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Ford Focus Hatchback ZX3 - Part X
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roght now my baby is at the autobody shop getting repaired, and I should have it back soon.
PS. I RIPPED the doors off a Neon the other day in a drag race, it felt great especially considering I could hear his cheesy intake so the car had some work. score one for the ZX3!
Also picked up the Focus Accessories catalog, if you are still looking for the chrome exhaust tip you can get it now. Catalog refers you to www.icollection.com but "the Ford store is closed" when I just tried to go there. Will try again later
It was sunny after work today so I immediately hightailed it to the dealers to capture the elusive Zinc ZX2. All the way there (25 mile drive) the sun was out. About 500 feet from the dealer's lot a big ole cloud snuck out and blocked the sun. I patiently waited, fighting off the sales dude, till the sun reappeared.
So I now have some decent Zinc Yellow ZX2 photos. Tomorrow I'll put together a simple web page and post a link here. I may eventually create an all Zinc ZX3 page when I'm done.
I also took a picture of a Kona wheel for those who keep asking about them. I'll stick that there too.
< jwkessler1- check this out www.mcafferty.com
< is this it?
TIA
forward to pics. thanks!
you can get the complete wings west focus body kid and have it painted for about 1500 give or take from www.focussport.com
Kevin
Also - I'm dying for the seat cover part number.
By the way - I called Ford customer service and let them know about my windshield again. They couldn't give me an update on if a recall would be made, or tell me if I would get good glass from Carlite this time. I did however go to Switchboard.com and search on Ford in MI. Carlite's number was there so I called them. They were pretty clueless as well.
I'll keep everyone updated.
"THIS CAR IS Y O U !!"...
I AM VERY, VERY YOUNG AT HEART AND I STILL HAVE THAT LITTLE BOY IN ME.....AND IS HE HAVING FUN DRIVING TO AND FRO FROM WORK.(20 MILES ROUND TRIP). I AM ABOUT TO FINISH MY THIRD TANK FULL OF GAS.....WHAT MPG SHOULD I BE GETTING DURING THE FIRST 12-1500 MILES?....
I HAVE AUTOMATIC TRANS ON MY CD-SILVER "Z" , AC,,,,ETC.....ALSO, THE DEALER COULD NOT GIVE ME A RADIO/CD/CASSETTE. ONLY THE STANDARD RADIO/CD PLAYER.... BUT I REALLY NEED MY CASSETTE PLAYER AS I LISTEN TO A LOT OF MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS AND OLDIES COLLECTIONS.
ANYONE OUT THERE WITH SOME HELP, PLEASE POST ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS......
IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS WEBSITE, I WOULD STILL BE SHOPPING FOR A NEW CAR....
ANYONE WANNA BUY A 1985 VW QUANTUM WAGON? STILL ON MY DRIVEWAY...
I REALLY ENJOY READING YOUR POSTS, IT CONFIRMS THAT WE ARE LUCKY AS ALL H......TO OWN AN INTRODUCTORY MODEL CAR..... GREAT JOB FORD!
I'VE HAD MY Z FOR 16 DAYS AND I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN ANOTHER Z ON THE ROAD, AND I DRIVE AROUND IN A VERY BIG METRO AREA AROUND SCHAUMBURG, IL. AND I FEEL RATHER SPECIAL THAT THERE ARE SO FEW OF US......YET SO MANY PROUD OWNERS....
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR POSTS! JAVILA
Regarding oil filter location, it is located on the firewall (intake) side of the engine, beneath the intake manifold and above the right inner CV joint. If you remove it from above, don't forget that you're spilling about a half quart of oil down the side of the engine and onto surrounding suspension and steering parts. This really should be carefully cleaned up to avoid future problems and any oil burn off smells.
the follow-up. i even got your screen name spelled
right this time.must be a good day or check that
.....moment. also,i have to check that resevoir
mystery you mention
"blowing 42 degrees" he said.
I know he didn't have time to do much more than start the car and talk to the service manager in 15 minutes so maybe i should have rolled the window down then turned the fan on high and waited for the cold air to blow.
Guess what! That's what the other guys i work with do. They roll the window down and drive off clearing the car of the heat from sitting in the baking sun then close the window up when the A/C is blowing cold.
I said before, that i never had a Vehicle that the A/C worked proper so i may have learnt something after all these years
Breaking in an engine.
