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Comments
What do you mean? Switching to the boxer engine layout?
I don't know what the difference is but I'm thinking I'm going to need one to lay the power down after I start modifying my Focus. For the time being I'm trying to put some easy miles on to break it in. I'm going to hit 1000 miles tomorrow.
And Silver_bullet, just so YOU know, your completely wrong about mass. It is in no way MORE important than length. Anyone good at physics will confirm this. The physics equation for torque is 'torque=forceXdistance'. It has nothing to do with mass. You can have the same length axles with a DIFFERENT MASS on each one and it will have no effect. It may be true that VW and others MAY have tried to compensate by different mass axles (I can't confirm or deny that one), but it would have little effect. Think of this....have you ever tried to break a bolt free on say, a lugnut that was really stuck on? If you put a long pipe on the end of the the lug wrench then broke it free, it came right off right? Same principle for the longer axle. The mass of that pipe has nothing to do with it, it's the length. That's why the harder you step on the gas (more force), the more torque steer you get. It's a whole different ball game once the car is already moving, that's where a locking differential would help. That's a really complicated equation that you can't really apply without knowing the weight of the car, speed, length of the axles, etc...
As far as driving a 'SAAB Viggen', my guess is that model SAAB is turbo right?....MORE FORCE, MORE TORQUE !!!! (see torque=forceXdistance above)...hehehe
Please don't think I'm trying to flame you, cause I'm not. Just trying to point you towards the truth. Now, when some idiot tries to argue with you about this, grab the nearest physics book and bash him over the head with it. Even with our ultra-modern, technologically advanced, new millenium automobiles (yeah right), we STILL cannot defy the laws of physics or gravity....YET !!!
later
V
Seems to me that torque is directly proportional to mass, n'est pas?
Here's something I found on another site:
"There are two another torque steer problems unique to front-drive cars with transverse engines. typically, the engine is mounted on the right side of the chassis with the transaxle on the left. As a result of this configutration, the right halfshaft is usually much longer htan the left halfshaft. The first problem arises as, itf these were manufactured from iddentical materials, the longer right shaft would have a much greater torqe angle then the left for the application of an equal amout of torque. Step on the gas, and the car would veer immediately to the left then straighten. This is a fairly easy fix - change the Torque moment of the shafts to be equal. On VW products using trnasverse engines, the right halfshaft is usually a much larger diameter than the left and is hollow.
The second problem arises as a result of the CV joints needed (two per side). Torqe si needed to drive CV joints unless they are running with zero deflection. The torque required is a function of the angle between the driving and driven halves. The more they are deflected, the more energy they consume. As a result, under acceleration, drive shafts on either side of a FWD will tend to adjust themselves to equalize torque. As the shafts are of unequal length, the CV joints on either side would run with unequal deflections. The geometry involved usually causes transverse FWD cars to pull slightly to the left under acceleratione. One FWD manufacturer (whose identity escapes me) used a layshaft on the right side of their vehicle so that both halfshafts were of equal length and torque steer was minimized. My bet would be Cadillac on the Northstar equipped vehicles, as that much power from a transverse engine could be a real wheel-ripper, and a rude surprise to your typical Cadillac owner."
http://www.motorage.com/edindex/0299032.htm
Like I said, we ARE both right, but the LENGTH (or distance) of the axles is still more important. If adjusting the mass worked correclty, then my old GTI would nt have had ANY torque steer. If VW is still doing things this way, it's not working 100% because even the new cars (especially any with the 1.8T) still have very noticable torque steer. The Audi on the other hand has a similar front end, but the AWD models don't have the problem because of the AWD and traction control. There are OTHER ways to compensate, but the only MECHANICAL way that works 100% is having the same length axles. If you want proof, go drive any Subaru or Porsche Boxster for that matter....they both have equal length axles.
I hate my dealer and am asking around for a reliable one in the area to take care of my baby. There are 4 in the Syracuse area and I still have a couple to work with.
I'm leaving for vacation today, and expect to put close to 2000 miles on her round trip. That's if I get her back today, we're still waiting for a part. For my dealer's sake it had better be a smooth ride. I'm not in the mood for continued problems with them right now and the smile and compromising attitude is gone.
It reallt S**CKS that the car is so good, and the dealers so bad. I'm still crossing my fingers...no problems at ALL yet, so I have no idea if my dealer's service dept is any good. We'll see...
Let us know what happens, and good luck !
V
I'm sorry, I'm lost. Someone over at Escape-Central.com ( http://www.escape-central.com ) posted that there was a club over here at Edmunds for Ford Escape owners. I have never been here before but I cannot find it. I searched under Ford Clubs and all that I found was these Ford Focus clubs. Sorry to post here, but I'm hoping someone here more familiar with Edmunds can help me? Is there any Escape club here at Edmunds? Help. Thanks.
Axel
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
Picked it up at lunchtime .... looks good. Go back to work.
After work drive to the store for a quick second and then head home.
