Gombal: Ford Fusion 1.4 Tdci Trend 2004

[Gombal]

Born: 30-11-2004

Adopted by current owner: 26-04-2013

Type: Ford Fusion 1.4 TDCI Trend

Milage at time of adoption: 86485

After driving a Merc for about 4 years it was time for something else (mainly because of changing regulations for oldtimers).

Never owned a Ford before, drove a few in the past (way back in 1987, Ford Escorts), rentals, when i just had my driving license but didn't have money to buy a car.

First looked at a Fiesta but because of the carpooling the choice fell on a Fusion, bit bigger and easier to fit 4 grown ups.

And because of the somewhat higher sit it also suited our own needs better.

I will try to write all the things i do on the Fusion in this log, for everybody else and of course for myself :)

First thing i did when i bought the car was change al the filters and the oil (bought the car relatively cheap so that kind of maintenance wasn't included in the deal)

Changed the fuelfilter, oilfilter and airfilter. Also new Ford oil in the motor so i could start fresh. No pics of this but don't think that matters, everybody knows how to do that. ;)

Also changed the fanbelt, it had more crackles than a 400 year old painting!

[Gombal]

Because of the fact that beneath 1500 rpm the engine wouldn't pick up nicely i wanted to do something about my EGR valve.

I have a electronic one so i can't close it off completely without getting unwanted lights popping up in the dash.

After searching the internet i found a topic on how to do it (http://www.fordclub.be/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=11152) It's in dutch but Google Translate is your friend ;) .

Made a 2 mm (0,08 inch) thick stainless steel plate in the shape of the metal gasket, drilled a 6 mm (0.,23 inch) hole in the middle and put it in.

Wasn't that easy, you need small hands and very agile fingers. Luckely i also drilled a small hole in the protrusion that i made a little bigger than original. A piece of wire through it and you won't lose it when it falls.

Sadly i forgot to take pictures but when you look at the link it's quite similar so you have an idea.

The change in engine pick up from low revs is instantely noticable, drives a lot more relaxed because it won't stuuter at low revs anymore.

Thinking of removing the whole EGR valve managment when i will get the ECU remapped, than i can remove all the EGR stuff (valve, cooler and pipe) and block off the hole . But that is something for the future, remapping isn't that cheap so i will only do that when i don't know what to do with my money anymore :) (could be a long time, also renovating our house and thats eating away all the money at this point)

[Gombal]

Because the engine didn't reach it's working temperature (not very noticable on the temperaturemeter in the dash by the way) i ordered a new thermostat.

The fact that i know my engine wasn't reaching the right temperature is because of the fact that i also installed my Scangauge II (ripped it from my wife's car, she didn't like that but she only drives around town so she doesn't need it ;) )

I can see al kinds of data from the OBD2 plug so very convenient, can also clear troublecodes, even more convenient.

The temperature didn't get higher than 158 (70 Celsius), a new thermostat opens at 181 (83 Celsius) so i knew the old one wasn't good.

When i changed the thermostat i also changed the cooling fluid, had to drain it anyway.

Car runs a lot better now it reaches working temperature, the difference 23 degrees can make! (Again, unfortunately no pics :( )

At the same time i removed my DPF, the car was imported from Germany by the previous owner and there you need all kinds of extra's to get a green sticker so you can drive into the city.

As it was not registered as having a DPF they don't check for it at the MOT (APK here in Holland).

Bought a cheap middle piece of exhaust (29 euros online) and replaced the DPF and the remaining piece of middle pipe.

Wasn't that easy, there is no way to get to the nuts at the back of the motor so i had to grind the haeds of, drilled the bolts out and than it came loose. Not very easy lying on the ground underneath the car.

This is the DPF, is still in very good shape, the rest of the middle piece of the exhaust wouldn't have lasted very long so i was just in time :) .

Engine runs even better now, it can breath a lot easier now so also a very good modification to do and relatively easy and cheap.

[Gombal]

One of the things i liked in the Merc was it's self dimming rear view mirror (also a diy job ^_^ )

When i visited the scrapyard i found 2 mirrors, one from a Focus, the other one from a Mondeo.

