Discussion
My 9-3 had an unfortunate incident a couple of weeks ago...So while it's getting repaired I'll be doing a load of other work to it.
So I found a nice cheap ST170 with 44k on it to use through winter and to run about in.
It was bought with overheating issues which I quickly traced to the coolant not circulating...Usual problem on these being the useless plastic impeller on the water pump failing.
Pump stripped out
And as expected
Fitted an aftermarket pump with a metal impeller at a total cost of £20. While I was at it I changed the thermostat and the Aux belt.
After this it developed a misfiring issue which developed into cutting out and not revving. Plugged it in at work and it was throwing a code for low fuel pressure (another ST170 favorite) so I found a working fuel pump for £50 and it's been fine since.
As it was behaving now I even washed it
Todays work was a tiny bit of welding on a sill and fitted some new track rod ends as there was a little bit of play in both.
To be honest I'm actually enjoying the car as it's a totally different car to the 9-3. It's not all about straight line power and more about how it holds the road.
So I found a nice cheap ST170 with 44k on it to use through winter and to run about in.
It was bought with overheating issues which I quickly traced to the coolant not circulating...Usual problem on these being the useless plastic impeller on the water pump failing.
Pump stripped out
And as expected
Fitted an aftermarket pump with a metal impeller at a total cost of £20. While I was at it I changed the thermostat and the Aux belt.
After this it developed a misfiring issue which developed into cutting out and not revving. Plugged it in at work and it was throwing a code for low fuel pressure (another ST170 favorite) so I found a working fuel pump for £50 and it's been fine since.
As it was behaving now I even washed it
Todays work was a tiny bit of welding on a sill and fitted some new track rod ends as there was a little bit of play in both.
To be honest I'm actually enjoying the car as it's a totally different car to the 9-3. It's not all about straight line power and more about how it holds the road.
Darkslider said:
Likewise I've always had a soft spot for these too, a 3 door in that imperial (or was it performance?) blue would be my choice, they're cheap as chips now too.
Problem is I've never driven one and after driving various Impreza turbos and similar, all the reviews say I'd be left underwhelmed and very few cars make the claimed 170 bhp
Shame as they look great, are supposed to handle well and are immense value at the moment. They could just do with another 30-50 bhp, but if you want that you need to find an extra £6k for the RS!
I've always liked MK1 focus's (foci for plural maybe?) so It's kind of scratching the itch for a warm MK1 focus and acting as a runaround at the same time (2 birds one stone really) Problem is I've never driven one and after driving various Impreza turbos and similar, all the reviews say I'd be left underwhelmed and very few cars make the claimed 170 bhp
Shame as they look great, are supposed to handle well and are immense value at the moment. They could just do with another 30-50 bhp, but if you want that you need to find an extra £6k for the RS!
I thought i'd be underwhelmed as well coming down from 280bhp but tbh I've been having immense fun with the Focus.
Yes, I didn't get on with the gearbox to start with but I seem to have found the knack to it now
Next job on the list is the timing belt as it's over 10 years old now and I'm not sure the belt has been changed...So for the sake of £60 for the kit including tensioners etc it would be stupid not to.
It got a proper clean today and despite the rust and questionable aftermarket wheels, it's not a bad car
...I'm used to 21-22mpg from the 9-3 though so it's not so bad.AnimalBob said:
Been running one of these for just over 4 years now, gone from 60k to just over 110k now. I've quite enjoyed the car really, other than the usual "common faults" that pop up from time to time. I really need to replace the sump on mine which has corroded and beginning to leak oil, you need to get the Cat off to get access but the bolts on mine are far too badly rusted now. Debating if I should stump up the money to fix it and get a new clutch or sell up and move on. I think I'll miss it once it's gone though...
Anyway, here's mine up in the lake district not long after I bought her.
Always liked them in blue.Anyway, here's mine up in the lake district not long after I bought her.
The sump's easy enough. Soak the cat bolts the night before with WD40 or de block oil (innotec stuff) and wire brush the death out of them..then soak again before attempting to slacken. Then just a case of removing sump bolts etc...I had mine done in about an hour and a half.
dme123 said:
My only experience of these is effortlessly keeping up with one that was desperately trying to show me up in my big 4 speed auto Jaguar XJ6 on a windy B road. The Focus was nowhere near able to get away on the straights and was no better on the bends, having to use the entire road and looking as sloppy as hell doing it. I always assumed that one was knackered and/or driven by a cretin but I seem to read really mixed things about them on here. I'll put in on the "must try if I get a chance" list as normally I love a quick Ford 
it's not a fast car by any stretch of the imagination. I'm enjoying it because it's a totally different beast from the 9-3...I can push this car more to the limit than I can with the 9-3 and still be at sensible speeds.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff