2005 ford focus ZX3 ticking?

[Nick62095]

Can anyone tell me if I need a valve job, from other things that I have read it points towards needing the valves adjusted. My ZX3 has 125,222 miles and is a five speed manual dura tech 2.0. At low idle the engine ticks a lot in the top end when it is cold it is the worst, after it warms up it dies down a bit. When you rev the engine up a little it also makes it go away. So do my valves need to be adjusted?

Also I need a new passenger side motor mount the gay liquid filled one is worn out and makes the car vibrate like all hell, does anyone know of any alternatives around the same price, maybe just a regular rubber? I know the liquid one is available to me on eBay for $35.

And I might as well include the first picture of my car on this forum in my first post so here it is.

[Sponsor]

[wickedgreyzx3]

Valve job is going to cost big bucks.

How long have you owned it for?

[Nick62095]

I have owned it since 2008

[whynotthinkwhynot]

You do not need a valve job. I am 99% sure.

Let me explain a trick to you. It's called the mechanic's stethoscope trick. Take a long screwdriver, pry bar, or something like that- you're going to use this to listen to what's going on inside your valve cover without removing it. Start the engine. Put the probe on the valve cover- the top of the motor where the spark plug coils are- but not too close to the coils. Now, cup your hand over the other end of it, and put your ear up to it. Now you can hear the whirring of the valve train inside the valve cover. You can even move it around to different points on the valve cover, but be careful not to get too close to the injectors or coils or you could pick up sounds from those.

No clicking huh? Well where is it? Why do all these "car guys" keep telling me it's valves, and then the idiots online tell me there is no adjustment to the valves? (there is no adjusting this valve train)

I've been working on cars for 20+ years, and it sounded like valves to me too. It's not valves- obviously, the stethoscope trick proves it. Now put your stethoscope probe on the intake manifold, and listen to it- there's that sound!

Your problem is something called tumble flaps. It's a flap inside the intake manifold that Ford uses to manage volume vs velocity for optimal air flow to the engine at any rpm. This enables your car to have good low end torque, but not sacrifice top end hp. Unfortunately, when the tumble flaps get old, they start to make noise- and it sounds just like valves. To fix it, you need a new intake manifold and a gasket. Mine has been making that noise since around 100k, and I now have 150k. You have some time to figure out what you want to do, and where to get the parts at the best price. You can check with our new vendor Village Ford, and see what their price is. I would expect it to be $200-300 for the part. I don't know what someone would charge to replace it. You might be able to find a low mileage intake manifold in a junkyard from 05-07, or find one in our Buy, Sell, Trade forum where someone has removed the factory plastic manifold for a high performance aluminum manifold. That's what I did, and I paid $100 for mine. I just haven't had a chance to put it in yet.

[Nick62095]

This is very helpful, thank you, and not only do I have to fix it but all the better it gives me an excuse to go aftermarket ;) I will have to give this a try this weekend.

[rosesawin]

i will do,hat's what I did, and I paid $100 for mine. I just haven't had a chance to put it in yet.thank you

[mainest]

Nick, welcome to FF, nice looking Focus! I would seriously listen to whynot..., from his Reputation rating, you know he knows whereof he speaks.
You might also call Steve@Tousley Ford (on FJ) about a replacement intake manifold. His knowledge and prices can't be beat. Good luck.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Originally Posted by Nick62095

This is very helpful, thank you, and not only do I have to fix it but all the better it gives me an excuse to go aftermarket ;) I will have to give this a try this weekend.

Eh, I wouldn't purchase a Cosworth manifold for $600 or the Chinese knockoff for $400 off Ebay without purchasing some other things also. If you just put the aftermarket manifold on the car- you'll lose power. It's the same thing if you remove the tumble flaps which is another method of fixing the sound. If you'll search for tumble flaps in the Duratec Performance forum, you'll find a thread where someone removed the flaps, and then was unimpressed with the resulting performance. That's what I was referring to about managing air flow volume vs velocity. High velocity air flow at low rpm produces more torque in an engine, but high velocity typically means small plenums. When the engine starts turning higher rpms, it needs more air or power will suffer. That's when higher volume of air flow is needed. The velocity will be there because the engine is requiring so much air. The tumble flaps help keep velocity at as even of a level as possible.

That aftermarket manifold has much bigger plenums than the factory manifold to begin with- and no tumble flaps. It is also designed specifically for the 2.3L engine- not the 2.0. To make it work as right as possible, you'll need high lift camshafts, different valve springs, a flash programmer, and a tune for your car. Other things that would help would be a free flowing exhaust system and a header. If you simply put a Cosworth manifold on your engine, then you'll end up losing power because your air velocity will be low, and you won't benefit from higher flow at high rpm because your camshaft won't have the lift to produce a need for higher flow.

[Nick62095]

Is there any way to just rebuild the tumbler flaps? Are these flaps located within the IAC valve? Or are the tumbler flaps a whole different mechanism located within the manifold itself with no way to get to them except to replace the manifold like you said?