Because the Focus version looked nicer i wanted that one in my car.

Unfortunately the way it is fixed is totally different from the fusion so i had to do a little re-engeneering.

The problem also was that i didn't know which wire was what. 3 wires and no clue what positive, negative and reverse was.

So i did a liitle try and error but none of the combinations gave me a working mirror.

I than tried the Mondeo one, this one had 2 knobs, Auto and Off. When i hooked that one up the led came on and it looked like it was working.

Her also the fixation needed some work.

After i installed it i had to wait till dark (you can block the sensor in the front and shine a torch on the sensor in the back but i couldn't see it properly because it was very Sunny that day.) Somehow it didn't work quite as well as i hoped, it had a mind of it's one regarding dimming, or it wouldn't dim, or it dimmed but just ever so slightly.

This mirror was exactly the same as the mirror which i had in the Merc (Merc is still standing in the backyard, awaiting restoration) so i got the mirror from the Merc out.

It looked exactely the same but the Merc version was a bit wider but would fit nicely between the sunvisors.

I remodeled a fixation arm from an extra Fusion mirror i had laying around (drilled a hole in the ball joint for the wires and grinded the sides of the balljoint so it would fit into de bigger ball of the Merc joint, fixed it with a grooved pin)

I only connected the positive and the negative wire, the wire for the reverse i didn't use because i don't understand the philosophy, it is no big deal to be blinded is you're driving backwards, strange philosophy

And now it works like a charm!

(If look closely you can see the Mercedes mark on the back of the mirror, it's from a A class. Tha malfunctioning one from the Mondeo is from the same brand Gntx? but a little smaller)

[Gombal]

The Scangauge II, not much to tell but it adds a lot in my opinion, i like to drive as economical as possible so this is a big help cause you can see you're fuel consumption in realtime.

It has to learn so it will be accurate after about 10 times refueling but after that you don't need your onboard fuel meter anymore (not much use for it anyway, a pile of blocks which isn't very accurate)

It also fits nicely underneath the center console, good view at it and a bit protected against the sun.

[Gombal]

i have to drive 44 miles to work everyday, well almost everyday, i work in shifts.

The other nice thing about the Merc were the adjustable headrests, not just in height but also vertically. That way you could rest your head against it whilst driving, most of the 44 miles is on the motorway so that way you could relax your neckmuscles a bit whilst driving.

The Fusion doesn't have that option so i couldn't drive as relaxed as i was used to.

I did however have a spare headrest laying around from the Merc.

Amazingly the distance between the 2 metal rods is identical so that opened up new perspectives!

The rods on the Mercs headrest als much longer though and als slightly bent. They also are massive, the Fusion's are hollow. Well, for the price the Merc cost in 1986 i could buy 3 Fusion's in 2004 so the difference has to be noticable somewhere ^_^ .

But because the rods had the same distance between them i shorted the Merc rods so they were the same lenght as the Fusion's ones. Then i grinded some slots in one rod, just like in one of the Fusion's rod. I made just simple slots, 99% of the time i'm driving the Fusion so it doesn't need much room for adjustment.

The fabric of the Merc headrest is also black, pattern is different ofcourse but if you don't know it you won't see it. Maybe in the future i will change the fabric to the original, a piece of backseat fabric from a Fiesta/Fusion from the scrapyard will do nicely but i'm in no hurry with it.

[Gombal]

One small but very comforting job, the lid on top of the dashboard had some weird shining black plastic glued on it.

It didn't look nice because it was a bit wrinkled but the biggest thing was that it blinded you whilst driving in the sun.

So i peeled off the plastic and the matte original finish appeared. Sadly it was damaged and ther ewas glue residual on it from the plastic.

I tried to remove it with terpentine ( i think the english word for that is white spirit ) but that didn't work.

Then i took some thinner (don't know if it the same in english but it's a bit more agressive as white spirit) and that worked. It didn't dissolve the plastic of the lid but it did remove the original dull semi rubber layer.

Now it looked even worse than before :( .

I sanded it with waterproof sandpaper, grid 2000 or something like that.

Then i spraypainted it with matte black paint i had in my shed and this is the result!

