[Gear] crunch time & losing its cool... RFU's adventures with a MK2 Focus that escaped death and proves to be a free* car

[RoverFolkUs]

1 minute ago, High Jetter said:

Do a full bottom-end rebuild, propa 60s/70s style. 

I wanted to, but with the holes in the block writing it off, it would be crazy to build an engine using a very suspicious looking bottom end from eBay for £150. If there was no block damage I absolutely would have been fitting new* piston assemblies 

Unfortunately, a transplant engine looks to be the best way forward, all is not lost though as there are plenty of ancillaries off the old one to reuse/keep/sell as appropriate 

[High Jetter]

I guess no Unipart "Gold Seal" exchange unit available? 🤣

[Crackers]

13 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

In my head, I honestly thought your car was that silver/blue colour they all came in. Turns out it's not. 

The above is not useful to this thread, but I'll wish you a good luck so I'm not completely wasting forum space...

Not thinking of the ex-me, now Faberge Greggs Mk1? Tonic Blue... Seemed to get daubed on everything that came out the factory paintshop through the early 2000s, despite being utterly uninspiring. 

Although, typically, it looks really good in the lighting in that pic 😂

[Split_Pin]

Excellent work and now the engine is out the empty engine bay is your goal.

I changed the engine on my old Corsa a few years ago now and that was just with an engine hoist and jacks. At the time the car wasn't worth anything but value just didn't come into it. I did have help on the day of removal and bolting back in but the achievement of successfully changing an engine when the most complicated job I had done previously was replacing a radiator was monumental and I'm still proud of it today. I sold the car a couple of years ago now but I still see it about regularly and that's even more satisfying.

I'd keep everything that can be unbolted from the engine. I still have sections of the cut loom from the replacement engine as the bits of wire come in handy from time to time.

[RoverFolkUs]

I think I've ordered everything now. Fingers crossed I can crack on with it next weekend 🤞 as the new* lump should arrive in the week. 

Looks like the replacement engine comes complete with that servo pipe which I was worrying about, and the water pump looks very shiny so that should also mean it's got a decent cambelt on it as you have to take the cambelt off on these to do the water pump so that should be a good saving. 

I'll take the thermostat housing off to check if it's intact as that's a complete unknown on these and definitely worth checking before putting it back together otherwise it will over cool.

Just remembered I've forgotten to order the aux belts actually!

[RoverFolkUs]

Ok, new* engine has arrived. 

First impressions are probably as bad as it gets, but I'm not fussing around about the what if's and what maybe's. I'm just going to get it installed and hope for the best. 

It turns over nicely by hand and felt like it had some form of compression which was a bonus... The cambelt and water pump look fairly recent so I'll leave them as they are for now and once I've had a month or two of usage to confirm it's a good engine I'll fit my £80 worth of cambelt and water pump to it. 

Took the thermostat housing off to check it, sure enough it was fucked. It was fucked on the old engine too, the thermostat itself commonly breaks off the housing and doesn't function as a stat anymore on these. £60 later, I had a quality* Circoli replacement from ECP who were able to get me one within a couple of hours. 

As ever, I had to explain that the type listed is NOT the correct one for the Ti-VCT engine... 

A slightly strange quirk was that the fuel rail was different on the new engine despite being the same engine code, so I had to swap that over from the old one. 

The aforementioned servo pipe has undergone a very embarrassing repair which I'm hoping will work 😂

On 6/22/2023 at 8:55 AM, Rust Collector said:

I know that deep down you want to fit this high quality used engine for £149:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284485205247

It's got all the things you want to see:

• Lifted using cut up seatbelts - check
• Sitting on gravel in the corner of an overgrown yard - check
• Pipes and cables cut through - check
• White paint pen - check
• Definitely possibly came from a low mileage car maybe perhaps - check

And as if you needed anything else to tell you it's meant to be, the breaker is called 'AS Car Dismantlers'!

