[vederz]

What a friggin nightmare!
Here's where my story starts. i bought a used 2002 Focus SE from a Dealer and it had 72K, immaculate. Salesman's wife owned vehicle~they had the paperwork to prove it. Car ran beautifully for the past year. I put 10K miles w/o a single problem. I noticed some sluggishness 5 days ago and spent 3 days reading these forums until I had a grasp on what I believed to be the problem. I replaced my DPFE and it did not solve problem. Went back to basics and pulled each plug boot and cylinder 3 was dead. Replaced the coil and Presto! Car ran like new again. I had bought some Bosch Plat 4 plugs. Put them in this morning and car ran like crap~so I put old plugs back in and Still ran like crap (I ran the Plat 4's for 10 minutes.) Went to the parts house and got the original 32fe Plats. Still haven't put them in as I have the old ones in there now. Driving home from the parts house car nearly dies. DTC light started blinking (didn't know what that meant at the time) Pulled a code @ parts house that said mis-fire and EGR, but I had played around with DPFE before going to parts house and took hoses off momentarily while running, so that may have thrown code. I noticed car was overheating but fans were not coming on. Ohmed out fan resister and plenty of resistance. Checked diode/ good. Temp gauge never moved off center. Pulled my own codes and got a P103 for MAF. I am going to clean it w/carb cleaner in a few minutes~but I doubt that will resolve issue. So here's the thing. Before I put the
bosch plugs in this morning car was running like New! After~like crap. I would have thought that putting old plugs back in would restore power~didn't. I even cleaned and gapped them to 0.50. Checked all visible vacuum lines and listened several times~cannot hear any vacuum leaks. I did pull an F-107, but I don't know what that is. So what is my problem? Did those plugs hurt my engine? When I put old plugs back in car revs up nicely. No backfire, but sputtering out tail. Cleaned MAF just now and put back on~no difference. Somebody...please help!

 

[deezx5]

The Focus does not like Bosch plugs or O2 sensors and when you pulled the wires to swap out the plugs its possible the wires got damaged too or just wore out from heat and age. I would start with the new set of Motorcraft plugs you bought and a new set of wires too.

Also check the wire harness on the coil pack and make sure it didn't get damaged or unplugged. Coil pack is also known to crack

 

[sailor]

And MAF cleaner for the MAF please....

Luck!

 

[DougRuss]

[thumb]

Don't us aggressive chemicals like Brake parts cleaners or Carburetor cleaners on MAF sensors. These can cause serious damage to sensitive parts. Use MAF Sensor Cleaner -- It's the right product for the job! It safely and easily cleans the MAF hotwires and electrical components without damage to the wires or plastic housing.

.

 

[vederz]

Thank you for replying. I figured it out last night. It was a fouled plug. I never knew these 4 bangers were so temperamental. Itook out the Plat 4s and put back my stock plugs, but apparently one was fouled. I swapped out the Bosch and put in the stock Double Plat Copper and she fired up like brand new!
Thanks again.
David

 

[deezx5]

Good deal at least it was something simple, hopefully you didn;t spend too much money on the bosch plugs

 

[vederz]

They swapped them @ $4.99 for the Motorcraft Original Double Plats.. the last # were 32FE~ I spent about $150 which was well worth it considering it would have cost me $130 just for the diagnostic. I am starting to Luv my little Focus

 

[vederz]

Too late, I already cleaned it with some carb cleaner..but it was like pure ether~ Evaporated as quick as I sprayed it. Thank goodness I didn't do ant damage. I just spooled up to a brief 100mph * I'm looking around to make sure nobody see's this * and she purred! The only thing I don't like is the way the rear-end seems to bounce sideways driving at freeway speeds. Have ya'll noticed this on the SE? Is there an easy fix for this? What are some decent upgrade that will help me unleash the hidden power I know this engine is capable of?

 

[sailor]

One thing about 4 bangers, you KNOW when something ain't quite right....

(grin)

Enjoy the Focus!

 

[alz focus]

As for the rear end, make sure all control arm bushings are still good.
Also, have the alignment checked out.

 

[vederz]

I want to thank all of you that have come to my aid. I never knew that you had a Focus Forum until I started having issues. I am honored to be among such stellar company! Got my car all fixed up to drive into Houston for my 30th Birthday! I can't wait until next year, so that I can celebrate my 30th Birthday again!
Have a great weekend guys (sorry gals)

 

[sailor]

In the "Wheels, Tires & Brakes section there is an alignment spec. sticky that WILL work (unlike the "stock" specs..

Also, you can find the info. for "backyard" alignment - it works GREAT!

Couple jack stands, or even kitchen chairs!, some fishing line & a mechanic's ruler is all that is needed.... You DON'T even need a flat surface to do it on (from personal experimentation).

Luck!

 

[vederz]

Thanks for the tip Sailor~Feel free to share any other cool tips! Thankfully my alignment is spot on right now. I have done almost all of my repairs since 1975! I remember when I got my new Z-28 in 93 and couldn't reach the plugs! I bought headers and complete cat back n talked the mechanic to "change my plugs while you're at it" for an extra 50$! He jumped on it but was pissed afterwards. He he... Took him nearly as long to do the plugs as the cat-back!

 

[sailor]

HeHe - GOOD story!

In that case (spot on alignment) "looseness" in the rear has USUALLY been found to be at least ONE sacked control arm bushing. Rear arms seem to go most often, followed by fronts and (least likely to cause YOUR problem) the uppers....

Hope that helps, when they get badly worn out it can get REAL "twitchy", as mentioned by some who had off-road excursions as a result.... (grin)

 

[vederz]

Whoa...I can't tolerate any 'looseness' in my rear end!
Having said that, I don't think I have the necessary tools to replace bushings, what do you think it would cost to take it in for them to replace? And who should I trust to do this? I haven't used a mechanic in years. A franchise or a local yokel?
BTW I love your profile pic...let me see what I can find that might highlight Corpus Christi. That's where I live now after shedding Houston like a bad disease.

 

[alz focus]

Rear control arms aren't too bad as long as you have a cut off wheel standing at the ready, along with some new bolt, just in case. Just replace the whole arm with new bushings, Moog has them for $75.

 

[sailor]

X2 the bushings are NOT replaceable, unless you want to press in some of the hard plastic ones....

Picture is of myself at sunset on Lake Ontario, finally got it loaded as an Avatar today...

Standing on the bow of my 26' Columbia Sailboat that dates back to the 70's...

 

[vederz]

Very Cool! I got sidetracked in posting a pic. I used Picassa and it has created too many doubles on my drive..been deleting doubles for hours now. Sheesh...this is not amusing!

I think I will be letting a shop handle the bushings, doesn't sound like much fun

Smooth Sailing!

 

[vederz]

Thanks for the info, but I think I will let a shop handle that when I think it really needs it. Not bad at all right now. Got a little squeeking when I drive over a speed bump, but the ride doesn't seem to be affected. What I am talking about is at high speed, like 60 or 70, seems to bounce sideways an inch. I may be tripping though.

 

[mikebontoft]

See, bosh plats still really suck. I'd really just go with some autolites but if it works fine then you're ok.