, I was definitely talking to someone on the sub-continent Saturday night. I almost asked to speak to someone who could speak the English, but we got it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted October 1, 2019 Author Share Posted October 1, 2019 Yay....Amazon succeeded in delivering me a package with something in it yesterday, lol. I also threw a new TPS on it, when I took the old one off it literally fell to pieces in my hand. And I have a new Motorcraft IAC coming from Rockauto today that I'm going to try to get on after work tonight. I'll save the timing set/crank seal for Saturday when I have plenty of time to do it, and nowhere to be in case something goes horribly wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 New IAC (Motorcraft, I'm not willing to cheap out on an aftermarket part and have to do this job EVER again) installed. 2 hours to swap, but it seems to be idling normal again. Yay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 victory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 This picture really doesn't do it justice, but here is where the IAC is located. It's on the underside/inside of the intake manifold (which is horseshoe shaped) underneath the TB. Absolutely everything is in the way. The best way I found to get to it, now having done it 2X, is to strip the top of the engine as much as you can so you can get to the top bolt and break it loose with an 8mm ratcheting box end wrench. Then jack up the car, go underneath to get the bottom bolt out (which is pretty easy) and then wiggle your hand up between the starter and back side of the engine and remove the top bolt with your fingertips. Leave the electrical connector connected, so you can then go back up top and use the wire to pull the sensor out. Installation is the reverse of removal, except you are blindly trying to hold the new IAC with the top bolt inserted and try to find the top hole by feel. Once you get a couple threads engaged go ahead and insert the bottom bolt snugly but not full tight. Go back up top and spend 30 minutes trying to get the top bolt screwed back in the whole way tight, then go back underneath and snug up the bottom bolt. Then put the whole top end of the engine back together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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