AS Communal MK4&5 Mondeo Thread

[sierraman]

27 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Mine has failed its MOT, on a front balljoint and a rear trailing arm bush.  Front balljoint looks a piece of piss, trailing arm bush not so much.  This might be one that I have to hand over to the garage to do...

By the time you’ve bought the fairly expensive tool to remove the bushes on the back you might as well get the garage doing it. 

[junkyarddog]

Yep,let the garage do it.

They aren't too difficult to do.

I changed mine,but was lucky enough to get a loan of the correct tool from a local garage and the use of a mates lift.

I'd suggest fitting genuine bushes.

They aren't expensive. 

I've also heard that Volvo bushes could be used,and that they are of a better quality. 

[sierraman]

Don’t go in for taking the arm off and trying to bray the bush out, the arms will bend. 

[junkyarddog]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0XLqtqPTPlo

[wuvvum]

OK, so the replacement front lower arm arrived today.  On the face of it it looks like a relatively straightforward suspension arm, but reading the HBOL it says you need a special tool to separate the balljoint from the hub assembly.  Anyone know owt about this?  It looks like a standard taper fit balljoint with a nut on the end as per usual - on the face of it I can't see why my usual method of a combination of 3' crowbar and BFO hammer wouldn't do the job?  The HBOL also talks about needing a scaffold pole and a block of wood to lever the arm down so the balljoint can come away from the hub - again, would the aforesaid crowbar not do the trick?

[sierraman]

53 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

OK, so the replacement front lower arm arrived today.  On the face of it it looks like a relatively straightforward suspension arm, but reading the HBOL it says you need a special tool to separate the balljoint from the hub assembly.  Anyone know owt about this?  It looks like a standard taper fit balljoint with a nut on the end as per usual - on the face of it I can't see why my usual method of a combination of 3' crowbar and BFO hammer wouldn't do the job?  The HBOL also talks about needing a scaffold pole and a block of wood to lever the arm down so the balljoint can come away from the hub - again, would the aforesaid crowbar not do the trick?

I’ve never done one of those but usually on stubborn bottom arms I get the scaffold bar, rest it on the web of the arm and smack it with a copper mallet. Try jacking the base of the hub carrier via the disc to put the strut under load then try this. 

[wuvvum]

I'll give that a whirl.  Also, if the balljoint shank is loose from the hub but the arm won't quite come down far enough to free it, is there any reason why I can't just unbolt the arm from the car and then let the balljoint drop out of its own accord?

[sierraman]

31 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I'll give that a whirl.  Also, if the balljoint shank is loose from the hub but the arm won't quite come down far enough to free it, is there any reason why I can't just unbolt the arm from the car and then let the balljoint drop out of its own accord?

No you could take the bolts out that go horizontally, sometimes when fitting the old Mk1/2 wishbones you’d have to jiggle the bolts a bit to give enough play to slide the wishbone out. In a garage of course you’ve the big fuck off angled bar type thing that pulls them out no problem. I’d be fairly sure though you’d do it by loading the strut up then using a scaffold on the web to knock it out. Don’t do what I’ve done before, miss and twat the wing...

[sierraman]

Heard the first signs of the DMF starting to go on mine today. FFS. That said I’ve phoned about and as and when it gets bad it’s a £600 job which isn’t as bad as I’d thought. 

[Out Run]

On 6/3/2020 at 2:48 PM, sierraman said:

By the time you’ve bought the fairly expensive tool to remove the bushes on the back you might as well get the garage doing it. 

I removed my bushes with a reciprocating saw and an SDS drill (chisel) and replaced with poly bushes.

[Out Run]

On 6/9/2020 at 7:10 PM, wuvvum said:

OK, so the replacement front lower arm arrived today.  On the face of it it looks like a relatively straightforward suspension arm, but reading the HBOL it says you need a special tool to separate the balljoint from the hub assembly.  Anyone know owt about this?  It looks like a standard taper fit balljoint with a nut on the end as per usual - on the face of it I can't see why my usual method of a combination of 3' crowbar and BFO hammer wouldn't do the job?  The HBOL also talks about needing a scaffold pole and a block of wood to lever the arm down so the balljoint can come away from the hub - again, would the aforesaid crowbar not do the trick?

I changed a bottom ball joint on my old mk4 hatch. Aside from it being riveted in and the replacement bolted, the ball joint taper was nothing unusual.

A couple of bolts to remove the whole thing from the car. All very normal.

[Out Run]

13 hours ago, sierraman said:

Heard the first signs of the DMF starting to go on mine today. FFS. That said I’ve phoned about and as and when it gets bad it’s a £600 job which isn’t as bad as I’d thought. 

Unlucky. We have had 4 in the family, I have mates with another 4 and no DMF hassle at all.

Like you say, price isn’t too bad.

[Out Run]

Don’t knock the SDS method. I’d do it again - but my car will never need it.

As can be seen, I fully removed my hubs/trailing arms, but you could have just  pushed the bushes in in situ. I wanted a new four wheel alignment anyway, so this was easier.

[warren t claim]

On 6/11/2020 at 10:49 AM, sierraman said:

Heard the first signs of the DMF starting to go on mine today. FFS. That said I’ve phoned about and as and when it gets bad it’s a £600 job which isn’t as bad as I’d thought. 

I really wouldn't advise a solid conversion on a 6 speed, 2.0 diesel.

