Pitmonster

Last week my Focus (Mk2, 1.8 TDCi) was serviced by my Ford dealer, and on the service report it said the following :

 

Amber : 2 x front lower arm bushes perished

Red : 2 x rear trainiling arm bushes debonded at anchor point

 

I have noticed the ride being more jittery, and a wobble through the steering wheel (that remained after wheelbalancing) but thought it was just tired dampers - the car has 87.5k miles on it - or maybe even a bent wheel. But I have no reason to think that the report is false, as it ties in with what I'm feeling.

 

So how much do you think it will it cost to replace these bushes at an independent garage?

 

I have a mechanic mate who does jobs on his drive, is this the type of thing he could do? (I'm wondering if special tools are needed, like a press to remove the old bushes)

 

Lastly, the roads around me are horrific for potholes, including the main entrance to my estate which is as bad as a back road in Beiruit. Could I claim for the cost from the council?

 

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

 

The other day I noticed that my rear wiper wasn't giving a full sweep across the back window.

When you use the wiper - either a quick flick or leaving it turned on - it should give a double-sweep and end up back in the starting position.
The double-sweep goes 180 degrees one way, then returns 180 degrees the other way, to end up where it started.

But my wiper was only going about 2/3 of the way across on the first sweep and then stopping. I could hear the click from the relay to start/stop the movement of the blade.
Then the next movement would complete that first sweep and then start the return sweep, again stopping partway through. The third sweep would often complete the whole double-sweep and leave it back somewhere near to the starting position, but this was not always guaranteed - if I absolutely wanted it to end in the starting position it could take up to 7 attempts.

It's probably better to describe if you imagine that your rear window is the top half of a big clock face, and you are standing at the rear of the car looking at it.
The wiper blade normally rests at 3'o'clock.
When everything works normally the first half of the sweep moves anti-clockwise back through the hours on the clock face from 3, 2, 1, 12, 11, 10, 9. Then the second half of the sweep returns back clockwise through the hours on the clock face from 9, 10 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 where it finishes - back where it started.

But on my car the first movement went 3, 2, 1, 12, 11 and then it stopped at 11. The second movement went 11, 10, 9, 10, 11 and then it stopped at 11 again. The third movement went 11, 12, 1, 2, 3 and then it stopped at 3 or thereabouts.
So in the time it would take a normal wiper to do 3 full double-sweeps, mine was doing just 1 full double-sweep but in 3 seperate parts.

A guick search of the forum showed that quite a few people have had this problem, and suggested fixes included a loose nut on the wiper arm, faulty wiring (from the roof to the hatch), faulty column stalk, or a faulty control unit (as simple relay change appararently isn't possible).
I wasn't able to check any of these, apart from the nut on the wiper arm which was tight and secure.

But here's the thing: at the exact same time this wiper problem started my electric mirrors also stopped adjusting, and my reversing light stopped working.
The mirrors and reverse light are both on the same fuse beneath the glovebox (no. 63, 10A). This was my first point of call, as Mrs PM needs to adjust the mirrors when she drives the car. According to the handbook this fuse has nothing to do with the rear wiper.

So last night I changed the fuse for the mirrors/reverse light (which had indeed blown) and they now both work perfectly.

But bizarrely the rear wiper now works perfectly too! It does the full double-sweep back to the starting position, exactly as it should be!

I have no idea how one should affect the other, and fuse no. 63 was the only thing I checked or changed.

So if you have similar problems with your rear wiper, maybe you could check fuses that are not associated with the rear wiper, as a problem elsewhere may be causing interference.

So last night the battery warning light came on while I was driving (cold, dark, main beams and heated windscreen on).

The car behaved perfectly normally, other than the main beams slightly dimmer when off-throttle, returning to full brightness when back on throttle.

During the journey the light went off for a short while, then came back on.

I've Googled the hell out of this and the main culprits are likely to be:
* Battery
* Alternator
* Smart charging circuit

This morning the battery light was off.
I got a multimeter and did some readings:

Engine off 12.51v

Engine on 14.02v
(This is with no load - engine idling, all electric items off)

I'm currently on holiday visiting family on the Isle of Wight, and being Christnas eve many garages are only open for short periods, so my only real option was the local Peugeot dealer. The service manager is a good friend (his wife went to school with Mrs PM), so I popped in there.

After doing more tests - including testing the voltage under heavy electric load (heated front & rear screens, air con, main beams etc) they have diagnosed the alternator.
The voltage under load was below 13.5v

The battery light has been off all day today.

Also, for the past 6-7 weeks there has been a rotating-friction noise (sounds a little like a quiet hoover) coming from the front of the engine (in the general alternator area) which is directly linked to engine speed.

So looks like I need a new alternator, but I'm also aware that on this engine (Mk2 1.8 TDCi) the alternator is in a slightly different position, moved about 9" to the right, with a shaft then connecting the alternator to the drive belt. There seems to be a bearing halfway along this shaft. This may be the source of the noise, or it may not.

