I have purchased the M-3000-ZX3 kit from Amazon.com, I should have it next week sometime.
I bought my 2004 Focus ZTS sedan brand new.
I am at 115,000 miles, and I can tell by the ride that it needs shocks & struts replaced. I figured I'd just get this kit and install it.
Does that make sense?
I also figure as long as I have it disassembled for this kit, I might as well replace any other suspension-related parts that don't come in the kit. Are there any such parts that could use replacement along with the kit?
The SVT kit you're getting will have shocks, springs and rear sway. Additional parts definitely worth getting would be front strut mounts and bearings.
Seeing that you from the land of rust you'll probably have a hard time with the removal of the rear control arm bolts. If that's the case, you should plan on replacing the control arms as well. At that mileage the existing bushings are probably bad anyway and new ones come preinstalled in new arms.
I'd also consider getting new front sway bar end links. If your car doesn't presently have a rear sway bar or have the mounts for one on the cross member, you may need an aftermarket sway bar install kit (mounts, bushings and end links).
Seeing that you from the land of rust you'll probably have a hard time with the removal of the rear control arm bolts. If that's the case, you should plan on replacing the control arms as well.
I used the M-3000-ZX3A kit from Tousley, that one comes with pre-assembled front struts so I didn't need the mounts & bearings that you will need. It also did NOT come with a rear SVT bar, so I'm still using the stock one.
You should use new sway bar bushings to fit the new bar, being a ZTS you SHOULD have a rear bar already...
Interesting that you have a PZEV 2.3 in Michigan, since that isn't a "California" state or next door to one, unless you count across Canada to N.Y. as being next door...
My Lower arm bolts were frozen at lower mileage, left them alone for now as the bushings weren't sacked yet when I installed the kit.
Agree with Geezer that you could use them, plan on new bolts as you'll be cutting them most likely....
I broke a sway bar link not too long after the kit went in, since you have to get one end loose anyways for the install it WOULD be a good time for replacement....
Interesting that you have a PZEV 2.3 in Michigan, since that isn't a "California" state or next door to one, unless you count across Canada to N.Y. as being next door...
Yes, there are two differing kits. With the ZX3 the sway bar is included. In the ZX3A kit the mounts and bearings are included but it does not include the sway bar. And for some reason, the ZX3A kit usually costs a little more.
1. New rear control arms.
2. New rear anti-sway bar bushings.
3. New front strut mounts - kits I'm looking at come with bearings.
4. New front anti-sway bar end links.
It's been a GREAT car for me Jake, The suspension kit was a very good upgrade - nice ride & handling.
Got some SVT wheels from '04 locally from a member who took 'em off the first year he owned his SVT (it's a one year pattern, a six spoke who's appearance has "grown" on me).
An instrument cluster from the same family (dad's a Ford nut) gave me the Tach. I REALLY wanted & solved my intermittent brake warning issue as well...
It's a bit "odd" that the "High Line" cluster only came on cars with automatics, when the stick is when you really want one....
Don't forget the bolts for your new arms when you're ordering parts, I like using "stock" pieces whenever avail..
Black is the color my good condition manual trans. car came in, if I had to choose I'd pick your blue since I don't think our model came in the Focus green I like as well (seen a LOT of SPI's in that color, and a few wagons....) Can't complain, the sunroof is a "plus" I LOVE, but might not have "splurged" for if I was buying new (a bit pricey).
One other "Mod." I'd recommend is the BSD kit. I won one at the "fest" - it lets the engine rev. a bit quicker, takes 20 lbs. off the front end, and I don't notice any appreciable difference in vibration without the balancer in there. Gives an extra quart of oil capacity as well...
Holy crap, what did you do?
Since brand-new, this thing seems to just consume brake fluid! I have no idea where it goes, but when that warning light starts flickering, I check my brake fluid, and sure enough it's down half.
I have no idea where the fluid is going - I've never been able to detect a leak or anything, it just gets disappeared somehow...
Well, on mine the warning light came on intermittently with NO cause - Fluid fine, checked fluid level switch, brake lever switch YaDa, YaDa.... New Cluster & no foolish lights that didn't make sense....
