"Avoid like the Plague"(2002) -Carcomplaints.com

[Kupipin]

I just saw your post rambleon84, and yes, I have a zetec.

Thanks again I never expected you would be so thorough and helpful so immediately.

I feel 1000x better now.

[rambleon84]

Originally Posted by Kupipin

I just saw your post rambleon84, and yes, I have a zetec.

Thanks again I never expected you would be so thorough and helpful so immediately.

I feel 1000x better now.

Thats why this place is great...now just stay up on regular maintenance and your car should be good to go

and try to see if you can join one of these milestone clubs:
100k
200k

[mikebontoft]

good to hear :)

[misfire]

Originally Posted by bringler26

The hatchback you have came with a zetec which is one of the most reliable engine platforms that I know in the car. I havent heard of any problems with the 02 zetec. I believe your mechanic is referring to the 2.0 spi engine which is know to drop valve seats thus destroying pistons and catastrophic failure.

Originally Posted by xxMichaelAnthony

You dont have that motor in your car. Dont worry about it. You have a ZETEC. Plenty of them on here with over 200,000 miles, mine included. Go back and tell the inspector he is an idiot and then dont go back to him for anything.

Originally Posted by mikebontoft

the spi is the only bad engine... it IS NOT IN YOUR ZX5 Don't worry about it.

Originally Posted by rambleon84

To make yourself feel a little better, look under the hood.

This is the ticking time bomb that most wrote about:
2.0L SOHC SPlit Port Injection (SPI)


This is the motor you have:
2.0L DOHC Zetec

agreed!

i had a zetec in today with 238,000 miles today at the dealership

[Tymes]

Originally Posted by rambleon84

To make yourself feel a little better, look under the hood.

This is the ticking time bomb that most wrote about:
2.0L SOHC SPlit Port Injection (SPI)

OH thank god, my SPI doesn't look nearly as clean as that, so I should be safe.

Originally Posted by cbdallas

I have read horror stories about the MK1 Focus, but it related to stacks of recalls the car incurred during its growing pains period. I'm not at all familiar with stories of the engine committing suicide at 80K for no reason. Just about any modern engine can be good for 300K if it's well maintained and not abused.

How can you have 437 posts on this site, and never have heard of the SPI dropped valve issue?


To the OP, trust me you are not the only person around this forum to feel the way you did. You're just one of the lucky ones to find out you actually have the zetec engine. I didn't know about the SPI when I bought mine, but I have own several SOHC engine cars before, and loved that they were such strong engines, Opps. But hell, almost 3 years later she has 222270 kms and no real big issues so far. The timing tensioner seized up and broke the belt at 120 km/hr, and somehow didn't destroy the engine, the ford mechanic told me it was in fact an interference engine, and based on the situation, I should have looking for a new engine. So maybe I got one of the good ones. (fingers crossed)

[amc49]

8th digit of the VIN:

3=zetec

P=SPI

[Magus2727]

I would look at a new mechanic also perhaps? The two motors are fairly different.... if he thinks you have the SPI then when you take it in to diagnose things he may go about it in a wrong approach.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Originally Posted by Magus2727

I would look at a new mechanic also perhaps? The two motors are fairly different.... if he thinks you have the SPI then when you take it in to diagnose things he may go about it in a wrong approach.

HELL YES!! That guy doesn't know crap about this car. Apparently he's never even seen an SPI that was blown up, or even know that one is SOHC and the other is DOHC. As you can see from the pics its very easy to tell the difference between SOHC and DOHC even if both engines are the same 2.0L displacement.

[misfire]

The funny thing is that he know spi's do it, yet couldn't tell the customer has a zetec. I wouldn't let him touch another thing. Don't blurt something out to try and gain ground with the customer if you don't know anything about it.


Sent from my iPhone 4 using FF Mobile

[mikebontoft]

Originally Posted by Tymes

Maybe I got one of the good ones. (fingers crossed)

Famous last words of an SPI owner?