Looks factory made and it doesn't blind me anymore when driving in the sun!

[Gombal]

One of the most valueable option a car can have in my opinion is cruise control. Sadly a Fusion never had that option.

Luckely i had a John Gold (or Waeco, they're the same) 500 and a 300 laying around.

The 300 is with a vacuum servo, the 500 is with an electric servo.

The last one i needed because the Fusion is drive by wire so nothing to connect a vacuumservo to underneath the bonnet. Or a electric servo for that matter.

The only way was to connect the servo to the gas pedal so that is what i did. Took al little engineering but with a little stainless steel (same thickness as the EGR restriction plate), a little piece of thick Lexan polycarbonate and some fitting and measuring it works.

Then i had to decide where the servo needed to go, first thought of underneath the centerconsole but there is not enough room.

Then the most easiest place was underneath the drivers seat, little velcro sticked to the bottom of the servo and it's going no where.

The next problem was where to get al the signals. The easiest way to get the speed signal is behind the radio. (Pin 14, white/green)

So i took the dash apart, all relatively simple. The switched positive i took from the ignition switch (green/yellow wire), there is already a fuse incorporated in the wire of the cruise control.

The signal from the brake switch is easy, + and -.

The biggest problem was the control switch/stalk. I took the cruisecontrol out of the Merc and there i used an original Mercedes stalk which i soldered to the right wires of the cruisecontrol.

I don't have a John Gold or Waeco control switch or stalk so i had to think of something else. I did however have 2 VDO stalks.

Soldered the VDO stalk to the John Gold harness and put everything in the car.

After some trail i only had to switch 2 wires on the control to get it all working perfectly!

I also thought about a signal stalk from a facelift Fusion and actually bought one from eBay. But it only has one extra knob so at this point it is in but the knob at the end has no use at this moment. You can see it on one of the pics, the Re/Set knob at the end of the signal stalk.

[Gombal]

Well thats it for now, the next mod will be the removal off the katalyst, waiting for the turbogasket at this moment so i can use that as a mold for the flange i need to make.

Still have some pipe left from the old middle piece of exhaust and a piece of Mercedes exhaust so i can experiment with making a nice kat replacement pipe.

To be continued......

[Gombal]

Ordered 2 more keys (have only one) from a webshop, one with remote control, the other without.

Also bought a Ford-VCM-OBD thingy, a chinese clone.

Just programmed one key, the remote control key, in PATS. Don't know what i did exactly but it works!

The other one i couldn't get it right, will try an other time, already happy with 2 working keys!

Still have to go to the keymaker to make them fit but the remote control and starting is already working so the hardest part is over.

[Gombal]

This morning a little work on my homemade cat replacement pipe.

Had a 1 cm ( 0.4 inch) thick piece of steel that i want to make into a flange.

i drew the outlines of the gasket on the steel plate and with a little drill i drilled out the inner hole and the 4 holes to put the flange on the turbo.

Then i cut out the remaining bits between the drilholes to get the whole piece out if the middle. I just used a handsaw, still have to file or grind the hole nice and smooth.

Then i drilled the 4 holes to the right size, 9 mm (o.35 inch) in this case.

I still have a piece of stainless steel exhaust pipe from my Merc, 1 size bigger as the Ford's exhaust so i will make a cat replacement out of that piece of pipe, that way i can simply cut the original exhaust at the first bend underneath the engine and simply slip on the new pipe. With a clamp it will be simple and strong enough, it's the same way you would do it if you're flexible piece of exhaust would be damaged and had to be replaced.

Only this time i will not replace the flexible part but the catalyst, but the idea is the same.

Not feeling to well now, sick, when i feel better the work wil continue!

[Gombal]

Because i didn't want to hijack http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/26538-guide-to-converting-stock-climate-controls-to-custom-set/page-9#entry268110'>this thread here the rest of the subtle disassembly try of the heating knobs of a Fiesta/Fusion.

I thought the knobs would come out if i would stick 3 knifes between the backside of the knob and the 3 holding fingers. But that didn't work, not even close cause i couldn't get the knifes between the fingers and the knob!

So i took my Dremel, ground off 1 of the fingers at each knob and pushed the knobs out, that is, i thought that would be what should happen.

Only the fan speed knob came off real easy. The other 2 i gave a little tap with the back of the knobs and they came out, the "choice where does my air come out" knob broke of an other finger in the process.

See the pictures for the aftermath of the whole thing.

Still in debate if i order 3 Focus knobs and make them fit, i really like the more refined and chique look of the round knobs.

Also found Mazda knobs on eBay which have 2 knobs with similar fixing forms in the back of the knobs like a Focus/Fiesta/Fusion and 1 with a round hole with a flat side like the middle knob of a Fiesta/Fusion. Sadly there are no measurements given.

Edit: Just ordered black Focus knobs, will see if they will fit! (With a little work ;) )

[Gombal]

Went to the scrapyard today, picked up a extra headrest for the backseat, only have two and i really wanted the third one, not necessarily for using it but it looks better with three i think.

Also found a interiour light with reading lights, simple plug and play. Nice!

Picture i borrowed from internet cause i didn't take any pics.

Also saw a Peugeot 206 1.4HDI with the motor still in. Tried to get the exhaust off the turbo but didn't have the right tools with me. Have to go back again tomorrow with the right tools and see if i can get it off. Would make making a cat replacement pipe a lot easier if i don't have to make everything myself ;) Hope it's still there tomorrow, there having spring cleaning as far as i could see, lot's of empty spaces.

[Gombal]

Went to the junkyard this morning and got the manifold/pipe from the turbo to the cat.

Also the clamp and some pieces of pipe, this will make it al lot easier to decat the Fusion!

Why Peugeot/Citroen is a lot smarter (in my opinion) with the construction of the exhaust i don't know, exhaust from the turbo to the middle piece consist out of 3 pieces instead of one at the Ford. So easier to remove or replace (or smash the inside out of your cat ;) )

Also the way the clutch is operated, simply a cable or when it's hydraulic with a cilinder outside the gearbox/clutchhousing.

Wondering if the 206 gearbox would be a direct swap with the Fusion's gearbox as to bolt locations etc.

If you look at the gearratio's they're different but 1 to 3 are a bit shorter (2 km/hr slower at the same revs so you're a bit quicker through the first 3 gears) but 4th and 5th are identical. (with 195/60-15 tires)

The gearbox on the 206 where i got the exhaust pieces from was damaged at the front otherwise i would have asked directly and maybe even took it with me. That clutch was cable operated, no more hassling with bleeding the clutch or if it leaks, brake fluid in the clutch housing or even worse, on the clutch plate.

And the clutch pedal won't grab at the highest point like now, that's what i hate about the Ford's clutch the most. With a cable you can simply adjust it to your own likings.

[Gombal]

Today i got the "eco" powerbox, hope to put it in tomorrow.

Couldn't resist to open it but not much to see. Very curious what the feelable difference will be. and off course the measurable.

[Gombal]

This morning put in the powerbox. They couldn't have picked a worse place to put the plug, you can hardly see it and it's even worse if you want to reach it!

Took me about 2 hours to get it all in, took of the air intake box, all the air intake tubing/piping and because i still couldn't get it off also the battery.

Made a little helper so i could reacht the tab that is holding the plug and after that it went real smooth. Took me 1,5 hour to get to that point .

When i took it for a testdrive i also connected my bluetooth OBD2 module and my tablet so i could gather some data to analyze later.

The most noticable change is the car runs stronger from 1500 to 3000 rpm (haven't gone any higher so have tot test that in the future).

But i didn't want it for the extra power, i want to drive more economical. My Scangauge is a little confused now i think, normally the fuelconsumption (LHK aka litres per 100 kilometre) is relatively stable if you're driving a steady speed on the cruise control. Now it fluctuated up and down so i think it doesn't like what the powerbox is doing.

We'll see how that's gonna hold.

What i did see is that i definitely need an intercooler, inlet temp. was 8 to 10 degrees higher compared to a few days ago but outside temp. isn't 8 to 10 degrees hotter, only about 5. (all in Celsius)

Will look for a 1.6TDCI (or 1.6HDI Peugeot) intercooler, looking at some pics that should be the easiest fix.

