Ford Problems

For the 2010 model, Ford switched from a replaceable fuel filter located just in front of the fuel tank under the car, to a 'lifetime' filter which was part of the fuel pump. The fuel pump itself, meanwhile, is located inside the fuel tank, so that’s where the filter lives as well. Despite being a lifetime filter, contaminated fuel and other factors can require the filter to be changed and the good news is that the filter can be replaced independent of the actual fuel pump. That bad news is that the tank needs to be removed from the car to access those components, so it’s not a cheap, simple job.

If you like the idea of the Honda but don’t want such a physically large package, take a look at the Honda Jazz. Yes, it’s probably one size down from your current Focus, but its interior is very spacious for its external dimensions. It’s also the car that has probably the most versatile interior in terms of flexible seating arrangements with a rear seat that folds, slides and tumbles. It also has normal ride height (as opposed to the jacked-up stance that SUVs boast) so your dog may find it easier to jump in without hitting anything. Beyond that, you really need to visit dealerships and check for yourself that rear doors, rear seats and general layout suit your very specific canine requirements.

A good multi-grade oil is what you’re after; one that is thin enough to circulate and protect quickly in cold conditions, but also able to cope with the heat and stress inferred by a turbocharged engine in hot conditions. Options include a 5W30 oil or even a 10W40, but make sure that the API rating is suitable for your car. The correct API rating ensures that the oil is of a sophistication in keeping with the technology in your engine.

The other critical piece of advice is to use a quality oil from a reputable brand. Ignore the supermarket-shelf stuff and, if you’re having the car serviced at a workshop, don’t forget to ask what brand and grade of oil it intends to use. A fully synthetic oil will cost more but will offer more protection for an engine such as the hard-working turbomotor in an XR6T.

The Ford Focus wasn’t released into Australia until late 2002, so it’s very unlikely you have a 2001 model unless it’s been privately imported. At which point, all bets are off in this regard as different markets had different models which may or may not be swappable.

But if the two cars are the same model of Focus and aren’t either side of an upgrade, facelift or model change AND provided they used the same engine from the factory (1.8 litre or 2.0 litre) then you should be able to repower one with the other’s engine. The problems would start if one was a 1.8 and the other a 2.0 when you might find that wiring looms, computer software, sensors and even engine mounts might differ from each other, making the swap much harder than it should be. Don’t forget to inform your insurance company and your local registration authorities of the change of engine number.

If you talk to automatic transmission specialists, you’ll soon be told that it’s impossible to over-cool such a gearbox. An aftermarket transmission cooler is designed to work in conjunction with the vehicle’s standard transmission cooling system, so disabling the standard cooler is probably not a great idea.

The problem with coolant entering the transmission is not an unknown one with some Ford (and other manufacturer’s) models and occurs when the standard cooler fails, allowing coolant into the gearbox and destroying the electronics and the gearbox hardware in short order. Unfortunately, this is a design thing rather than a maintenance issue, so the best thing you can do is service the vehicle regularly and make sure that the coolant is changed regularly. Even then, however, swarf from the production process (according to one theory at least) has been known to circulate through the radiator and cause damage to the piping that forms the transmission cooler. A radiator clean and flush might help stave off this process.

If the manufacturer of the aftermarket cooler you’ve fitted can guarantee that the unit will cool at least as effectively as the standard unit on the Ranger, then you might consider disconnecting the standard cooler. Even so, you’d be wise to keep an eye on transmission temperatures, particularly if you tow anything or travel at high speed in high ambient temperatures.

The Mark 3 Ford Focus was sold here from 2011 until 2018, so, on the surface, pretty much any car from that range should be able to offer up a replacement front window. But it’s not that simple. The rear window could be a bit more specific, because the Focus was available as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback, so the rear doors on each of these variants could be different. Other potential incompatibility issues could crop up between the very early version of this car which was built in Germany, and the later version (which you have) which was built in Thailand. There’s another catch in this apparently simple task, too: For the facelift in mid-2015, Ford was chasing greater interior refinement and, to achieve that, switched to thicker side glass. That means you need to find a window from a post-2015 car as the thinner glass of earlier models will probably be incompatible with the rest of the window hardware in your car.

A faulty body computer is the most likely cause of this behaviour. It’s a common enough fault with this series of Ford Falcons and it often requires the body computer to be replaced as well as the ignition keys to be re-coded to the new computer. Unfortunately, it’s not a cheap fix, although you could try a second-hand computer from a wrecking yard. There’s every chance, though, that it could develop the same problem sometime in the future.

For a start, diesel engines need a specific type of oil which often has a higher detergent content to keep the insides of the engine free of the soot for which diesel engines are notorious. The second thing to consider is what viscosity or grade of oil you need. Most oil manufacturers have a strict recommendation for the turbo-diesel in your Mondeo, and that’s a 0W30 oil. Straying from this viscosity could be asking for trouble as that’s the oil the engine was designed to use.

And don’t be tempted by a cheap, supermarket-branded oil. Always buy an established brand. If in doubt, consult your owner’s manual for more information.

Although both the Ford Focus from 2004 and 2009 were both offered with a two-litre petrol engine, those engines were actually different in terms of their mechanical specification. With that in mid, it’s very unlikely that the clutch from the earlier car would be compatible with the later version. A quick search also revealed that the replacement clutch kits for each version of the Focus you’re dealing with carry a different part number which is a pretty good indication that there are differences between the two.

An engine that runs well when cold but misfires when It’s warmed up is often a victim of poor air-fuel mixture. That can be caused by an air-leak (such as the intake manifold gasket you’ve already changed) a crack in any of the intake plumbing, faulty fuel injectors, a worn fuel pump, a corrupted ECU (computer), blocked fuel line or about a thousand other things.

But in this case, knowing the Ford AU Falcon’s engine, I’d be taking a close look at the ignition system, specifically the coil pack. These have been known to fail regularly, often displaying their problems including a rough idle, once the engine has warmed up; precisely the symptoms you’ve noted. That said, rather than rush out and buy a new coil pack, have the vehicle scanned electronically to rule out any other potential source for the problem.