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I do like finishing yet another model kit to add to my growing collection. This time it's another rally car (an Audi Quattro) to go alongside the Mk2 Escort RS1800 I finished about a month ago.

Little P.Rick

Pair of P.Ricks 😄 Two baby hogs in the garden this evening.

I don't like one of my workmates being done for not wearing a seatbelt today! He was emptying rubbish bins around the town today and got stopped by visiting traffic cops. Even though you could see the bin he had just emptied behind him and the next bin on his list was just in front of him the copper reckoned it was nearer 150 metres rather than the 100m allowed for not belting up. He wouldn't even have got out of 2nd gear between them. £100 fine, more than a day's wage. Seems a bit harsh on a man just trying to do his job. Surely there could have been some leeway? 🙄

I do like it when we win 😃

Hello, I have just bought a year 2000 Focus 1.8 16v Ghia. It's not the best looking but for £250 mustn't grumble! Can't believe how well it drives, 111k miles and drives like new. I intend to straighten out all the tattiness and am so pleased to find this website which I am sure will answer a lot of my questions.

Turn that baby on and the Yaris elastic band would snap ! 😂

Classy! and pointless. You'd be better off just cleaning your headlamps!

and it will interfere with the airflow to the radiator (doubt a Yaris has an intercooler)

Bit pointless.

Recently fitted a 500w 25" LED light bar with 7D lens to my mates Mk1 Toyota Yaris Outstanding performance https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QHLBDZ5?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

You have to put beam diverters on also you will need a single use breathalyser, GB stickers, spare bulbs for all lights, video of how to place diverters this make are available fromHalford also they do apack with the GB plate an Breathalyser in https://www.halfords.com/motoring/travel-accessories/car-headlamp-converters/halfords-headlamp-converters?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Travel+Accessories-_-Car+Headlamp+Converters-_-151225&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istFeedId=62b447cf-331e-4fec-a47a-9985ff72d404&istItemId=xtmpwr&istBid=tztx&_$ja=tsid:94971|cid:1537104364|agid:54125585450|tid:pla-329147111430|crid:291898457225|nw:g|rnd:15518465048412487419|dvc:t|adp:1o3|mt:|loc:20342&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78bbrr3z4wIVibPtCh1mfQYYEAQYAyABEgLByfD_BwE

Hi, I have replaced the bulbs in my wires edge ST Line with LED bulbs in above links and they are brilliant

My intended use of the clamp on meter wasn't to measure current as such (not as a value anyway), with a scope you can see any bad spots on the commutator with how the waveform looks was more my reasoning. Load testing and volt drop testing are without doubt the best way to fault find here.

I hate changing expensive bits on suspicion alone. If you had a clamp-on ammeter (DC) as suggested by Stef, then it would identify if enough current was flowing. With a good battery, good wiring and good solenoid, I would expect over 400A to flow if the motor was not turning. As the motor spins off load, it can't be jammed, but shorts in the windings, or a really carbon filled or worn commutator could mean that high current did not result in high torque. If the current is low, say under 100A (still high by normal standards!), voltage drop tests could check if it was in the wiring or in the solenoid / motor. Special 4 terminal (Kelvin connection) ohm meters also exist that can measure the low resistances in a starter circuit. But unless you can borrow or improvise one, it would be cheaper to just change the motor. One other thought, I greased the motor bearings pinion movement system, including the shaft through the pinion. Sticky dirt (clutch debris, rust, water & old grease make a good glue) can make it very stiff to turn under load. But I doubt if that is the problem here.

No problem, Might give an idea for fitting to say; I've fitted a double USB socket inside the rear side of my glovebox, wired to an ignition live; one USB socket powers the dashcam system which is also hidden in the glovebox and the other USB socket has a cable connected for the TomTom Satnav, I just take it out through the glovebox door when required. Guide here if interested to view it's on a mk2.5 focus;

Many thanks Lenny

That must of stunk being there so long,you never know these days.

Hi All To the right of my rear camera display is a slider bar that I can use to zoom my camera in and out. When zoomed right out I can see my number plate, but as I zoom in, my number plate goes out of view. Happy motoring Dave Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk

Hi Everybody *FIRST POST WARNING* I have read through the whole thread (very informative I must say) I own a mk1 2001 and I love it to bits!!! Also had the VSS sensor issue and replaced it, not a light job to say the least. Gone through the central locking issues, repaired and cleaned the physical lock assy. (As I am in South Africa and parts arent as cheap as by you guys/gals. Motor has done in excess of 320K kilometers (Yes we use metric 🤣) and never opened the motor. Various wheel bearing replacements as we rarely get more than 15K kilometers to a bearing set. Rough roads? (Not really!!)

It's worth a shot. Cheap and cheerful attempt. Usually magnets don't engage if the electric resistance is off or something is stopping it. A clean and a slightly tighter belt may help you out

I do like the latest visitor to our garden, we see what I presume is the mother most evenings but today we saw a young hedgehog.

On your first post you said you had 22 miles left showing then filled up, now you saying zero? What fuel economy figure does it show? When showing zero you should have approx 5 litres in the tank , and that is deliberately done so you don't run out. The fuel gauge is a gauge, just that . Not accurate to the last mile or litre. The remaining miles is an approximate value based on the approximate fuel level and the previous fuel economy over the last few miles( my guess is the last couple of journeys in my car. ) So you can in practice start the day on for instance say 50 miles remaining, then drive 10 miles very economicaly and still have 50 miles remaining or even increase. On my Mondeo on full tank I can have 650 miles remaining, drive 90 miles economically on motorway and then have 680 remaining for my return journey.

Most likely you will get another 30+ miles but do you really want to play that lottery?

