2003 Zetec problems

focus2l2010 · 05-12-2010, 02:05 PM

Hi all,
I have owned a 2003 Focus Zetec for about three months now and haven't been happy with the perfomance from day one and hope someone can help.
At first i didn't like it when the revs held up when changing gears but im over that now (Ford dealer told me that was common to all Focus's)
My biggest problem is the lack of power when the car is under load, like driving up hill, it almost seems to me like the engine is being retarded by the enginge management system beacause the more i try to accelerate the worse it gets.
I owned a 1.3 festiva before the focus and i could go up the same hills faster in that.
I'm using 95 unleaded and getting about 9.2lt per 100k doing about 40/60 city highway driving.
I have also noticed some pinging under load.
Ford have checked the car out and say there is nothing wrong and no faults have been registered. Thanks Adam

melbzetec · 05-12-2010, 04:59 PM

Very hard to diagnose from this, but I'd suggest checking if the catalytic converter is on it's last legs. That is a common problem (dealers wouldn't have a clue) and makes the engine feel bogged down.

A question though....if it was like this from day one, why did you buy it?

focus2l2010 · 05-12-2010, 08:44 PM

Well you know what its like you take it for a 15 minute test drive and you dont notice everything and i had just got out of a festiva.
Plus its not like it all the time, sometimes it seems ok.
Would the catalytic converter go within 55,000 km's?

Talldude · 05-12-2010, 09:43 PM

When was its last service?

New plugs, oil, filters etc.

If the problem is still there then a new cat is needed.

melbzetec · 06-12-2010, 08:21 AM

2003 with only 55k? Sounds a good buy.
Yes the cat can go in that time. A number of Focus' on here had this problem including me. If it is the cat don't get a quote from the local Ford Dealer as you'll faint at the price. Import one from the US or UK and get an exhaust shop to fit one. Check out Central Florida Motorsports, or European-parts.

focus2l2010 · 06-12-2010, 08:45 AM

Had the oil and filter 5,000k ago and is due to have 60k service in 5,000k time, from what i can tell all the filters, plugs and fluids get changed then.

Yeah it was a good buy if i can get it run like it should, coz at the moment its a of disapointment.

Do you think if is the cat that it might stiil come under the dealers 3 month warranty or the extended warranty?

melbzetec · 06-12-2010, 01:55 PM

Should be covered. It's not an item like brake pads etc.

If I was you, I'd take it to the RACV, NRMA, RACQ or wherever you live, pay for a vehicle inspection, then take that back to the dealers for a warranty claim

melbzetec · 06-12-2010, 02:16 PM

Should be covered. It's not an item like brake pads etc.

If I was you, I'd take it to the RACV, NRMA, RACQ or wherever you live, pay for a vehicle inspection, then take that back to the dealers for a warranty claim

focus2l2010 · 07-12-2010, 09:12 AM

Ok thanks i'll look into doing that.

entheos · 07-12-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by focus2l2010

Had the oil and filter 5,000k ago and is due to have 60k service in 5,000k time, from what i can tell all the filters, plugs and fluids get changed then.

Yeah it was a good buy if i can get it run like it should, coz at the moment its a of disapointment.

Do you think if is the cat that it might stiil come under the dealers 3 month warranty or the extended warranty?

Definitely would be covered if they can diagnose it to be that.

The cats have been known to fail in very short times...e.g. I know of one XR5 which was stock that was only 4 months and 18,000kms old....and it took them 2 weeks to figure it out...essentially hopefully it will be happening when you take it in or when the diagnostic equipment is plugged in it should hopefully have a code thrown in the log.

Hope it's sorted for you sooner rather than later....also if it's getting close to your 3 months, I'd get it in ASAP. :P

focus2l2010 · 07-12-2010, 12:45 PM

Thanks to all for your advice.