As I walked by the rear bumper I noticed what first looked like caked on mud .... funny, it hadn't rained .... upon closer examination I have found that SOMEONE ELSE HIT MY CAR!!!!!
I don't know when, it either had to be at work or during the 5 minutes I was in the grocery store. Either way .... my right rear bumper has several, make the MANY, scrapes that go deeper than just the paint. Some are down to whatever that metallic looking surface is under the paint. They aren't exactly gouges, but they are more than just surface scratches. They aren't the largest scratches ever, but I will absolutely notice them ever single time I walk by so I want to fix them.
Ford sent me a bottle of touch-up paint a few weeks after I bought my car .... I'm nervous about trying to use this though .... any ideas or suggestions?
My color is the autumn orange paint, and scratches show easily. It is a medium dark color and the under paint color is white. So I had to do something to make it look better. I wish that the black protective cover that comes on the wagons could be made to fit the hatchback too. Maybe in the future that could be an option.
Charlie
I just picked up my Focus ZX5 Tues night and am wondering about a possible break in period for the car. I couldn't see anything in the manual. Thus far, I havent revved it beyond 4000, at least for the first 500 miles, then increase to 5000, I won't redline it for awhile.
Marc
Last October I bought a new 2001 Focus sedan. Shortly after the purchase I began smelling burning oil or rubber, the odor especially noticeable in stop and go traffic, or after climbing a hill and stopping.
I took the car, (a beautiful Infra-Red LX) to the dealership with that complaint. After a brief inspection the mechanic found that the "right inner axle seal" had been leaking. After waiting for about 24 hours I was called and told that a new seal had been received and that I could bring the car in for the repair. I did. A week later I brought the car back to the dealership with the same complaint of a strong burning odor. I was told by the mechanic that the replaced seal was defective so he would have to replace it. About 5 days later the dealership received the new seal and while installing it found that the oil pan gasket was leaking, so had to order a new gasket.
About a week later they replaced that gasket. I noticed shortly after taking the car off the dealerships lot that the smell was still very obvious. I decided to give the car a week to burn off any residue... after that week ended I returned the car to the dealership, again with the same complaint. This time the mechanic found that the "main seal" between the engine and transmission was leaking. After about a week a replacement seal was delivered to the dealership. This time they had to keep the car overnight, giving me a loaner car to drive.
To make this already long story shorter, I returned the car again with that same old complaint. Doing some research the dealership was able to locate SOMEWHERE that there had been a recent "campaign" put out on this model of the Focus recommending the installation of some kind of filter into the A/C heating ventilation system of the car as the intake (apparently) draws air from the engine compartment.
While waiting for this filter to be delivered to the dealership I was driving the car in heavy stop and go traffic in Seattle. While stopped at an intersection I noticed a gray smoke coming from the engine compartment of my car. The first time I'd seen smoke. I mentioned this to the dealership when I delivered the car to them for the installation of the filter.
They installed the filter and steam cleaned the engine. I notice the smell, still, though it's not as obvious. If the smell continues into the coming week I will once again return the car to the dealership with that same old complaint hoping that they'll FINALLY find a solution.
Anyone else out there having this problem? The burning eyes, coughing and nausea is getting to me!
Sorry for the rambling,
Bob
See ya!
the extended powertrain warranty for Focus. My
experience: Ford announced in October 2001 a
100k extended powertrain warranty on all 02 Foci
but dealers here claimed no knowledge of this
offer and said it was apparently "regional" in
scope. This is not what the Detroit news or
Edmunds said, both citing a press release by
Ford saying all 02 Foci would be given this
warranty. I pursued this with Ford and gave it
up as a blind alley. You get auto-generated
computer replies from their Customer Service
and nothing else. I really cannot fault the dealer
as he is not in receipt of anything in writing
from Ford. I never heard the VIN connection bit
but this leads me to wonder if this would only
apply to the original purchaser or the warranty
automatically carries forward to whomever has
the car with less than 100k on it. Bottom line:
Ford has not ever responded to me on this issue
and I seriously doubt they ever will given the
financial situation they are in. BTW, Focus
sales are down 11% last month reflecting a drop
off in fleet buying in wake of 9/11.
This being the case, I would imagine that a Ford Dealer could input your VIN and see if the car had that warranty or not.
The sad part of this is the dealer service rep said the brake replacement is chronic with Focus. The brake repair, coupled with the various TSR's that have come out since 2000, has convinced us to stay away from Ford products.
i had a 2000 focus se sedan for 2 years, and had not one single problem with it, had maybe 5 recalls - but not one of them took more than THAT visit to complete or inspect. that car ran great for an SOHC, instead of having the zetec engine (a far better engine). the main problem with the first focus' is that they were rushed to production. this car was supposed to not debut until 2002, but at the time, ford was having financial problems, low sales and such, so the rushed the focus out the door. and when you rush things, things are going to get messed up. thats what happened with the focus' produced at the very beginnning - chipping paint, faulty power windows, small things that make people gasp (but aren't really all that big of a problem). this car is an enormous hit in europe, and they havent had any problems with their models, so of course we had to go and screw up a good thing here in the u.s.
