Piss Balling about with banger Fords

[sierraman]

Thought I’d document a few jobs I’m on with and help those out suffering from chronic insomnia, nothing massive to report as of yet apart from Focus is due an MOT in a few months. The washers were less than virile so today while I had an hour spare I stripped the washer bottle out. Bit of a fuck about on these, whatever happened to the bottle hung under the wing with a built in dipstick like you got on the Sierras!

Anyway as you can see the separate filter was full of shit, duly stripped it all down and cleaned. Can report back that it’s slightly better, enough let’s say for it to fly through the test on this particular area. Needless to say try doing this when it’s empty, sounds obvious but it pisses out everywhere as you remove the tank. 

Interestingly enough, complete washer pump replacement with a new genuine item is £6.45 as I’ve latterly discovered, knowing that I’d have just chucked a new pump on. 

[320touring]

"it's an XX year old tub, scrap it and get a mk2 focus"🤣

 

Looks like a pain in the hoop

[sierraman]

Whilst I was in a ‘thorough’ mood I’ve decided to tidy up the wing bottoms, like 99% of 15 year old Focuses it’s a bit rusty down there, not flapping in the wind like some but I figured I could tidy it up to hold off the grot for a big longer and subsequent wing replacement. Seemingly silver pre facelift wings which are not 85% Ferrous Oxide are thin on the ground in Silver. If I do find any I’ll pick them up. 

For now I’ve given it a rub back and a coat of Aquasteel, then once it’s dried off a coat of Rust Beater then Shutz. Will likely top coat it but never have much luck spraying sliver.

[sierraman]

4 minutes ago, 320touring said:

"it's an XX year old tub, scrap it and get a mk2 focus"🤣

 

Looks like a pain in the hoop

Not that difficult just unnecessarily time consuming. Genuinely I have a lot of time for these, they’re not perfect but they’re cheap enough on parts and reliable enough.

[UltraWomble]

Fords do rust in some surprising places. 

The whole rear beam on this one has become detached. 

[Split_Pin]

The wing on your Focus looks OK compared to many MK2s I see. It's better than the ones on my 75 which seem to rust in the same place too!

[sierraman]

Some really bad ones are literally flapping in the wind. 

[Dobloseven]

6 hours ago, UltraWomble said:

Fords do rust in some surprising places. 

The whole rear beam on this one has become detached. 

Thought that looked familiar! 

[dome]

@sierraman talk to me about the 1.8 TDCI in the Mk2 Focus. Avoid?  A cheap non runner has turned up near me but I don't know how much pain I can take on.

 

[RoverFolkUs]

I've just done a metric shit ton to my MK2. I started off with a small service but it's upto a couple hundred quid in parts alone now I think (!) 

It better pass the next MOT 🤣 

But there's not a spot of (structural) rust on it - only the front wings and the obligatory ocean-dipped rear suspension. 

I even splashed out on new speakers to replace the rear ones that have blown and a new rear wiper arm as I'm fed up of seeing a cable tie holding the wiper blade on! Normally the sort of things I wouldn't bother with

As you say, excellent cars and reliable enough. Just rather boring. But if you're not looking for excitement and just need AN CAR then they fit the bill perfectly 

Whilst we're on the subject of MK2's, can I ask you if the front windows appear loose in the mechanism in yours? E.g if you grab the window and gently pull it up and push it down is there a significant amount of movement? 

Mine does that and I had a look and it's not the window clamps as I initially hoped - it appears to be wear in the mechanism but I'm not sure if they're all like it. I never noticed it on the other one I had but didn't specifically look for it. 

[sierraman]

38 minutes ago, dome said:

@sierraman talk to me about the 1.8 TDCI in the Mk2 Focus. Avoid?  A cheap non runner has turned up near me but I don't know how much pain I can take on.

 

Yes...  up to 2007 it’s a lower chain, not a fixed date but mid ‘07 onwards expect a belt in oil. 125k interval, could of course go much further, they really don’t like dirty oil or engine flush seems to bollocks the belt up prematurely. But it all depends how much we’re talking here. 

Various places offer a chain conversion which is around £7-800 usually. But if you are handy with the spanner’s and have the locking tools I see no reason why you couldn’t tackle this yourself. Alan Howatt on YouTube has a video on this. 

Other than that it’s the usual trailing arm bushes, DMF, rusty wings/sills and running issues. My question would be why is it a non runner, likely probability would be the belt has gone and the rockers/valves bent. The earlier Mk1 TDCI used to get sudden death with the PCB on the Fuel pump failing. 

[sierraman]

18 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I've just done a metric shit ton to my MK2. I started off with a small service but it's upto a couple hundred quid in parts alone now I think (!) 

It better pass the next MOT 🤣 

But there's not a spot of (structural) rust on it - only the front wings and the obligatory ocean-dipped rear suspension. 

I even splashed out on new speakers to replace the rear ones that have blown and a new rear wiper arm as I'm fed up of seeing a cable tie holding the wiper blade on! Normally the sort of things I wouldn't bother with

As you say, excellent cars and reliable enough. Just rather boring. But if you're not looking for excitement and just need AN CAR then they fit the bill perfectly 

Whilst we're on the subject of MK2's, can I ask you if the front windows appear loose in the mechanism in yours? E.g if you grab the window and gently pull it up and push it down is there a significant amount of movement? 

Mine does that and I had a look and it's not the window clamps as I initially hoped - it appears to be wear in the mechanism but I'm not sure if they're all like it. I never noticed it on the other one I had but didn't specifically look for it. 

