My "new" 05 focus ZX3

[pete c]

For the last 6 months or so, I have been throwing around the idea of getting a replacement work vehicle. I am a field engineer and drive a lot. About 50K in my first year in the field.

My trusty 09 Sonata 5 speed 4 cylinder was still getting the job done, but I wanted something that would get the same or better mileage, 32+ and have room enough for me to carry my 29er mountainbike AND tools/parts.

I gave serious thought to a TDI, preferably a jetta wagon, but, with the price differential, made even more so, with the drops in fuel prices, I kind of figured a TDI wouldn't make $$$ sense. So, I started looking real hard at foci. I was most interested in the wagons, but, was having trouble finding one without rust issues. Last week I found an 05 ZX3 5 speed with 82K. asking 2750. Rebuilt title.

I wnt and checked it out, expecting to find some sort of evidence of a hard hit somewhere underneath. I could find none. And underneath it was 100% rust free. Took it for a ride. Steers/brakes like a new car. Outside looks very good, I'd say a 8.5/10. A few dings, light scratches. Very nice black paint.

I ran a carfax and found that it was totaled in MD in 2009 with 52K. The value then had to be reasonably high, so something happened. But, I will be damned if I can find anything. Someone at focusfanatics.com said sounds like flood damage, run away. I thought about it for a bit, how well it drove/looked, the complete lack of rust and decided fuggit, I'm gonna take my chances.

Got it for 2500 bucks. I am about 900 miles in and am extremely impressed. Handles nice, engine runs flawlessly and looks new. Shifts very nice and has nice low torque. Pulling away from a stop is very easy, something which was a major PITA with my Sonata. That damn thing is the fussiest car to launch I have ever owned.

The single issue I have found, so far is the fuel tank has a venting issue. Takes a good ten minutes to get 12 gallons into it. May be a clogged charcoal cannister from what I have read at FF.

Don't have enough miles to get a really good idea about mpg, but first tank I calculated to about 36 mpg. A good bit of 70+ hiway in that tank. Second tank, I measured 41!!!! It was an 11 gallon fill, so I don't think it is too far off. A good bit of this tank was 2 lane state highway, typical New England rolling hills where you can really take advantage of EOCing.

I will be starting a mileage log and hope to stay on the proper sode of 40 mpg.

As for mods, I did the first one when I got it home. Pulled the rear seats, turning it into a little hatchback pick up truck. Thinking of calling it the Fochero, in honor of Ford's attempt at a pickup/car hybrid back in the 60-70s.

With the rear seat out, I can stand my 29er mountain bike up, facing rearward with the front tire and seat post removed.

Will definitely be getting a scanguage type thingy soon. No real plans to go all aero-geek on it. Maybe a belly pan or landscape edging airdamn.

I also would like to install cruise control. I realize you don't get your best mileage with it, but, on the highway, CC keeps me away from speeding tickets. Although, I must admit that being smaller and just slightly shorter geared than the Sonata, this is less of a problem. The Sonata would creep past 80 mph way too easily on downgrades. This thing gets a little buzzy and a tire balance ussue also becomes apparent at about 72 mph. The tire balance thing is probably a good thing as it is a no cost speed warning system.

[user removed]

Not sure how the evaporative emissions system could cause your refilling issue. Maybe try a block of wood under the rear tire nearest the fuel filler neck. Cars with fairly flat tanks under the rear seat and long fill tubes for the gas can really fight a fill up if your rear end is even slightly downhill.

regards
mech

[spacemanspif]

Nice score on the Focus! Check the hatch wiring soon. I haven't found anything major with mine yet just little stupid things and I have 2x the miles as you. I think I'd have been better off with an auto, as my commute is mostly highway, I use cruise control all the time and the autos are geared taller than the manuals.

[pete c]

yeah, a taller 5th would be nice. I think next time I get tires, I am going to look at going with something a tad taller. Cheap way of getting a higher final drive.

Does anyone know if the 5th gear can be swapped to anything taller as can be done with saturns?

Have you done a FI cutoff switch? That is something I want to do as well. As with many newer cars, turning the ignition to the ACC position kills the headlights. This is a bit un-nerving on dark state hiways. And likely a good way to get you pulled over by "the man".

[spacemanspif]

Final drive ratios can be changed but options are limited and you have to tear apart the trans to do so, or swap a whole trans. I plan on getting taller tires one day too to try and bring the RPM down a little. Been looking into a kill switch, the injectors and coils share a common power wire and the computer controls all their grounds for activation so interrupting that power wire would be a kill switch option. JediSol uses a switch in line with his crank position sensor and one day I am going to test interrupting one wire and see if that will work for a kill switch, I know unplugging the sensor works to kill it but I'm not sure yet if 1 wire will cause the engine to stop.

[pete c]

whatever is done, you want to make sure the FI is being cut, not just spark, to avoid dumping raw fuel without ignition.

Do you have a factory manual? I will get a Haynes/Chilton one, but sometimes the schematics aren't the best. Let me know how the CPS switch works out.

[spacemanspif]

I bought a factory wiring manual off eBay for a few bucks. The Haynes manual is useless for wiring. All the schematics are "general"...in other words, nothing like the car you are working on.

Here are the pictures of the injector wiring and crank sensor wiring from my build thread:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/467525-post55.html

[pete c]

Thanks.

To answer the questions asked at the bottom of the pic, a twisted pair is just what it says. The two wires are twisted. It is done for a erason. If I remember my basic electronics from about a million years ago, it is a common way to carry low frequency signals. "shield" means that the wires are inside a grounded metal sheath. This is done to keep outside noise from being induced onto the wire as well as keeping the wire's signal from being transmitted out to surrounding wires.

If I had to guess what would be the best way to kill the injectors, I think I would try adding a short across the crank position sensor. The CPS is just a switch any way, so shorting across it doesn't harm anything. You could simply run a shielded pair of wires to the cockpit and put a momentary switch there. I think this is a better option than putting a relay in series with the signal. That is more complicated and if your added wire fails, you are dead on the side of the road. If the short wire opens, everything keeps running.

[spacemanspif]

Wires run directly back to the computer located next to the glove box, I've been thinking of cutting one, extending it to a switch and running it back. All under the dash, no holes to drill through the firewall. Just haven't gotten to it yet and still haven't confirmed that interrupting 1 wire will cause the engine to shut down. If you are more motivated than me please forge ahead and let us know how it works out.

[NeilBlanchard]

I had a 2002 ZX5 and had lots of troubles. Tie rod ends that wore out in just a few years. Steering box that leaked fluid and the whole thing had to be replaced. The red paint started to flake off all over the car - I would wash it by hand, and flakes came off on the rag.

Last straw was a leaking clutch master cylinder at just under 50K miles.

It drove great - handling and brakes were excellent. But I could not justify the quality issues; so I traded it in for my 2005 Scion xA.