 

You sir deserve a prize for this bingo. 😂

- Arrived not on a pallet, in fact just shuffled about on a foam tile - ✅

- Cut up seatbelts attached to the lifting points - ✅

- Ancient oil filter, which required very large grips to remove - ✅

- Only about a cup full of very black oil taken from the sump - ✅

- Sump plug rounded off - ✅ 

- Loom, pipes and hoses cut up - ✅

- Yellow "security" paint marks everywhere - ✅

- Clutch fucked - ✅ 

- Thermostat fucked - ✅ 

- Lots of rust in the spark plug wells, from which removed were a set of finest* ancient motorcraft spark plugs - ✅

[RoverFolkUs]

Oh, also I've lost track of the budget and I think it's starting to spiral out of control 😂

Not sure I care to keep track now I'm balls deep into it but I'm estimating £6-800. 

All those bits here and there seriously add up! 

[High Jetter]

Ok, good accounting. Just Focus now...

[sierraman]

Might as well drop the back wheels in and go whole hog while it’s out of the car so new gaskets etc. 

[RoverFolkUs]

Starting to look a lot more normal now.. 

Gearbox back in. Reinstalled my original clutch, the one attached to the new engine was fucked and not far off slipping. New concentric slave cylinder fitted. 

Getting the mani-cat back in was a total pain because I forgot that I took it out after the engine was out so it didn't get stolen! Put the new engine in place and then realized... Oh shit! 

Managed to wiggle it in place by dropping the subframe slightly while the gearbox was out otherwise I'd have had to remove the subframe.. 

I've got it to a minimum state, turned it over on the key and it sounds very healthy with good compression. Oil light went out eventually, also a good sign! 

Replaced the spark plugs... 

Despite how bad they look, the gaps were excellent and the tips weren't fouled or anything which was good to see. 

Decided to fit my previous known good coil and leads, I'll keep the "new" coil pack as a spare but lob those leads straight in the bin! 

All thats left really is to refit the driveshafts so I can refill the gearbox with oil and then reconnect fuel + spark so it should run. 

Then it's a case of refitting all the ancillaries, bleeding the cooling system, bleeding power steering, etc

I've obviously put fresh engine oil + a filter in it, I'll probably give it 1000 miles or so and then add an engine flush and do another oil + filter change, along with a 2nd power steering flush as I have a couple of spare bottles of the CHF liquid gold that these take, replace the cambelt + water pump, do another coolant change. (I'll refill it with the coolant from the old engine for now. Cheapskate I know, but there's no point wasting fresh coolant if I'm draining it again shortly) 

[RoverFolkUs]

21 hours ago, sierraman said:

Might as well drop the back wheels in and go whole hog while it’s out of the car so new gaskets etc. 

I've drawn the line now! 😄

Exhaust manifold gasket and clutch from old engine have been reused... 

[twosmoke300]

I’ve found that the more a scrap yard engine looks like it’s been dragged off the bottom of the sea , the better it actually runs . 

[beko1987]

Sounds like good progress so far, can't wait for the startup post 🤞

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’ve found that the more a scrap yard engine looks like it’s been dragged off the bottom of the sea , the better it actually runs . 

Funny mentalities in scrapyards, I bought a door the other week, they’d stripped it down to absolute bare bones even though a Mk2 Focus door lock/regulator/glass etc has absolutely no value and will have gone in the bin. It must have took them more in time than it saved them. 

[New POD]

4 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Funny mentalities in scrapyards, I bought a door the other week, they’d stripped it down to absolute bare bones even though a Mk2 Focus door lock/regulator/glass etc has absolutely no value and will have gone in the bin. It must have took them more in time than it saved them. 

Strangely I bought a perfect omega rear door, with the correct trim, in the correct colour, about 5 years ago, from a place near Wrexham, and they didn't bother with any of that shit. 

Took me and @MikeR, 15 minutes to swap it over. Plug and play with the electrics too. 