Did you buy it from a trader? If so, take it back and ask them to fit a new battery for free (but make sure it's the correct type for a stop/start vehicle). The fact you can jump start it proves it's the battery instead of the starter. And having 82% charge isn't really relevant at all, we know it had some charge when tested as you'd driven it to the garage.

That’s great, thank you both for your swift replies 👍

As long as the grade and type is the same no problem.

Yes the The ones from tunnelrat are generally thought to be the best. https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx I use one completely reliable, the drivers for it are on a separate page.

There’s no issue with mixing brands.

Don't like thinking that my Focus may be coming to the end of its useful life with me. The terrible knocking and just rubbish economy (+£200 ved, 36ish mpg), I have actually booked to go and see two new cars. Both Skoda Octavia Estate 1.6 SE TDI 4x4s , but they differ by a few extras that Skoda made standard across the years. They'll cost £30 ved, decrease my fuel cost by 1/2-2/3rds and I do the mileage to not have to worry about the DPFs. If the price is right, Bluey will have to go and find a new owner 😞 I toyed with the idea of a 4x4 car, and after a weekend of attempting to get off a field (although I did manage in the end), and just seeing everyone else in AWD/4x4s effortlessly glide off, well it made my mind up.

Apologies. 👍

Forscan will read which ABS sensor is at fault though i would have thought you traction control light may be on.. i take it you have actuall physically checked the tyre pressurs as you may have a slow puncture.

I think you may have the older type sensors that rely on the ABS sensors measuring the difference in wheel rotation, when working properly does it show individual wheel faults or just a low preassure warning if the latter its the older system and it could be an ABS sensor, I of course could be tottaly wrong.

hay, bought my car a week ago, jut joined the forum this is what i got.

Funny thing was the dealers name was "Doc" and his assistant was called "Marty" !!!!!

It unscrews / unbolts. Have a look at this video. I know it's for an RS spoiler onto an ST but bolt / screw locations are identical and should give you a bit of handy information- Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

It could be droplinks or wishbone bushings. In mine, I can hear the clunk between gear changes or if I decelerate suddenly when doing a high speed. it is especially noticable in lower gears - but when you say bumpy surfaces, it makes me think that it could be more to do with the suspension than the engine mount. Ford suspension parts are relatively cheap and easy to replace. I had a renault before this and it was very expensive repairs compared to the focus.

At last I can see the end point on this. All 3 mounts have now been replaced on my car. The dogbone mount first, followed by the upper 2 last week. It didn't make a blind bit of difference. I did a lot of research on it over the last week or 2. I started to look at symptoms and they all pointed to the dogbone mount - but it was replaced only a few weeks ago with a genuine one from ford. So on monday evening, I raised up the car on blocks, removed the engine tray and took off the dogbone mount. I found that I could move the rubber in it with my finger. I brought it back to ford and they will replace it. It could take 3 days for them to get it in stock. I had to put it back on my car last night because I needed to drive it today. I got an old bicycle tube, cut it into pieces and folded it up and stuffed it between the gaps in the rubber mount. My car is driving 100% with it. I have also ordered a powerflex insert for the new mount which will give it additional suport. It has been a long journey this last few months to try to get an answer to the knocking and vibration. I have visited 2 different garages a number of times. I'm glad to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Im not well up on module numbers but to stream you need a later module they are easy to change. That module would have been correct at time of manufacture and specification of the car.

Has the bluetooth allways been like that or only since the upgrade, if its allways been like that then you need to upgrade the module to one that does music streaming, , re USB its not designed to charge, its very low output.

All fine unless the insurance company finds out though. Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

"I had a focus that needed a new key as the old one was worn out. I zip tied the old key under the ignition barrel to sort the coding out and then got a New key made for pennies...all new keys now don't need programmed and cost pennies." . I like it. I expect some people will say that is silly as it makes the car easier to steal, but I say, I wouldn't worry as the potential thief will not know what has been done to it (assuming it is hidden under the plastic shroud). Also, on ebay , you can get new keys cut from a photo of a key. I got one done and it was fine

I had a focus that needed a new key as the old one was worn out. I zip tied the old key under the ignition barrel to sort the coding out and then got a New key made for pennies...all new keys now don't need programmed and cost pennies.

how many working keys have you got (not including the new one). My understanding is that if you have two then you can program a third one quite simply. if you don't have two then it needs more specialist stuff. I did one on a 2008 focus using a good OBD fault code reader (about £20) and (free) Forscan software on a Windows laptop. Or you could go somewhere like Timpsons and pay about a hundred quid, but not many people would want to do that.

The fact that the oil filled top engine mount does not leak does not necessarily mean that the engine mount is not worn. My experience is that these engine mounts wear pretty fast without showing any visual defects. At a mileage of less than 22.000 Miles the oil filled top engine mount of my 1.0 ECOboost did not show any visual defects but it turned out to be pretty worn. The engine mount had became too soft which resulted in excessive engine movement and vibrations. After I replaced the engine mount I discovered that the engine sits approximately 10 mm higher with the new mount. After removal the old engine mount returned to its original position and does not show any visual wear or defects.

I don't like the story my dad told me today when he went to his friends house. He was doing some DIY there when he had to remove the floor boards. Underneath he said he saw something which looked to be a dead animal. Recognised its rib cage, paws, tail. Then realised it was a DEAD dog 😱😭. Must of been dead for a long time as he said it looked mummified the skin and it was covered in dust. Makes me wonder when the poor thing died and who would be that bad to leave it there 😢. Would think it would of let of a bad smell during decomposition.

Update: Changed the water pump and no joy yet😕 Still looks like somehow coolant is not moving around; sitting in the block until its brought to a boil.....at this stage, I got nothing else.