I guess there are many schools of thinking on this one but i warm the engine up first (always) then drive slow for about one minute.
Again i am OLD SCHOOL and cylinders are honed in a cross hatch pattern like overlapping XXX's and the lubrication for the piston is trapped in between these micro valleys. I drive at various RPMs and at times will rev right into the high 4,000 RPM range wear the peaks out without any worry about glazing the cylinders.
If you follow your MPG you will notice when the engine 'sets' in. You may notice that the engine pulls better and just runs NICER.
And before all you OLD Time Hot Rodders give me the juice about glazing....All i can say is that's what works for me be it Road bikes, Dirt bikes or Chain saws.
Someone responded about my 10 and 2 o'clock steering wheel hand placement and said thumbs in on a 4X4? YIKES!!!!
Have you ever really off roaded? I had a JEEP CJ-7 and a three spoked chrome center steering wheel (took it off of my 68 Charger 440 Magnum) and if one of the front wheels hit a big rock at slow speed the wheel would spin right to the other end of the turn range...Wizzzzzzzzz like a cutting wheel.
I was 4Xing and had my pointer and ring finger resting in the spokes driving low range second gear at idle when Wizzzzzzz the Steering wheel almost cut my fingers off. Hurt like heck and i used the 2 and 10 o'clock from there on.
A word about the 2 and 10 driving style.
At one time cars were optioned with power steering! Egads..yesirreeee it was an option and to crank that car/truck in a hurry the best hand position was 2&10.
Nuff babble for today.
Oh one final mention! I cranked the seat up full to the top (my long brush cut clears the roof by 1.5") and seem to better reach the steering wheel!
Had to move the seat in a wee bit but i am getting used to it now.
Great Forum and please everyone keep us updated on your ZX-3 experiences!
To all: If your alignment is off, how long should it take to pull to the side when you let go of the wheel? when I reach about 70 it seems as soon as I let go (or maybe 2 seconds after--dont worry not for long) car starts veering to the right. Iknow this is not good, but how long (about) should it run straight before it starts to wander? and it seems to not shudder A LOT, but a tad. It SEEMS this way. Could be new owner paranoid
I am taking the car in this Sat. for its first oil change (got it last Sat. But it should have almost 1000 miles on it by then--) and my brakes still whine just about every time I brake -- not counting the first 2 or 3 times but every time after. I am going to have them check the brakes and I probably the alignment too? That's not normal, right?
thanks all, per usual, you ROCK.
Didn't finish, I am at work and should be working which makes me hurry. More careful next time.
I hope your are able to locate the filter, if you look you from the top you may be able to see it, thats how i found it in the showroom
I'm working in an x-ray lab at my job. When I get bored I'll find something interesting to look at like my cell phone or pager. The other day I put my ZX3 keys in it. Pretty interesting. I used to think that the car sent a signal to the chip via the metal in the key. Turns out, the car sends out a RF signal, and a little antenna inside the key picks it up, sends it to the chip and sends a signal back to the car. Oddly, I couldn't see into the chip. I had the x-ray cranked up so that I could see through the metal in the key but not the chip. Pretty dense stuff.
Another thing about the key. I've been told that while it's a great theft deterent for amature thieves, it won't stop the pro's. There are supposed to be "master" keys available. I've heard about this for GM vehicles, but I don't know if it the same for the FOrd key which uses this RF signal instead.
My plan is to eventually make this into an all Yellow ZX3 site. Ya gotta specialize these days.
There is also a nice picture of a Kona 16: wheel there for those who have been looking.
So then we go back to the office and sit down. I asked the young representative why the internet guy had told me they had 15 when they only had three. He wouldn't answer, just said, "I don't know". Then he said they couldn't honor the quote, and added $1000 to the price! I showed him the email with the quote, and he said, "We can't be responsible for the behavior of individuals" in a snitty voice. When I told him that wasn't acceptable he looked at me and said, "I'm going to sell all these cars for msrp this weekend anyway. If you want it you have to pay." Not kidding. Needless to say, I'm not going back there. So no Kona for me--nobody else has them at all and I'm not willing to pay that much. sigh. Oh--and the kicker? This was a "no haggle" dealership owned by Ford.
You did the right thing walking away. I would try a different dealer. You may have run into a jerk. I had a pretty good experience with mine.
