[sundaypaper]

Brand new here:

I have really enjoyed reading the much valuable information posted here. And appreciate the fact there are so many people that love these cars to spend so much of their time discussing them...

A few weeks ago i bought a 2014 Ford Focus SE. Auction.....and even in researching decided to take the risk. The car came in. I drove around town and to work for about a week to put it through its paces. Put about 130 miles on it. No problems, really enjoying the fit and finish, handling, comfortable seats, radio not so much....too many buttons.

After taking it to emissions, which it passed, nothing but trouble with the tranny. The typical slipping, and skipping of gears, a P07A3 code. I reset the transmission a couple of times using the gas petal method and after erasing the check engine light took it for a test drive. The simptoms came back and also the code after the first stop and start. I contacted a local ford dealer here in CT and he was able to look the car up by VIN number and give me some history:

New clutch in 2017 at 54,000 miles.
New TCM in 2018 and reprogram in 2019.

I removed the clutch actuator A and sprayed some brake cleaner down into the spline of the fork in the hopes that if it was stuck physically it might loosen something up. I was able to spin the spline couterclockwise and the spring seems to be returning the fork back. Many have suggested swapping the two actuators out in the hope of returning a different code, thous diagnosing it for sure. My current situation doesnt allow for moving the car.

Is there a way to bench test an actuator to determine whether its bad or not?

I was starting to really like this car and would like to keep it...The ultimate question is if it's worth it? The car has about 113K on it now and i believe transmission not withstanding theres a lot of life still in it. This is why I'm here asking for help. I know from old posts and new ones that this is a battle with ford many have taken on and won and some have lost. Any answers, comments, and advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking that perhaps the best way to go is to start fresh. New clutch, forks, seals, troughout bearing, actuators, hopefully the dealer is being honest about the TCM updates but I would like to double check.

I'm looking at the LUK 07233 clutch kit....is this a new design or original design?
What is the proper, newer color of the input shaft seal?
What is the latest firmware version of the tcm software?
Best clutch actuator brand, part number?
I have already taken the grounds to bare metal as suggested by some.

And the million dollar question...having done the work and corrected the original stuff how long, realistically will the new equipment last? The car will be used for commuting mostly, i expect it to see some traffic but not much.

I hope with some information from much more knowledgeable people than me I can makeup my mind on this.

Many thanks

 

[bcat]

I was starting to really like this car and would like to keep it...The ultimate question is if it's worth it?

If you can afford to fight it, why not. Selling it to someone who can't, seems unkind. At least you knew what to expect. Surely you factored that into your budget.

 

[paulrondelli]

The ride has already gone through this twice with only 110,000 miles. Usually that is the mileage that I look for to purchase a used car. I have owned a 2008 Focus that I put 160,000 miles... and only did preventative maintenance on. Someone rear ended me ... So I picked up a 2011 focus with a 100,000 miles. It has 140,000 miles now and still runs like new. just this year I purchased another 2010 for my daughter with 130,000 miles.

To be honest with you .... I expect to get well over 250,000 miles on each before the tranny or motor finally goes.

Your looking at dropping a few grand more to replace components on a well known faulty DCT tranny ..... THAT WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM.

I wouldn't touch any used car with a DCT or CVT transmission. They are not made to last past 80,000 miles.

Buy a MAZDA. those guys are the only ones who stayed away from the crap trannies.... and the Mazda 3 is almost the same ride ... just without the time bomb for a tranny.

THE USED CAR MARKET DRASTICALLY CHANGED around 2010. You used to be able to pick up a used car with 100,000 miles and still have plenty of life left in her. Hell I'm daily driving a 1996 Bronco with 200,00 miles that doesn't burn a drop of oil. In a effort to squeeze every mpg possible ... they now design rides with more electronics in the drive train than the space shuttle had in late 1980's. In the end the internal combustion engine hasn't changed much .... but the amount of electronics have increased 100 fold. Electronic components do not last forever .... and in a high temperature environment they last even less. All the high tech server farms have state of the art cooling systems to keep them nice and cool..... so they will last. Your car is a giant heat producing beast .... and we just add more heat producing components and electronics every year.

Do you really think that is a formula for longevity?

 

[amc49]

Short story..............the trans and clutch are a flawed design and never will be fixed to be utterly dependable for all people as an average. People being what they are have whoppingly diffeerent driving styles and that alone can have major impact on those cars.

 

[Jkauto]

If you have forscan there is a test for the actuators to make sure they are operating correctly and to test the clutches.

 

[JM1984]

I threw away my records when I got rid of my 2012 Focus S at 140,000 miles; but If memory serves, I went through three clutches (I had to crawl to the dealership at 20 mph for the last one) and four TCM's (five if you count the one that failed before it made it out of the dealership). Though everything was covered under warranty, a couple of the failures were in traffic (not the safest thing in the world). The TCM warranty was about to run out, and so was my patience.