Thats your tumble flaps in your intake manifold. How many miles? You can drive it for a while like that. Or replace the i/m. Hitup Andy for a cost of the i/m.

 

Thats your tumble flaps in your intake manifold. How many miles? You can drive it for a while like that. Or replace the i/m.

approaching 100k

yay! more parts to replace with no money!!!! [unsure]

 

You can drive it that way for a while. There are ppl that drive it that way for yrs.

 

ok. Well that is a sigh of relief but it's a shame that I made a point this summer to make my car look and feel better and things just continue to break down after each repair!!!! I can't win!

If I wasn't going back to school I'd put the money into getting it all done yesterday. But I'm strapped.

What goes wrong with the intake manifold that it is making that rattling noise?

 

There are some tumble flaps in the intake port of the manifold. Its called imrc= intake manifold runner control. Look below the intake on the drivers side & you'll see the vacuum switch w/ vacuum hoses going to it. If you remove the line going to the tumble flaps, it'll go away but the cel will come on.

 

Quick search on your diagnosis sounds spot on, felix.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281808&page=2

You're the man. Is this something that I can do myself or do I need to pull the engine out? I'm about to look up videos but if my boss catches me on YouTube with my current work load I'm in deep, hehe.

 

Stay out of trouble, Ren. Hitup Andy for the i/m. Have your mech. buddy change it out. Or just drive it that way.

 

hahaha. Anytime you refer to me by name is when I should heed warning. Point taken. Thanks for the help and being straight forward with me, felix!

 

My 2.3 has two sets of tumble flaps. IMRC and IMTV and both rattle pretty bad. However, yours sounds a little worse that mine. Thanks for making me feel better. -er, sorry.

Tasca sells them on ebay; my 2.3 IM is $295.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-O...Accessories&fits=Make:Ford|Model:Focus|Submodel:ZX3&hash=item53ff714372&vxp=mtr

 

What makes you say the imtv is bad or rattling? Yea I understand the imrc, aka tumble flaps, but the imtv ones?

 

Thanks for making me feel better! Haha

 

... Once I got into work, I put on the parking brake and taped this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEV3zy0Bh6c&feature=youtu.be

Ur video has good sound levels and that makes it good for others to learn or hear what our worn tumble flaps can sound like. Such a bummer Ford did not design it to be a little more durable. Whoops, I almost forgot to ask... Is that layer of dirt on your engine done with an aftermarket spray-on kit or was it made naturally?

 

Well, about to order the entire Intake Manifold from our man at Village Ford. The one I plan on buying is going to be #9424.

The mechanic is asking me if I have everything that need to be replaced along with that. Is there anything else that you guys think need to be replaced? I'm going to have him do the PCV while it is removed since he can access it then. I'm waiting for Andy to get back to me to let me know what all is included with that part number.

 

and the PCV Hose right?

Some people have also replaced the T-stat while the IM is removed. Not sure, but I think replacing the T-stat is impossible (or Crazy) with the IM installed.

The PCV plastic Retainer Ring sometimes gets broken. F-n miracle I did not break mine when I did the same job.

New IM = Awesome.

 

I can do the hose but what is the T-stat?

 

T-Stat = Thermal Imaging Stater. Also referred to as a Reflector by some of the older guys.

 

What is am approximate price for that? Sounds expensive. Also how long to install with the IM off?

 

jk

T-Stat = Thermostat.

 

Lol jerk. But still. ... price and time to install?

 

If you can afford it, it'd be great to install a new one.

 

Thanks Felix. I need to get a price on one. With the IM off how much more in labor am I looking at for the thermostat, pvc and hose?

 

About 25 bucks?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CABD8U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Time for T-stat only? WITH the IM already removed? 30 minutes?

Oh! Wait! I forgot something, I replaced my T-stat because the PO had likely never replaced the coolant. -AND because I removed my IM to replace the PCV hose. So... Part of changing the T-stat is draining most of your coolant first.

So, draining coolant, replacing T-stat, replacing coolant; 1 to 2 hours dependent on how fast/slow you are; he is....? I am the slowest mech on the planet. The whole job was split into two days and I musta worked on it for about 6 to 8 hours. Now that I have done it, I could probably replace my IM in 2 hours... ok maybe 3. I do mech work slow on purpose, because I can, not getting paid or measured. I could never make it in pro garage.

 

Sorry my phone is behind in receiving the responses. Thanks

 

Sounds good. I already have the coolant as I was planning on doing the flush but haven't had time. So this is good timing.

 

Ok... Manifold bought from Andy at VillageFord. $188 +shipping and it includes everything. Can't beat that.

Now. I am going over the PCV, PCV Hose and Thermostat. On the site,

PCV Valve = $10
PCV Hose = $35
Thermostat and Housing w/o Sensor = $39

Now what would be best for me to get done since the IM will be off? My car quickly approaching 100k miles without any of these ever being done. They aren't expensive but if you guys feel it isn't necessary then there is no need to do them. I trust your history and knowledge of these cars to know what is the right thing to do.

thanks guys.

 

Wow! Awesome price on that IM. Never knew you could get em that low.

The pcv Hose must be done. The other stuff is optional. Your call. Me? I would do the T-stat work also; a preventative maintenance thing. Based on your desire to care for and own the car for x-years to come. Again, some of this is motivated because you will have the IM removed.

