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....

Ford Focus Accessory Drive Belt

Replaced the accessory drive belt today. This is actually quite challenging due to the close proximity of the bodywork to the pulleys.

First job is to jack the car up and support the front on axle stands. Much of the work can only be done from underneath so access is vital. I had also loosed then wheel nuts on the front offside wheel because it would need removing to aid access too.


The cover needs removing first. It is held in place with two bolts though neither are very tight.


Next task is to remove the belt. The belt is held under tension by a tensioner pulley which is effectively a tight spring that holds the pulley tight against the belt. The tensioner must be turned away from the belt until it is loose enough to pull off. Space was too tight to get a socket on it and I didn't have a spanner of the correct size. Typical! I couldn't budge it by hand either, so what to do? Well I got a small piece of wood, held it against the tensioner and smacked it a few times with a hammer to shock it free. I guess the belt being so old, the tensioner has probably spent the last 12 months at the tightest end of its travel and become seized. A few thumps meant I could then push it with my hand and the old belt could be removed. Here it is with the new one.


And a picture of the underside. The old belt looked fine, no cracks or anything.


While I was at it, I decided to remove the tensioner to see if I could clean it properly. I couldn't strip it down any further, but I squirted lots of WD40 into it and exercised its movement a few times and it seemed a lot better. Here it is straight after removal.


Here is an idea of the lengths you need to go to to improve access! I have removed the power steering tank and cooling fluid expansion tank.


Access is still poor though! I thought the squealing noise may be a pulley on the way out so I bought the cheapest one to replace, the idler pulley. Have spun each of the pulleys and found no problems, I thought I'd remove the idler pulley to inspect anyway seeing as I could easily replace it right now.


So, I unscrewed the bolt but there wasn't the room to remove the thing! The bolt is an integral part of the pulley and cannot be removed separately. That put an end to that idea, but considering it felt okay, I didn't think it really needed replacing anyway.


So, put all the various bit back, then try to remember how the belt fits! It was quite challenging getting the belt over all the pulleys, but it feels tighter than the old one.


Having taken the car for a test drive, I am happy to report there is no more squealing noise at all! It used to be very obvious at low revs under load, sounded almost like the engine was pinking, but that has gone too. Success!

Ford Focus Pollen Filter Replacement

The pollen filter on a focus is situated under the grille panel at the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side of the car.


First thing to do is remove the single screw, then carefully prize it free of its clips and remove the grille.


It is hard to see through this photo but the filter that was in there was caked in leaves and crap. The new one is white but the old one was grey when it was new, so the colour change is not a sign of age / condition.


Next job it to see how the Ford mod kit works. Ford didn't give me any instructions so luckily it was more than obvious. As it happens, my car must have had this kit fitted already, because as you can see, the clips are already in place:



At this point I recall that when I had a leak coming through on the drivers side, I had removed the other grille to see if I could find the cause of the leak. I remember the clips on that side were past their best, so decide to replace the passenger side clips with the new ones, and use the old ones for the drivers side. This meant removing the windscreen wipers which can be a tough job. The shaft they screw onto is conical so they can be a right bitch to shift.


Mine came off without much hassle this time, but remember to store them in such a way that it is obvious which one is which! Here you can see the conical spindle they are bolted onto.


Once I'd replaced the clips on the drivers side and replaced the grille, I could concentrate on the seal that was part of the mod kit. It seemed pretty obvious that it should go between the windscreen and the grille edge. Unlike the clips, this had not already been done but there was a line of silicon sealant on the windscreen! So I had to scrape this off first:


Then I applied the sealing strip to the grille and replaced it and the windscreen wipers.


Sorted! The pollen filter only needs changing every 20,000 miles according to my Haynes manual; I'd be surprised if mine had been changed in that time!

Ford Focus Idle Speed Control Valve

The car had had difficulty starting and despite a change of plugs and checking the HT leads, it was persistent. Once the car did start, it would often rev at 2000rpm without dropping back to idle speed. I also noted that the engine started perfectly if I pressed on the accelerator pedal slightly whilst turning the key.