[sierraman]

3 minutes ago, New POD said:

Strangely I bought a perfect omega rear door, with the correct trim, in the correct colour, about 5 years ago, from a place near Wrexham, and they didn't bother with any of that shit. 

Took me and @MikeR, 15 minutes to swap it over. Plug and play with the electrics too. 

Believe me stripping and swapping the innards of a door takes a fucking age. Also inevitably you will break some part of the trim in the process. 

[New POD]

2 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Believe me stripping and swapping the innards of a door takes a fucking age. Also inevitably you will break some part of the trim in the process. 

I know. I got lucky. Anyone want a dented rear passenger side door in MV6 Trim in petrol blue. It's still in my shed. 

[RoverFolkUs]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

Funny mentalities in scrapyards, I bought a door the other week, they’d stripped it down to absolute bare bones even though a Mk2 Focus door lock/regulator/glass etc has absolutely no value and will have gone in the bin. It must have took them more in time than it saved them. 

Some of it is probably due to the fact they can't/won't guarantee the functionality of those innards so would rather not include them. 

This engine was sold as "core engine with inlet manifold, injectors and flywheel" so that you can't complain if the clutch turns out to be fucked, or the starter motor, or whatever else I think

In fairness it's completely understandable to me, but a lot of folk would have just installed this engine as it was and just barked at the seller when it wasn't getting up to temperature due to the fucked stat or the clutch starts slipping in 5k miles or whatever

[beko1987]

When I broke my old Puma for spares some lad came and had the leather interior from it for his. He drove down with his stripped out and just the drivers seat, and we fitted it all in my mums drive.

Id sold nearly all I was going to by then and he was the last call before the scrap man, and when I said go to town getting anything small and interesting off and he didn't believe me at first. Said he's been round a few places and people before me who charged him for every clip and trim bit and etc. 

We picked it clean and transfered alot straight to his which was a bit tatty but not rusty and he was over the moon! Asm didn't give a shit either 🤣

[sierraman]

Some scrapyards are complete wankers. Without fail they’ve nearly all got a major attitude problem, you’d think they were forced at gun point to run a scrapyard, they hate the job that much. Occasionally you get some that are ok and don’t want 150% of the price of a new one. For some reason when they’re a specialist breaker they seem a bit more helpful, not cheap but at least you have a good idea of whether the part is any good or not. 

[Lankytim]

I sold a bonnet from a Jag X type to a couple of guys who drove three hours up from London. We fitted it on my drive and they left their old bonnet behind which I chucked in the scrap pile. They said all the breakers around them were absolute wankers who wanted top dollar for a second rate item and had no interest in helping them fit it.  I think I charged them £40 or so for a mint bonnet to replace their lacquer peeled original and they were over the moon with it. 

[sierraman]

Imagine doing a job or running a business that pisses you off that bad you have to be a complete dick to everyone you come across. 😂

[somewhatfoolish]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

Some scrapyards are complete wankers. Without fail they’ve nearly all got a major attitude problem, you’d think they were forced at gun point to run a scrapyard, they hate the job that much. Occasionally you get some that are ok and don’t want 150% of the price of a new one. For some reason when they’re a specialist breaker they seem a bit more helpful, not cheap but at least you have a good idea of whether the part is any good or not. 

I see that in eblag listings; the same part will be reasonably clean, photographed from several angles and might even have some alternative fits in the description from one breaker, but the next will have no description, one photo taken with a potatocam at twilight and appear to have played a bit part in "Swamp Thing".

[RoverFolkUs]

Ahhhhh fuckit...

Remember the power steering union from hell that I was desperately trying to avoid disturbing?

Well it's not that union, but the power steering pipes have been fucking disturbed alright... 

Just managed to snap the return pipe while feeding it through. 

Bastard

[RoverFolkUs]

Ok, decided to stop now for today

I was trying to wrestle the lower radiator hose into place towards the thermostat housing, but the power steering and air con pipes were in the way. 