If your car was older, I would also ask you to consider replacing the Upper and Lower radiator cooling hoses. -But it is too early for you now. Thats another preventative maintenance thing for cars older than 10 + 150,000+. Some people even replace the water pump before they fail. Not many, but some.

 

Thanks Marde for your advice. I plan on listening to ya. It makes sense since the work is already being done. Another $80 and those parts are taken care of. My luck, if I only did the IM, one of those three parts would fail shortly after...

Thanks again to everyone. I can't wait to see how a new IM feels in my car!!!! This damn vibration/rattling is annoying and embarrassing.

 

Before the new IM is installed, grab the IMRC tumble flaps, lightly try to make them rattle and feel how firm they are. Then later, do the same thing on your old IM. You will feel and see the difference.

Note how the guy in one of these pics is moving the tumble flaps with his finger? That is what you want to do, and is one-way to play with em'.

Top pic is what your tumble flaps look like at Idle (closed). Bottom pic shows what the flaps do when you punch the gas (open).

I have some pictures of the flaps

 

Thanks for the information, Marde! Great to know. I'll definitely do this.

Can I expect to feel or experience any other changes between the old and new?

 

My guess is you will feel Zero engine performance changes. It should only get rid of the rattle sounds. Unless of course your old IM has problems outside of the norm? Either way, just pretend like the new IM has turned your car into a 300-hp Beast!

 

HAHAHA

Will do! [race]

 

So I got my car back last night. Had the PCV valve, PCV house, thermostat, and intake manifold replaced. He said my oil was low and due for a change anyways, so I had that done as well. He gave me the old equipment and here are some pics of gunk buildup on the flaps and also the large opening on the side (don't know the name of it but by the flap lever on the side) looks like it is covered in a thin layer of oil? I don't know if this is normal or happened during the repairs. Could I have a leak somewhere that would cause my intake to be lined with oil? Somewhere I should check? Also, the lever for the flaps doesn't feel as hard to push down as the new one does.

There is a crack in the pcv tube (if it connects here to the intake? ), pix below too. I don't know if that happened during replacement or not.

Below is the link to a video of the car in idle after repair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNPHeh_dgbw&list=UUKtuaSVeDs0aACA6qU_U4fw

It does sound much better than before without any vibrations of the manifold. But when idle, I still experience a minor knocking that I couldn't really capture in the video. Sounds more around the engine, but I could be wrong and it could be normal for these cars. I've had my vehicle for so long while it had the bad vibrations that I don't know what's normal and what's not anymore!

All in all, my car does feel better. It picks up better and feels a bit more responsive now. I'm hoping that the extreme knocking/vibrations stay away for a long time.

One problem I experienced this morning that when I stopped at a hill for a light, my car felt like it was going to stall. Freaked me out. I don't know what is going on now.

Any comments, questions or suggestions for me? I thank everyone for their help. I really do. Thanks.

 

and also the large opening on the side (don't know the name of it but by the flap lever on the side) looks like it is covered in a thin layer of oil?

Could I have a leak somewhere that would cause my intake to be lined with oil?

There are two large openings; the biggest one, and it's on the side, is the throttle body (TB) port. The other one, is the EGR port. My EGR port was dry. The pic below is my IM. Looking inside the EGR port (it has a blue o-ring gasket) you can see inside the IM -and also see that no oil had been passing by that area.




I can not say mine is good -or- your's is bad. However, I do not think it is a good thing to have any oily residue on or passing thru your TB. One obvious source of an oily mist that can hit your TB is the crank case breather. Please go back and watch the video you just posted. At the exact 20 second mark, you will see the breather hose connection. That connector looks messed-up, is it? Next, if you follow that breather hose, it goes to the TB rubber accordion boot. This spot is where an oily mist may be coming into your TB and into your IM. You might want to disconnect the breather hose or the entire TB rubber boot and look inside it to see if there is oil residue inside?

The oil on the tumble flaps is normal. The source of that oil is the PCV. PCV sucks in tiny bits of oil, it pools-up in the bottom of the IM, and gets splashed-up and ingested during normal engine operation.

There is a crack in the pcv tube (if it connects here to the intake? ), pix below too. I don't know if that happened during replacement or not.

Cracked PCV hose = normal. That's why you replaced it.

^^ Seems like your tumble flaps had more dirt-like debris than mine. I wonder if your car ever ran without a filter or some type of unfiltered air problem at some point?..... maybe? Also, I can not see inside your EGR port in this pic very well but (unlike mine) it seems wet and oily. I can only wonder what your EGR (tube) is passing into the IM. Hmmmmmm?

Not sure what your pointing at and asking about on this pic? That hole inside there? -is a vacuum port for the brakes. Oh wait, the oily residue, right!! Oil residue right there = your TB is probably nasty too. This goes back to what I said above shown in bold text. Did your mech say anything about the TB being dirty and/or did he clean it?

 

I have seen another "oily and wet" EGR port on a IM before. It just occurred to me that this might be semi-normal... and mine was dry-> but mine is a 2.3, so it has a different and deeper IM... so the different IM design may be the difference in oil splashing up on the EGR port verses not.

 

The inside of my IACV was bone dry. If yours is oily inside, that is another indication your Breather is allowing in an oily mist into your intake,

Removing and inspecting the inside of a (Duratec) IACV is very easy.