All this suggested the idle speed control valve required replacing. The idle speed control valve lets extra air into the engine as a means of controlling idle speed independently of the throttle. The problem is that over time, the oil mist that is fed from the breather pipe at the top of the engine into the inlet manifold causes an oily build up and this can cause the idle control valve to be sticky. This would explain why the engine struggles to start (valve is temporarily stuck in the closed position) and then revs at 2000rpm once started (stuck in the open position). I bought replacement gaskets, components, etc. and gave it a go.

The main problem is that the idle speed control valve is bolted onto the inlet manifold in such a way that it is really awkward to get at. I decided to remove the inlet manifold which meant jacking the car up to get access to the manifold bolts.

Here you can see I've removed the inlet pipe from airbox to throttle. I have also removed the fuel lines and wrapped them up in a bag. Reason being that the fuel rail is an integral part of the manifold and is not something I want to disturb. Before removing the fuel connections, I had to depressurise the fuel system which is achieved by removing the fuel pump fuse from the fusebox, then turning the engine over on the starter for 15 seconds.


Space was really tight so I removed the throttle body at this point to gain better access. This was something I had been planning to do anyway, so I had the correct replacement gasket.


So here is the throttle body. I doubt it had ever been disturbed before. I gave it a light clean but did not use solvents because it has a special coating on it which I did not want to remove.


Here is a picture with the replacement gasket in place. It is quite obvious how the 'rubbery-ness' of the gaskets deteriorates over time.


So, having undone the bolts and various sensor connections, I am able to remove the inlet manifold. You can clearly see the idle speed control valve now, and also the oily residue that builds up over time.


I decided I may as well clean the manifold while I am at it. You can see the mank that comes off. I also cleaned the slots for the gaskets.


So here is the cleaned manifold. I would not really expect a performance boost from this, it is more of an ocd type thing.


Idle speed control valves, it is not difficult to tell which is the old and which is the new.


Close up of the new valve, and the clean bore.


Close up of the old valve. Rather than oily residue it appears coated in carbon. Perhaps a build up of exhaust fumes from being stuck in traffic or something. Eitherway, the valve is manky.


Here we are with the shiny new valve secured on to the inlet manifold.


Now I turn my attention to the cylinder head. The removal of the inlet manifold has revealed a dirty mating face. This does need cleaning before refitting the manifold. Wiping most of the dirt away with a sheet before final cleaning using acetone.


Here is the cleaned head. You can clearly see the condition of the stock inlet ports. That rough surface is the result of the component being sand cast. A performance boost would be achieved by smoothing the ports but that is not something I am capable of or particularly interested in.


Put everything back in place and it should look like this:


Before starting, there is plenty to check. Lots of sensors were disconnected during this process, they must all be checked to ensure they are back in place. The fuel lines must be put back in place and checked to make sure they are secure. The fuel pump fuse must also be replaced and the car lowered to the ground.

Starting it up for the first time was nerve-racking but it has been fine since, no more revving to 2000rpm.

Ford Focus Carpet Replacement

Recently I chopped up the carpet in my Focus so I could find a water leak. Turned out it was a dodgy windscreen seal, typical! So, I went to a scrapyard and bought a none-chopped carpet. As you can see, it was in some state!


Quick hoover and some carpet shampoo, it was looking pretty decent.


So, time to remove my old carpet. Here is what a focus looks like with no carpet or back seat bench.


Most tricky bit was removing the centre console. Trying to get the thing over the handbrake and gear lever was difficult but here we are.


Removing the seats requires caution. There is an electrical connection which connects a sensor for the airbags. My Haynes manual said to disconnect the battery and wait 5 mins before removing these connections, so that is what I did.


Time to fetch the new carpet down.


Focus floor with no seats.


Chuck in the carpet.


Fit carpet into door sills, etc.


Rebuild the centre console starting with the rear air ducting.


Pop the fascia back on.


Chuck the front seats back in and ensure they are wired up properly. (They are surprisingly heavy!)


Chuck the back seat bench back in.


Yay, finished!