[wuvvum]

Well my attempts to change the front lower arm have so far been a complete failure.  I got the ball joint nut off (although that was a twat in itself - at one stage I was heaving on the spanner with my leg, despite having doused the threads in GT85), but the ball joint is showing little interest in separating from the hub.  I've tried twatting it with hammers and jumping up and down on a 3' crowbar, it ain't budging.  I haven't been able to get a splitter on it - my fork splitter is too small and I can't get the screw type splitter on there as the CV joint is in the way.  And obvs I can't remove the driveshaft without getting the ball joint out first, unless I take the whole bloody front end to bits which isn't going to happen.  So tomorrow I need to go on a hunt for a bigger splitter, and if I can't find one I'm going to have to admit defeat and get the garage to do it I think,

[sierraman]

7 hours ago, warren t claim said:

I really wouldn't advise a solid conversion on a 6 speed, 2.0 diesel.

No that’s with the DMF. I’m not going in for those SMF conversions. 

[wuvvum]

Mondeo passed its MOT today.  Total bill for fitting the replacement front arm and rear bush (supplied by me) was £127.20, which I didn't think was too bad considering how much of a twat the ball joint was being.

I might take it down to Somerset at the weekend, give it a bit of a run.  It has vaguely functional A/C, which is more than the Rover does and could be a bonus if I get stuck in traffic.

[junkyarddog]

Mine had a flat battery today,

Last driven on Friday. 

Think it was the rear dash cam not switching off, it was a cheap one from Aldi.

Disconnected it for now,hopefully that was the cause.

[Out Run]

Had mine out for a 30 mile run, with the MTB in the back, this evening. Like a treat for it, ATM.

Last time on that journey, I showed a Focus ST what’s up, on the NSL stretches. No such entertainment, tonight.

[wuvvum]

Well I won't be taking mine to Somerset at the weekend.  Did 55 miles in it last night to go and get a bicycle and the tracking is now so far out that it's horrible to drive.  Nowhere can fit me in to have the tracking done this week, so I'll be taking the Rover 75.

[junkyarddog]

You'd imagine that the garage would have done that when they replaced those suspension components. 

 

[warren t claim]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:04 PM, wuvvum said:

 

I might take it down to Somerset at the weekend, give it a bit of a run.  It has vaguely functional A/C, which is more than the Rover does and could be a bonus if I get stuck in traffic.

If you junk the pollen filter, as easy job as it's behind the glove box, your vaguely functioning A/C will be several times more efficient.

[wuvvum]

9 hours ago, junkyarddog said:

You'd imagine that the garage would have done that when they replaced those suspension components. 

 

They didn't have time.  The wheel alignment gubbins are in the tyre fitting bit of the garage, which is flat out until middle of next week. 

[junkyarddog]

Part of the issue too,is the fact the tyres are bedded in to how the car was,

Now the worn parts are replaced the wear is causing the tracking issues to be more pronounced. 

I always find my cars feel a bit odd on new tyres,until they bed in.

[Sir Snipes]

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200619029413

Tempting. 2.5T TitX, 116k, Mot till Oct20th. £1400.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006069870348

2.0TDCi, 86k, CatD, test until dec24th. £2400. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Mondeo-2-0TDCi-140-2007-5MY-Titanium-X/313091843395

105k, mid October Test, £2200

I've been looking for a Vectra but these have the huge advantage of not being 4 hours away. 

[Sir Snipes]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-MONDEO-2-0-TDCI-TITANIUM-X-2-OWNERS-CLEAN-CAR-NEW-MOT-DRIVES-GREAT/114266720477

130k, full test, £1600. Wants the trailing arm bushes doing - been advised for the past few years. 

[rantingYoof]

Those early 2.5Ts are really tempting. Only known issue, which is fairly significant, are cracked liners. Not as bad as on the early Focus STs it would seem.

I'm beginning to think of more accommodating family wagons that would swallow family paraphernalia better than a saloon with a massive sound system taking up boot depth.

Not to replace, but to work alongside.

A Mk4 Mondeo is right up there...lots of decent sub £2k things about now.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[Sir Snipes]

I'd probably do myself in with anything properly fast; most powerful car I've ever had was a Silvia Turbo 1.8t with 130bhp. Doubt I could be bothered with the fuel too - not just the cost but the stops. I visit a fuel station every week my c4 and it's boring. 

[sierraman]

50 minutes ago, Sir Snipes said:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200619029413

Tempting. 2.5T TitX, 116k, Mot till Oct20th. £1400.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006069870348

2.0TDCi, 86k, CatD, test until dec24th. £2400. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Mondeo-2-0TDCi-140-2007-5MY-Titanium-X/313091843395

105k, mid October Test, £2200

I've been looking for a Vectra but these have the huge advantage of not being 4 hours away. 

The Vectras are alright but the Mondeos you’ve shown there are streets ahead of the Vectra. I paid £1200 on one this year, it’s a nice car, you see loads that have done 250-300k. Check the DMF though, most of the sub £2k ones will rattle a bit, they’ll go for ages until it gets bad though. I was quoted £600 for another one fitted with the clutch and csc, so it’s not the end of the world when it does go. 

[Sir Snipes]

I was wondering about tyres with those 18' wheels but they're much cheaper than I thought; ~£60 for death rings, £100 for Kumho,  Goodyear etc.