On Yours, remember that the clutch is from the same reservoir when you're checking for leaks.....
My kit arrived today! I'm excited. My preferred local auto parts store has everything else I'll need - if not in-store then just 1 day away.
I must get some PB Blaster too for those rear bolts! At one time I tried to get the rear shock absorber bottom bolt loose - holy crap there was not way in hell. Maybe PB Blaster will help...
For even better rust busting try to find some Kano Kroil as its the best penetrating oil commercially available. Liquid Wrench has been rated to be better than PB Blaster as well.
I can't wait to try those rear suspension bolts tomorrow.
I got 2 cans of Aero-Kroil direct from Kano, they arrived on Tuesday.
I treated all the nuts I'll be wrenching on that night, and did them again last night.
/fingers crossed!
I was at Autozone today to get another box of nitrile gloves and I FORGOT anti-seize compound, doh! I will definitely use it when I put this all back together.
Hey there, Just a reminder from someone else in the "Rust Belt", you REALLY don't want to remove anything you don't have to!
Once you wiggle the shock bolts enough to get THEM off, loosening Lower arm adj. bolts enough to do any alignment required is probably all you'll be able to do.
It took a couple weeks of repeated attempts to get ONE bolt loose enough for the ONE adjustment I had to do.....
Loosen, lube, hammer, impact gun etc. - then re-tighten & drive for a week - try it again next weekend - third weekend was the "charm" and I got my adjustment done.
The bolt STILL wasn't loose enough to remove, but it was loose enough to make a small camber adjustment...
Shock bolts came out with repeated impact loosening & tightening - penetrant between each attempt... Good thing was no need for the "heat wrench" AKA torch....
Just a heads up, make sure you have the right sized nuts in the kit. The ones I received in 2 kits were the wrong size. You can see what I mean in the pic below. If you're planning on re-using the old nuts it shouldn't be an issue.
Make sure you install the new rear springs properly. The springs have a plastic cover on part of the coil, which should be up top. I installed the kit on my car a couple weeks ago and did each side differently because I wasn't paying attention. With the plastic cover on the bottom of the spring it made all kinds of noise and I had to take it all apart again and flip the spring over.
I have to cut out my LCAs.
After a 7 hour-battle with one LCA-to-knuckle bolt, I busted out the angle grinder with a 4-inch cutoff wheel and she came out no problem.
I then ground off the nut welded to the knuckle. I'm simply going to cut off the remaining three bolts without even trying to wrench them, F-it! [headbang]
I just got off the phone with John @ Hilbish Parts Department - $253.76 *shipped* for two new LCAs, bolts and nuts on both ends, and the cam washers for the inside ends.
Very interested in this as I'm eye-ballin' the Summit Racing kit now (free shipping!) I have 160k on the clock and figure its time!
Would love to know your feelings on ride/handling comparisons.
I would think we want the softer end down, and the stiffer end up... the spring responds easily to little bumps under the wheel, bigger bumps make the spring get progressively stiffer the bigger the bump.
In reality it doesn't make a lot of difference. The softer end will always compress (be active) first regardless of its position. That said, I've always put the soft (tightly wound) end down as well. More importantly is that the spring is properly positioned (seated) in the spring seats and if that means reversing it, so be it.
Right front is complete, left front is almost complete.
Compressing the old RF strut was a pain in the ass - but I had to do it, I needed the top mount plate and the boot. I bought everything I thought I would need to replace the struts completely, but I missed the top spring seat plate and the boot - no big deal.
SO, last night I had a brilliant idea - wrap that old LF strut in a blanket, mash the blanket around one of the spring coils, and CUT that bitch with my trusty 4" angle grinder!
It worked perfectly - I was a little scared over how much tension was on that spring, but turned out it wasn't bad. It banged pretty good on the first cut, but I did 2 more cuts and there was no tension left anywhere.
The worst part was when I had to stomp out a smoldering blanket! [headbang]
Tonight:
Put left-front back together, install new LCAs, shocks, bar, etc. in the rear, then take 'er for a spin!
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