Friday, September 12, 2008

Ford Focus Track Rod End Replacement

Right, track rod end arrived this morning. I awoke a little hungover and was confused because I heard a thud sound. Apparently the door bell doesn't work which explains a number of things....

So anyway, threw on jeans and answered the door topless - unfortunately it wasn't the post girl of my dreams, but a very nice post man who was completely unperturbed by my get-up; I guess he gets that a lot...

Anyway, first job as always is to check the part is the same or similar to the old one.


Now try to loosen the lock nut on the track arm. This is incredibly tight and the corrosion doesn't help. There are flats on the track rod end which you can get on with a spanner to hold it in place. Unfortunately when I did this, the entire track arm rotated with the lock nut but at least this freed the track rod end.


Next job is to undo the nut that holds the ball joint onto the steering knuckle. This is again incredibly tight and very prone to rounding off due to corrosion. I decided to hammer on a socket that was just too small. Then plenty of elbow grease via the breaker bar and it came loose. Then there is the challenge of getting the nut out of the socket!


This next bit was my favourite. Get the ball joint separator and make sure it is seated properly - you might need to wiggle it into place (like all the best things in life). Tighten the bolt until BAM! the ball joint pops out. Very satisfying!


A quick look confirms that the old one is indeed borked!


Remove the old one, counting how many turns until it comes off, because that'll give you the best starting point for the tracking. Once it is off, I set about loosening the stubborn lock nut. Holding onto the track arm with vice grips seems savage but I don't know how else I'd have done it. Also, I brought the lock nut out rather than in because the threads were too corroded to let the lock nut move far in the other direction. Once loose, get a wire brush and clean the threads as best you can before applying some copper grease.


Now get the new track rod end and screw it on the same number of turns the old one required to come off. Fit the ball joint into place and tighten everything up. An allen key will probably be required to stop the threads on the ball joint rotating with the nut.


Get everything nice and tight and admire.


Just got back from the Garage, tracking only cost £25. I can't tell yet but the short drive to and from the garage seemed to be clunk free and the steering certainly feels a bit more positive now. Hardly surprising considering the state of that track rod end!


Quick Update: The clunk has gone!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Ford Focus Engine Mount Replacement

Got a replacement engine mount today in the hope that it heals my clunking noise. First job is to jack up the gearbox to support it. I didn't have any bits of wood to go between the jack and car, so I used an Argos catalogue!


Next remove the air intake system.


Here's the mounting that will be replaced. It's been soaked in WD40 because the nuts are tight.


Using my crows foot spanners and breaker bar to loose the nuts. Reason for using the crows foot spanner is because there is a lot of thread and I don't have any deep sockets.


The same goes for the centre nut but there is no space for a crows foot spanner. Luckily I had a spark plug socket that was the correct size.


Here's the hole it leaves behind:


Put new one in, tighten it all down.


And here you can see the cracks in the old one.



Unfortunately the clunk is still there. I suspect there have been a couple of things let go at the same time which has made this difficult to pinpoint but I believe I have narrowed it down to a track-rod end.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Ford Focus Cat Clamp Replacement

Bit of an odd one this, but I noticed the clamp that holds the catalytic converter to the engine block had corroded really badly. I phoned Ford Parts to ask how much a replacement would be and to my surprise, it was only £7!

Here's the corroded clamp.



Getting the bolts loose was quite difficult. The close proximity to the exhaust along with the corrosion made them very hard to budge. Some WD40, a breaker bar and lots of elbow grease did the trick. Once it came off, it was in two pieces.


And a picture with the new part in place.


Cheap and cheerful.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Ford Focus Brake Disc / Pad Replacement

Brakes arrived this morning, so I set about fitting them. They weigh as much as a small planet, I suspect they may contain small black holes to aid with the cooling.

Right, here is the original brake setup with some nice surface rust of the disc.


First job is to remove the bolts that hold the caliper to the hub. These require a T45 torx bit and a bit of elbow grease.


With the two bolts loosened, it is time to unclip the front pad from the caliper. This will require a pair of pliers.


With the front pad loose and the caliper bolts removed, try to remove the caliper. This is difficult because the worn disc has a lip of rust around the edge. After a bit of hassle, the caliper comes loose and must be suspended so that it does not strain the brake hose. Some discs are held onto the hub with a screw. Mine wasn't so it pulled straight off.


The pads can now be removed. The front one will slide out, the rear pad will unclip from the piston. Now the piston must be pushed back because the new disc and pads will require extra clearance.


Next job is to properly clean the hub and caliper. Using a combination of brake cleaner fluid and a wire brush, I scrubbed up the area as best I could.


Now get the copper grease out and cover the hub and any areas that will be in contact with the brake pads.


Here is a close-up showing the rails the pads run along. These must be greased up too.


Now get the rear brake pad and apply copper grease to any surface you think might be in contact with the caliper. Obviously keep the grease away from the friction surface.


Here you can see I greased the section that will run along the caliper rails. I'm sure rail is the wrong term but I don't care.


Once the rear pad has been clipped in place, grease up the front pad and install. This was quite tricky because the retaining wire was quite stiff.


Now turn your attention to the discs. These came with a layer of oil on them, presumably to inhibit them from corrosion. This must be cleaned off both sides prior to installation using brake cleaning fluid.


Now get the copper grease again and apply it to the surface that will mate onto the hub. This will aid removal in the future.