but, keep in mind that ford has come a long long way since the focus first debuted. quality is up, and people are constantly purchasing focus'. when you look at the cars that are in tha same class as the focus what do you see? stale, played out cars like the cavalier, the neon, and those like em. the styling, interior room and interior styling among other things makes this car a great seller. my lease on my se sedan was up in may, and i looked at every car under the sun in the same category - and i ended where i started with the focus. this time, i got a zx5,for 3 years. when i looked at the prices, what they had to offer, and the overall package of cars in the same category and such, you couldnt beat it. the quality is there, and the styling is too - now, dont think i'm a domestic car freak, i just think that this little car has gotten too much of a bad rap in some cases. do people frown when dodge has a recall? or mercedes benz? or volkswagen? nope. but when ford does it, or mercury, people go, "oh, boy, ANOTHER recall?!?!?!?" its no big deal, they do this to keep people safe, bring things to their attention.
i'll pit this car against any in its class - heck, maybe other classes as well...i know this car inside and out, from replacing stock headlights to getting better gas mileage and more acceleration. for $17,170 and $221 a month its a steal, not to mention the clean record i've had for both of mine.
Lou
Thanks!
Lou
First, I removed the cap from the reservoir, opened the drain plug - drivers side, bottom of radiator and drained it cold. I got about 4 of the 6 qts total out. Then I put tightened the drain plug, filled the system with water and ran the engine to open the thermostat. I drained it again, tightened the drain plug by hand, let the engine cool and put about 3 quarts of Prestone (green) in the reservoir (tank). I then filled it the rest of the way with water (to the full line). I drove the car, checked for leaks and checked to make sure it was full the next day. A week or so later I checked the coolant strenght in the expansion tank. It was about -45.
I have access to a pH meter and checked the old vs new coolnat. The new was over 10 and the old stuff was around 8 (more acidic).
Gary
Has anyone personally changed the coolant on the Focus. The manual says to refill, the heater supply hose has to be disconnected from the engine. And with a funnel add the coolant. Does anyone know how easy this is to do? Does anyone know if the Ford (green) coolant is any different from the Prestone.
Lou
I'm very surprised about the rear brakes needing work. Unless you drive in the city and really work the brakes, this is very unusual.
Did you get a second opinion on whether the work needs to be done? You really should get a second quote.
I've posted my opinion about how some dealers charge big $$ just to look at what would seem to be an obvious warranty issue - that it just drives people out of the Ford "family". Do you have a choice of dealers? Did you bring the problem to the dealer when you were still under warranty? Have you talked to Ford? Are you willing to be insistent or get ugly (though this doesn't always help)?
i bought new speakers for the focus, since i blew the stock ones, and was wondering how the hell you would take the speaker grill off of this. If anyone knows how to install new speakers in the focus, please reply and tell me how. I would appreciate it. Thanks
I took my focus to a Firestone when my first set of front brake pads wore out. They wanted to change out everything including rotors and rear drum brakes for $700!
Well, little did they know that just the week before, I brought my Focus in for a recall notice and Ford had already changed out my rear brakes.
So in a huff, I went to the autoparts store and bought me a set of good semi-metallic brake pads. Then my friend, who was a mechanic, changed my front brake pads for me. He also looked at my rotors and said they were fine.
Thus, whenever I hear a person complaining about brakes/rotors that wore too fast, I immediately think that person got taken by a crooked mechanic. Brakes are 40 year old technology...no way do they wear out that quickly.
If your brakes really did wear out that quickly, never replace it with another OEM brake pad. Go to www.tirerack.com and buy some premium brake products that will last longer and go easier on the rotor while running cleaner to boot. Those OEM organic pads that came with the Focus were the worst...they produced too much brake dust.
Please note: This cap is under pressure when the engine is hot. Do not remove cap while the engine is hot or you will be sprayed with hot antifreeze (most unpleasant, I am sure).
NorwayDoug
The Focus has no pressure cap on the radiator. The cap on the expansion tank allowsd you to add coolant AND maintains system pressure. You add coolant through the cap on the expansion tank on passenger side. As it is the highest part of the system, gravity takes it to the radiator and the rest of the cooling system. The cap on this tank IS the cooling system pressure cap. It does not seem to have a valve to let off excessive pressure as a conventional cap does though.
So, you can remove hoses if you want to flush and fill the system but I simply ran a hose in the expansion tank and flushed it that way. My system was pretty clean after 2 years. I then filled the system with coolant the same way when I was done flushing. I was happily surprized that the system bled itself of air easily.
Gary
in response to norwaydoug,and gmzx3.according to gmzx3 ,i am still confused ,if there is no radiator cap,when you pour water in the reservoir does that go into the radiator,there has to be a radiator ,and every car i ever owned had a cap ,the reservoir is only an overflow for the water ,and recovery ,where is the radiator ,do you have to take something off the top to get at the cap? i appreciate the help from both of you but am still confused.
Sammy