[Gombal]

Modified the airinlet, the original pipe has a 90 degree turn just behind the radiator and gets its air from under the bonnet, so warm air with a bit of cold air coming from between the gap between the radiator and the left headlamp.

It's doesn't look like much yet, have to go to the scrap yard tomorrow to get some black plastic which i can make into a decent air scoop.

But to test this works flawlessly, the air intake temp. stays the same as the outside temp. Before it was 2-3 degrees higher (Celsius)

So already a simple modification will make it breath cooler air, nothing compared to a intercooler but for the timebeing this will suffice.

Did demolish the 90 degree plastic piece but that doesn't matter.

Will also have to cut and modify some sharp edges from the black plastic frame at the bottom of the airscoop to make it flush.

[Gombal]

Also got the Focus heating knobs from China today, will see if i can make a How-To to fit them in a Fusion/Fiesta (if i can get it right myself ofcourse ;) )

[Mikey923]

Keep this as updated as possible please !

Thanks !

[Gombal]

Will do!

The trip to the scrapyard will be Friday (i hope), some things came up.

Want to make a nice airduct for the fresh air intake although the tape/sticker version also works like a charm. Had to drive nearly 200 miles yesterday, also a lot of city traffic. on the motorways and other roads were you can maintain a little speed the inlet temperature (measured after the turbo thus compressed and heated) stays the same as the outside temperature.

As soon as you are in traffic in the city the temperature rises. (Outside temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius, 72 to 77 Fahrenheit.) Inlet temp the same whilst driving, 40, 50 an d 60 mile an hour.

In the city it rose to 30 - 35 C, 86 to 95 F. One high peak to 51 C, 124F when standing in a long line of traffic and having to wait for the same trafficlight about ten times.

But in those city conditions also an intercooler won't make a difference, you need air flowing through the intercooler to let it cool the inlet air and standing still in the city, in the sun without any wind blowing before trafficlights won't make a difference with or without an intercooler.

Also tried to fit the Focus round heater knobs. Will be a pita cause although the shape of the axle is the same, the size isn't! The Focus knobs have smaller axles so the knobs won't fit the Fusion/Fiesta axles.

Heated the plastic star shaped axle of the blower regulator and then pushed the Focus knob on it. Worked, could get it about 5-6 mm on it. But that's enough, the Focus knobs don't stick out as far as the original Fusion knobs.

Then the next problem showed. The star shape has a flat spot on one side and ofcourse the flat side in the Fusion isn't on the same side as the Focus!

So position 3 and 4 are now 0 and 1. Only noticable by the little transparant nodge at the front of the knob.

Positions 0, 1 and 2 are before the numbering of the dial.

So now i will have to come up with a way to turn the knob about 90 degrees so it will line up correctly with the dial.

Took the regulator apart but that's not a good idea, there are 2 little springs in it with 2 little metal balls that take care of the positioning of the knob at the right position aka the numbers on the dial.

Don't take it apart, it will take some luck, fiddling and swearing to get the whole thing back together again like it should be!

To be continued.......

[Gombal]

First replaced my cabin filter, made a How-To in the Fusion section of the Ford Guides subforum.

Then i couldn't resist trying to get the heater knobs to fit.

As said, the blower knob fitted but was the wrong orientation. Took my Dremel and modified the housing and regulator a bit.

Now it is like it should be, still a fraction off but i can live with that. If it's in the car you will look at it from left above (LHD car) so then it will be spot on.

Next thing will be the cold/hot air knob. Thinking of filling the middle of the knob with 2-component glue, grease the metal shaft and put the thing back together and let it dry. I should than still be able to remove the knob (because of the grease) but have the right shape to operate the heating. Well, that;s the theory ^_^ . The only thing i don't know and can't test is if the Focus knob will survive the 2-component glue. I know it heats up but i also don't know if it will just dissolve the plastic of the knob. So a bit more thinking to be done.

Tomorrow i will look at the scrapyard at the thing that is behind the selection knob, should be a relatively simple thing to modify cause it also will have to be turned about 90 degrees but i don't know if that's possible without opening my dashboard so on the scrapyard will be easier to see it.