Then offer the disc up to the car and secure in place with a couple of wheel nuts.


Now offer the caliper up to the disc being careful not to let any copper grease to make contact with the disc surface.


Here is a photo from the side. Spanking clean!


Finally, apply copper grease to the front of the disc on the area that mates with the wheel. If any copper grease makes its way onto the threads, that is no bad thing. I'm beginning to wonder if I should buy shares in a copper grease company....


And that is that! Before test driving, push the brake pedal a few times to move the caliper piston to its operating position. Also, ensure that the brake fluid level is not too high or too low.

Having taken the car for a gentle test drive, the brakes work as I would expect. I have not used them in anger because they need to bed in first. I take it as a good sign that they work though.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ford Focus Brake Fluid Replacement / Bleeding

I had no idea when this had last been changed and it didn't look very fresh so I decided to change it. The fluid in my car is dot4 fluid but I replaced it with dot5.1 which is compatible. Be careful though, dot5 is different and mixing dot5 with any other brake fluid will result in a sludgy mess within your braking system.

The way it works is you unscrew a bleed nipple at each brake. As you depress the brake pedal, the fluid runs from the tank in the engine bay through the system and out of the bleed nipple. Further evidence that the brake fluid had not been touched for a while was found when locating the nipples. They were in a state and took some delicate work and lots of WD40 before they would budge. Here's one at the rear drum brake soaked in WD40:


I bought a brake bleeding kit that fits over the nipple like thus:


You undo the nipple 1/2 turn and then push the brake pedal. It is a good idea to tighten the nipple again before releasing the brake pedal so you do not suck air into the system. For this very reason, I recommend you get yourself an atomicpanda to help push the brake pedal as you loosen and tighten the bleed nipple.


You start on the wheel furthest from the brake fluid reservoir and gradually work towards the closest to the reservoir. As the fluid level in the reservoir decreases, top it up with fresh fluid. This should be done before the fluid level goes below the min mark otherwise you'll need to bleed the system again. You continue on each wheel until the browny fluid goes clear, a sign that the system is now filled with new fluid. Here is the front brake being done:


There was a little bit of air came out with the old fluid. Too much air leads to a spongey feeling pedal. As such, my brakes now feel a little bit more solid, which is a good thing. A quick test drive shows that the brakes still work. Success. Oily, manky success.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Ford Focus Fuel Filter Replacement

Okay, just changed the fuel filter. Apologies for the lack of progress photos this time but working on the fuel system is just nasty and I wanted to get the job done as quickly and as safely as possible.

I have taken a photo of the new filter in place but the photos really don't give you a proper idea of how awkward the placement of this filter is. It is situated underneath the car not far from the rear drivers wheel. There are a number of fuel pipes running around the area and access is terrible.

The first thing to do as with any time you work on the fuel system, is to remove the fuel pump fuse then crank the engine for 10 seconds which will relieve the excess pressure in the system. Then the negative terminal must be removed from the battery and kept away from the terminal. As you remove the connections, have a glass jar ready to collect the fuel that pours out. Once the worst of it is done, carefully withdraw the old filter keeping it level because there will still be a lot of fuel inside it.

Fitting the new one is essentially the opposite of removal but due care must be paid to ensuring the pipes are connected properly. Once complete, put the fuel pump fuse back in, reconnect the battery and then turn the key back and forth without starting the engine. Listen out for the fuel pump as it primes the system. Before starting, check for any leaks.

Once you are satisfied, drop the car back down and start the engine. Check underneath again for leaks. Luckily this went okay for me but I'm glad it only has to be done every 60,000 miles.


Friday, August 8, 2008

Ford Focus Anti-Roll Bar End Links

So, recently the car has been suffering from a clunk noise coming from the front suspension, usually at low speed and when I turn left. It doesn't seem like a cv joint (phew) and having done some reading online, the first suspect is the front stabiliser end links.

The front suspension is independent but in order to stop it leaning like a thing that leans a lot when you corner, there is a stiff bar connecting the suspension to the chassis. This anti roll bar is connected to the suspension via these collar-bone like links:


Having jacked the car up, put it on axle stands and taken the wheels off, here we can see the original links. I have doused the bolts in WD40 and given it a while to soak in.


Before doing anything, it is always a good idea to check that your replacement is the correct part. This is not an OE part which explains the slight differences.


Getting these off was a bastard. With an 8 year olf car, things that are open to the mud and salt and water that are commonplace on the roads leads to a manky working environment and any bolt becomes difficult to undo. I got them going using my trusty breaker bar only to find the damn bolt section is free to spin! There is a squared section on which you can position a spanner to hold it tight. This was difficult because the squared section was tiny and the spanner kept slipping off, especially as the more you undo it, the more play there is....


The rust on the threads had made the nut progressively harder to undo and I took the rash decision to use a pair of mole grips instead of a spanner. There is a reason for this. At one point, the spanner slipped off and my hand went into pain mode as it struck something. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this but I felt I had no other option.


Luckily it came off. Before starting the other bolt, I found a wire brush and cleaned up the threads as far as possible before dousing it in more WD40.


This did the trick and after a short while, I had the thing off.


Here is the old next to the new.


Upon closer inspection, I found a break in the rubber bushing. Hopefully this might explain the noise....


Spot the new bit! Putting the new one in was far easier than removal of the old one.


It is still early days but it seemed to behave itself on the short joyride I took....