FOCUSonTHIS · 09-12-2010, 05:55 PM

Maybe even run on 98RON fuel rather than 95RON

focus2l2010 · 19-12-2010, 09:53 PM

Update
I had the dealer look into the problem, at first they laughed when i said about the cat. They took it for a test drive and without having anything to compare it to they thought it performed ok.
So i asked them to look into further coz i didn't believe it was how it should be, they looked into it more and found the cat was clogged.
They replaced the cat with a aftermarket one coz they said the ford one was unavailable (not sure what brand).
Got the car back on friday and it is like another car, it now has power and it goes hard like its meant to.
So my next question is can i expect to replace the cat again? or is this a one off?
What causes a cat to clog?
Thanks to all Adam

melbzetec · 19-12-2010, 11:28 PM

The problem seems to be caused by the cat being so close to the engine. Designed to bring it up to heat quickly to minimize harmful emissions, but the question is, does it get too hot in Australian temperatures?

Not sure if it will happen again....certainly haven't heard of it happening twice on the same car, but some of us opted for the Cosworth/ST170 header conversion which places the cat under the car, rather than behind the radiator

I'm glad they found it. As I said in post 2, the dealers wouldn't have a clue!

Talldude · 20-12-2010, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melbzetec

The problem seems to be caused by the cat being so close to the engine. Designed to bring it up to heat quickly to minimize harmful emissions, but the question is, does it get too hot in Australian temperatures?

Not sure if it will happen again....certainly haven't heard of it happening twice on the same car, but some of us opted for the Cosworth/ST170 header conversion which places the cat under the car, rather than behind the radiator

I'm glad they found it. As I said in post 2, the dealers wouldn't have a clue!

Don't mean to thread hi-jack but..... can I get more info on this cosworth/ST170 header conversion please.

cheers

melbzetec · 20-12-2010, 10:03 PM

Its simply the replacement of the stock "shorty" header on the Zetec, and replace it with the ST170 header, aftermarket cat and flexpipe. The ST170 header was designed by Cosworth and is a tuned length header. It has continuously been shown as the very best performing header for the Zetec engines

It is also known as the Ford Racing long tube header (doesn't have the boltholes for a heat shield).

The cat sits under the car rather than in front of the radiator.

http://focus.c-f-m.com/salefordfocus...ssvtst170.aspx

http://focus.c-f-m.com/cfmhighflowca...4svtfocus.aspx

http://focus.c-f-m.com/newitemcfm212...ssvtst170.aspx.

NOTE: Do NOT look at the Zetec long tube header from the states. It is an adapted SVT (ST170) header that has an EGR tube attached. Australian Zetec engines do not have an EGR tube, so you'll only pay more for something you don't need (trust me, I did it)

Talldude · 21-12-2010, 03:08 PM

Thanks for the reply!

Something to save up for now.

photn · 21-12-2010, 03:28 PM

I got mine from Euro parts which is the european one. i opted for the heat sheild to keep the incognito look.

Vines5161 · 25-12-2010, 11:24 PM

It sound like I may have the same problem with my LR Zetec. About 2 month ago I killed the coil pack and then drove home about 40kms on 2 cylinders. Coil pack replaced but since then I have had the engine check light on. Plugged in the OBD and I was getting a P4020 fault with the O2 sensors. I have now replaced both sensors and reset fault light only to have it come back on about 120kms later. Have I killed the cat in the process? New cat from Ford, $1800 plus fitting. Must be gold plated. Any ideas please?

Talldude · 26-12-2010, 09:33 AM

hey

http://focus.c-f-m.com/magnaflowhigh...ocuszetec.aspx

even with shipping should be around $450 - $500. or you could try a wreckers and see if they have one.

Wreckers might be the cheapest option but it is second hand. worth a shot though

Talldude · 28-01-2011, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photn

I got mine from Euro parts which is the european one. i opted for the heat sheild to keep the incognito look.

Do you(or anyone else) know where to get a heat shield for a ST170 or is the same as the zetec one?

cheers

melbzetec · 28-01-2011, 12:25 PM

No, it's a different heat shield to Zetec.

Not sure where to get one...a quick search of ebay and ebay UK didn't turn up anything. A post in the parts wanted section of Focus Fanatics may turn up something.

Also, noticed this from CFM
http://focus.c-f-m.com/highflowcatpipe.aspx
A highflow replacement for stock Zetec cat...on sale at $200+

Talldude · 28-01-2011, 08:35 PM

Dang

Yeah I noticed that CAT but I have ST170 headers in my garage have to get off my **** and order the other parts so 1 can fit it onto my car.

I did find one link for a heat shield:

http://www.teamtorquesteer.co.uk/foc...eatshield.html

damn fugly though.