Also, it is late in the model year, he may have done you a favor as you can get a newer model most likely at a better deal. My first dealer told me the ZX3 he was offering had 2000 miles on it!!!?? I went elsewhere and got a better deal anyway. Pays to shop around. You should be able to swing a great deal if they want to move the 2000 model. Surprised he thinks they will move so quickly. Maybe BS. Do your homework elsewhere on this site and go armed with info on price and availability.
Good luck,
Also, thanks for the stock number guys.
Regarding the Kona, why do you want to pay all that $$ for a bunch of (IMHO) tacky accessories and an overpriced bicycle? A standard ZX3 will perform every bit as well and won't look so stupid in a few years when all this "extreme lifestyle" nonsense becomes the next Pet Rock. For the money you'll save, you can get one heck of a bike, a rack, and a few baubles to individualize your car. Think it over, and don't let one slimeball dealer sour you on the car.
Next time I go to supermarket I'll look in veg. oils section, see if they sell peanut oil.
Yo're right, it would be a neater way to remove old wax stains from exterior black plastic trim. That is, if it's oil in peanutbutter that does the wax-removing. (But it seems, that would have to be the case).
zx3
zx3
Kevin
".......whoever put peanut butter ontheir car) Any dogs in your neighborhood? I'm
wondering if they might not mistake your molding
for a treat? {slobber, slobber} not to mentionscratches...... very ingenious idea -- btw, just a thought about fragrance, though..."
Heh. Cracked-up when I read that one.
Anyway --- Nope, no doggie-problems (yet).
BTW, I think WildMuthaFocus was originator of peanut butter solution.
Also, I'm gonna try Sega's suggestion that Peanut Oil would be even better, cleaner method.
zx3
For your first 100 miles do NOT exceed 76,469 RPM.
Why?
You'd have warranty problems.
zx3
Someone told me its at rear of engine.
If I raise hood, where exactly do I look, to see filter?
I would love to change my own oil, but I was told .... "Can't do it without putting your z up on ramps".
No?/Yes? Thanks for any info.
zx3
I still got asked did I want the 3 or 4 door ZX3 !
The filter is in the rear of the engine as you said. the hardest part of this is finding the hole and sliding your arm through it correctly.
It may make a difference if you have a/c, but i dunno. My car has no options and if you have crusie and a/c that opening may not be there, but i am not sure
in. i have a black z,oridinally stated out for autumn orange,if yellow was available at the time
(january) i would have went for it.i call my z the
beast because it is ugly in a beautiful sort of way.by the way ive noticed this summer at least here in the philly area that orange + yellow is
featured in clothing lines.noticed walking through the malls,every window has some kind orange or yellow.noticing more yellow cars on
road recently as well.
drebe73- is it really that hot in florida this summer?........just kidding? i know where your coming from. would you ever go back to auto now?
dont forget drebe i m presently dating the twin.
started , its that old age thing. i swear i even use spellcheck.-my apologies
Then I read here that the Yellow was now available. I'm no kid, but I do like to pretend, so I went for it. Also my first car, a 1976 AMC Pacer, was yellow, and I loved that car.
So now I'm waiting, not very patiently, to see how the ZX3 really looks in Zinc.
Anyone know why "Zinc" and yellow are related? I've been checking in my dictionary, and can't find a connection. It does sound kwel though.
being very popular in that color.there were many
on the road at that time in the philly area.those
who owned them seemed to be as passionate about them,very much in the same vain as the zx3. being
a love it or hate it design.i do dig the yellow z.
black is a lot of work,its the only exercise i get
in my advancing years.the red z looks good.ive seen
more reds than other colors.i remember silver being
a tough color to match and it fading badly.of course,im making reference to those silvers from mid-seventies.car finishes used to show rust pits in the first year.even if you waxed frequently.
no comparison,todays finishes are much,much,better.
as i have posted previously,i like all the color choices of the z.its probably true as you get older
you get wiser and you tend to go more with what
pleases yourself.if you like yellow,go for it without regard of what others may think of it.its
your money after all.thanks for posting the pics.
much appreciated!
I've been checking in my dictionary, and can't find
a connection. It does sound kwel though.
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I'm a potter and work with Zinc in glazes. It is a quiet kind of yellow color.