It doesn’t jolt but it has a worrying clank as it goes down but it’s done this  years. 

[SiC]

Why does my 3dr Mk2 left window open slower than the right? Looking at the window regulator, being a scissor type, I can't see what could slow it down. Unlike a cable window regulator. 

[sierraman]

Sticking runners or could be the motor a bit bollocksed. New motors are fuck all though. 

[sierraman]

In other news, driving around radio-less in the Mondeo has been no fun. The eject wouldn’t work and in an effort to retrieve Now 1985, I had to strip the casing down. I’d read sometimes the runners and pivots for the CD system can seize, from cursory inspection it looked as if the motor that operated the eject mechanism was fucked. Top and bottom it was new radio time, annoyingly most ebay examples were looking very tired, for some reason the silver fascia picks up marks really easily. 

I did want a black front fascia, wasn’t fussed about the Sony system but it was only available on the Mk4.5 and has twin aerial nonsense so that was out, so I opted for a like for like replacement. In fairness it’s not a bad system. The ex- @cpjitservices had an aftermarket system in it, the kids loved it because it flashed an assortment of bright colours but I find most aftermarket units infuriating to use so that, regrettably, was out. 

Anyway ebay yielded a £35 delivered job which if I’m honest cannot come too soon. 

Had also been looking in complete vain for the canisters specific for an air line for waxoyl. For whatever reason couldn’t find any locally, however I had some left over Shutz, emptied that out and mixed up a Sierraman Special of 90% Waxoyl and some added white spirits! Ready for the winter! 

[cpjitservices]

9 hours ago, sierraman said:

In other news, driving around radio-less in the Mondeo has been no fun. The eject wouldn’t work and in an effort to retrieve Now 1985, I had to strip the casing down. I’d read sometimes the runners and pivots for the CD system can seize, from cursory inspection it looked as if the motor that operated the eject mechanism was fucked. Top and bottom it was new radio time, annoyingly most ebay examples were looking very tired, for some reason the silver fascia picks up marks really easily. 

I did want a black front fascia, wasn’t fussed about the Sony system but it was only available on the Mk4.5 and has twin aerial nonsense so that was out, so I opted for a like for like replacement. In fairness it’s not a bad system. The ex- @cpjitservices had an aftermarket system in it, the kids loved it because it flashed an assortment of bright colours but I find most aftermarket units infuriating to use so that, regrettably, was out. 

Anyway ebay yielded a £35 delivered job which if I’m honest cannot come too soon. 

Had also been looking in complete vain for the canisters specific for an air line for waxoyl. For whatever reason couldn’t find any locally, however I had some left over Shutz, emptied that out and mixed up a Sierraman Special of 90% Waxoyl and some added white spirits! Ready for the winter! 

Good radio that Sony, you can turn off the flashy-flashy lol could do with that for my Mondeo now as radio has packed up in that loll Typical Ford CD 6000 fashion.

[sierraman]

 £35 later and a replacement fitted. It’s actually in much better condition than the previous one and does not retain my Bryan Ferry CDs. I’d show a picture of the Rustbeater on the arches but it’s pitch black. 

[sierraman]

Anyone want this for the cost of postage. It is a rocking horse shit Zetec Silvertop exhaust manifold. These were prone to cracking back in the day, this one has a very minor one. Plus one of the stud recess cracked but it shouldn’t cause any blowing issues. It fits the ones where the Cat was behind the rad. If you can find one they were back in the day over £300. Might get some out of a bind? 

[sierraman]

Road salt this winter? Ride on baby! Waxoyled the fuck out of the Focus. 

[sierraman]

Don’t think I’ll get invited to the Ford Focus Concours Black Tie event with this job. It’s hidden by the piss flaps anyway so I just needed a tough hard wearing surface. 

[sierraman]

Washers have gone a bit less than virile again. Pump duly ordered. 

[MJK 24]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:14 AM, UltraWomble said:

Fords do rust in some surprising places. 

The whole rear beam on this one has become detached. 

That’ll turn in well on a left hand bend…

[sierraman]

[Matty]

Just now, sierraman said:

Nobody will ever know! (Aside from us lot obvs)

[sierraman]

Got ‘the call’ this morning, it’s stuttering at farting all over the shop. Plugged her in and various codes relating to lean mix and the O2 sensor heater circuit that we already knew about. Cleaned the O2 bank one sensor 2 connector, no difference so I suspect the sensor itself is fucked. Cleaned the MAF and it’s seemed a bit better. It didn’t look that dirty in fairness. 

Checked the Inlet vac pipes but nothing there, possibly the PCV valve might be next to check. 

[vaughant]

Enjoying these updates 👍👍👍

[Matty]

Just now, sierraman said:

Got ‘the call’ this morning

Gives me a familiar feeling 

[sierraman]

I’ve took it a run round on my dinner and it’s been fine, so maybe it’s was some crap on the MAF. Still showing pending codes for the O2 heater circuit, so I’ll be getting one ordered, absolute bitch to access the post cat one so I’ll do that while it’s on the ramps. Thinking might have to drop the manicat out and do it on the bench, either way it’s a ramp job.

[Dobloseven]

JFSI! 

[sierraman]

When they were ten a penny for a grand I did just this but I’m looking at the stiff end of £2k for a half decent one so this gets fixed. It’s quite good value when you consider the money you see people chucking at terminally bollocksed engines or where the main structure of the vehicle is severely compromised.