The garage has advised that normal daytime driving will be fine, but they are fully booked until after I leave to come home. All the local
independent garages nearby are closed for Christmas, so I may have to risk it until I come home on 30th Dec.

So my questions are :

1. What kind of price for an independent garage to supply & fit an alternator?

2. Is the shaft supplied with an alternator, or does it come separately? (All the images on Euro Car parts show the alternator alone, but they could be stock images). Or does it not need replacing? (I'm thinking it could be the source of the noise)

3. Where can the shaft be sourced from? And how much? What's the Ford part number?

4. Would you go for a new or recon alternator (assuming the recon had a warranty)?

5. There are about 10 different alternators on Euro Car Parts, will any model do? Prices range from £90 to £300

Thanks for your help everyone, and Merry Christmas!

Hi All,

My Mk2 Focus 1.8 TDCI (6yrs old, 82k miles) has started to make a noise when the clutch pedal is pressed partway down.

The sound can only be described as a both a slight change of tone in the engine sound and also a quiet tick-tick-tick noise at the same time.

It happens at the top of the clutch travel, and continues until the pedal is pressed halfway down. Then as you continue to press the pedal all the way down, the noise goes away.
As you bring the clutch back up, the same thing happens - nothing at the bottom, starting halfway up, and continuing to the top end of the clutch pedal travel.
Then when your foot is off the clutch (either in neutral or driving in gear) there is no noise.

I first noticed it about a month ago, but it may have been like this for longer (and I just never noticed it)

This occurs when the car is stationery, and also when driving (but only when the engine is running. When the engine is off there is no noise - obviously because nothng is rotating).

Clearly this is something in the clutch area of the drivetrain.
The clutch is not slipping in any way.

The noise is very quiet, and you have to turn the radio off to hear it. Even normal conversation covers the sound - but like most strange noises in a car once you have heard it, you listen for it on purpose and that means you ALWAYS hear it!
Mrs PM had never heard it until I pointed it out, and even then she struggled to hear it.

I had the car into Ford yesterday (for something else) and asked them to check the noise. They have diagnosed the Dual Mass Flywheel starting to go.

This diagnosis is based on the noise and their experience - it's impossible to be certain without taking the gearbox off and having a visual inspection (which is a big job in itself, and once you've invested that much labour you may as well replace things while you're at it).

Also it's impossible to tell what stage the wear is at - it may be 5% worn or it may be 95% worn, and of course this means it may last another 5 years or it may let go tomorrow.

Ford have advised that the DMF should be replaced, and while they are at it they'll inspect the clutch, clutch release bearing and slave cylinder.

The "worst case scenario" to replace *all* of these parts is £1300, which they have agreed to "get down" to £1000)

(About 3 years ago I looked into getting a Mk2 Mondeo with the 2.0 TDCi engine, and failing DMFs were mentioned a lot, but I wasn't aware that the 1.8 TDCi Focus even had one. Prices for the Mondeo replacement were also around £1000)

So I have a few questions:

1) Does the 1.8 TDCi Mk2 Focus have a DMF or not?
2) Does the noise I've described sound like one that's on the way out?
3) What kind of life can I expect before it goes?
4) If/when it goes, what are the consequences? Will it lunch the entire engine & gearbox, or is it "just" (ha!) replacement of the DMF (and probably clutch too)?
5) Could the diagnosis be wrong, and it's actually something else like the actual clutch plate, or the release bearing? Or none of these? Or all of them?
6) Is this a typical price (to replace DMF, clutch, release bearing, slave clinder). What price would I expect from an independent garage?
7) If I get the DMF replaced, should it be replaced with another DMF or should I go for a solid flywheel? Is that cheaper? Will it last longer? What effect would this have? (surely they fit a DMF for a reason)

For now I'm going to bide my time and listen for things changing.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Just had my car serviced at my local Ford dealer, and as part of the deal I get something called Ford Assist for free.
This is a breakdown & recovery service similar to the AA or RAC.

Has anybody used Ford Assist, an how were they? I'm already with the AA and could in theory cancel that and save some money, but I don't want to end up with an inferior service.

Here's what they said I get:

* Breakdown cover, including European (I don't have Europe with AA but I don't really need it)

* Onward journey cover, so they take me to my destination, to a garage, or home (same as AA)

* Home start (which I currently don't get from AA because I don't pay the extra)

* The car is covered, no matter who drives - but I don't get cover if I'm in another car (the AA do the opposite - they cover ME no matter what car I'm in, but if my partner is driving my Focus an breaks down then they won't come out to her)

I'm already with the AA, so I'm wondering if I should cancel that and just stick with the Ford Assist?

Has anybody ever had to use Ford Assist, and what were they like?

The guy also said that if I break down it'll be the AA who come out anyway! Can anyone confirm this?

Not that I ever expect my Focus to fail on me, of course!