But it sure does look nice:

Again, to be continued.......

[Gombal]

Went to the scrapyard this morning. Wanted to see how the heating knobs of a Focus looked like behind the knobs. Didn't help much, nothing i could use for the Fusion :( .

What i did see in some Fiesta's is that the selection knob will be easy to do, the only thing is the 90 degrees won't be easy to fix. Also the cold/heat knob will have to be a homemade solution, have to think about the best solution for that.

What i did find is a sunglasses box for in the roof. Comes from a Mondeo. Don't think that it will fit like this but i think when i remodel it and make it smaller it might fit between the roof and the lining. Will first measure it thorough before i cut a hole in my rooflining ;)

What i also found was an original air inlet, the same as i "remodeld" aka destroyed.

Also found a flat inlet from a Focus and an even better one from a Peugeot. Will see which one will fit the best, think the French one.

Forgot to look at the VIN of the cars where i took parts from. When i took things for my Benz i always noted the VIN so i would know what type it was if i wanted something like that again or other things from the same car.

O, and i refueled, 60,28 MPG, not a bad number :D (Have to say no motorways so don't think i can do much better than that)

[Gombal]

Also now what i need under the bonnet, 8V21-9A675-AH. Used in 1.4 TDCI Fiesta's from 2008 up, at least, that's what i can find in the parts catalog.

[Gombal]

Went back to the scrapyard yesterday to look more closely at the selction controls of the heating and ventilation.

Behind the selction knob is a big plastic cilindrical form, that's attached to a steel cable which in turn goes somewhere right of the heating and ventilation unit.

Tried to pull it out and that worked. Looked in the parts catalog later and indeed, you can easily replace that cable. Where the cable connected you can hardly see because of the airduct that's blocking the view but i could see a white cog-wheel.

Could just reach it with my finger and tried to trun it but it fell out. If i can get to it more easily it's just a matter of removing the cog-wheel, put it back in but turned further 90 degrees and the selection knob would be spot on. I'm just a bit afraid what happens if i take the cog-wheel out if i can get it back in again. (Maybe an other trip to the scrapyard next week ;) )

If you look at the pics (circled in red) you know what i mean.

Then the only thing is how to attach the middle knob. Maybe take a regulator from a Focus, remove the axle and somehow let that slide over the steel axle of the Fusion's regulator. Plenty ideas but still not totally convinced i've already got the right one.

Sadly there was no intercooler to be found, at least not one i can use. Saw one from a VW but that won't fit without major rebuilding so no option for me. (Not that i can't do it, i just don't want to ;) )

Did see a motor cover from a Peugeot, 2.0 HDI, and tried to fit it on the 1.4 HDI at the scrapyard. If it would only take minor adjusments i would have taken it with me but sadly it won't fit without taking about half of it off and even then it would look like crap.

I have a bit of a dilemma, do i want an engine cover, just for the looks or don't i want it. Pro's are only the looks, cons are the turbo outlet and resonator box will become a bit hotter because the cover will trap the heat underneath it.

Also thinking about a cold air intake/sports intake so the air doesn't have to go all over the engine before entering the turbo. Not just a filter underneath the bonnet but in a housing with a cold air inlet. Just a sports filter underneath the bonnet will do more harm than good because of the warm air intake.

Should also help to keep the compressed air cooler. And that way i probably don't need an intercooler. Only if i'm gonna raise my boost (easily done by adjusting the arm on the pressure controls) i would need an intercooler than.

But even than i don't think i would need one, you only use the extra boost when accelerating and after that it would be just like stock. And because i drive with a light right foot i think i can get away without an intercooler.

If you're a racer and would use the extra boost almost all of the time you would definitely need an intercooler.

So, lot's to think about, lot's of things to do next week ;)

[Gombal]

One step closer to a Cat free car ^_^ .

Took a piece of the Mercedes exhaust i had still laying around, because of the flare at the end of the pipe it fitted perfectly to the little piece of the Peugeot's pipe.

Welded it together, i'm a self educated welder so the welds won't be eligible for the guinness book of records ;) .

Will see if i can make the total conversion this week, very curious if there is any noticable change in performance or engine smoothness.