With a bit of fighting I managed to get the coolant hose through but for some reason it was fouling the power steering pulley

Raised the car to investigate, then I realised the engine is sitting forwards because I hadn't yet installed the rear torque mounting. No bother

While it was up in the air, I noticed the power steering return pipe was snapped...!

Argh!!! 

A new set are about £150 for these from Ford, or shitty eBay ones for about £40. 

I then had a small brainwave, because when I had to replace the pipes on my old Focus, I kept the old set "just in case" ... I had lobbed them in the communal workshop pipes/hoses/wiring loom bins that we rummage through and find something useful for something every once in a while 

Well, I had a rummage through and sure enough there were my old pipes left untouched.. 

The original failure on them was the high pressure pipe. 

I set about separating them, which was a bit of a fiddle because they aren't supposed to be separated 

Bingo!

Slightly different shape, but oh well, it fits, I think. And most importantly isn't snapped. 

Got that all in place, the brackets were rusty and won't really clip back together but that's a problem for another day.

Set about reinstalling the alternator

Then it dawned on me what I was originally doing, sure enough it was that hose on the thermostat housing, for which the clip is still sitting on the floor... 

Fuck!! 

Now I've got to take the alternator back out. 

When you start doing stupid shit like that, it's usually a sign to stop. 

In theory, it should drive now but there's no coolant in it at the minute.. and no belt on the water pump either for that matter. 

So we'll pretend the grand start up is happening at a later date. 

But I was getting pretty peeved and wondering "why the fuck didn't I just scrap this thing" which is probably good because I think that is an obligatory part of any job like this. 

[beko1987]

Yea, sounds like it's time to down tools! 

I do that when working on dysons at 12.30am... Things I've done 97 times before go wrong and it's best to just leave it where it is, go to bed and usually it's done within 5 minutes the next day with a fresh look. 

Nice save on the pas pipes though, was worried for you earlier 🤣

[RoverFolkUs]

So, as the title suggests, it only bloody runs!! Properly this time!

Video evidence if you so require!

https://streamable.com/m0djqr

Unfortunately my oily sausage fingers did not hit the record button while I was one handedly trying to turn the key while also monitoring the dash to make sure the oil light went out in good time.. 

But anyway, it "runs like a swiss watch!"

Removed the alternator to refit that poxy clamp I left off, fitted the alternator, fitted the power steering lines (which do not appear to be leaking, yay!) , fought with the stretch belt and got it on via the frowned-upon method which is rotating the engine backwards. No, you shouldn't do it, but that won't stop me 😄

Filled the cooling system, went for the grand start up, and it fired into life straight away! 

Idle was a bit lumpy again to begin with, but a later fault code scan revealed it was historically trying to relearn the throttle idle position. It's sorted itself out now

EML and ABS lights were on due to everything getting it's knickers in a twist, but after clearing the historical codes out which were triggered after removing the original engine - we had no warning lights with a running engine!! Fantastic  - that means I didn't forget to plug anything in!

I ran out of time to get it fully up to temperature, but the heaters were getting nice and warm quite quickly thanks to the new thermostat - something I had always ignored on this car and subsequently suffered every winter!

Something that was doing me a slight concern is that it unfortunately seemed a bit smokey.. I'm hoping this will clear and stay away, it may have even been a sensible yard that put some oil down the bores during storage, but I strongly doubt this.. so I'm hoping it will fix* itself. Wasn't plumes of smoke, but it was that unmistakable smell of burning oil

But I'm not going to sit there stressing about it, the engine is installed now and it's not coming back out! Fingers crossed it all turns out to be ok 🤞

[beko1987]

Awesome, that sounds really good! 

Don't assume anything until after it's hot and a test drive... 🤞🤞 

[Rightnider]

Wonderful news, good job!

[Eyersey1234]

Chodtastic news, I hope the test drive goes well