Prepurchase Inspection Mechanic Recommendation

Skazi · Tue Apr 03, 2012 9:56 am

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and looking for a used Focus to buy.

Can anyone recommend an independent Ford mechanic to do a prepurchase inspection of a Focus. It'll be a 2000-2007 model, most likely 2005.

I'm looking for a ZX5 manual without the timebomb engine, and they're pretty hard to find. So, I think I'm reserved to the sedan now.

Thanks

Tue Apr 03, 2012 12:45 pm

The ZX3 and ZX5 were only offered in the U.S. with the Zetec and Duratec which are both virtually bulletproof.

The engine to stay away from came in the sedan, the SPI single cam, it is a grenade.

.

Patalrob · Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:28 pm

FORDSVTPARTS wrote:The ZX3 and ZX5 were only offered in the U.S. with the Zetec and Duratec which are both virtually bulletproof.

The engine to stay away from came in the sedan, the SPI single cam, it is a grenade.

.

SPI was a 1.9 L right?

Redlineracer12 · Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:35 pm

Patalrob wrote:
FORDSVTPARTS wrote:The ZX3 and ZX5 were only offered in the U.S. with the Zetec and Duratec which are both virtually bulletproof.

The engine to stay away from came in the sedan, the SPI single cam, it is a grenade.

.
SPI was a 1.9 L right?

No it was still a 2.0L in the Focus, actually might have been more cubic inches then the Zetec... The tell tale sign is the SOHC instead of DOHC though. Well that and the natural knocking sound the SPI makes lol

I think back in the Escort days there might have been a 1.9L SPI...

Patalrob · Tue Apr 03, 2012 7:02 pm

Redlineracer12 wrote:
No it was still a 2.0L in the Focus, actually might have been more cubic inches then the Zetec... The tell tale sign is the SOHC instead of DOHC though. Well that and the natural knocking sound the SPI makes lol

I think back in the Escort days there might have been a 1.9L SPI...

Thats when SPI's were still good.

The SPI also had a big valve cover. Zetec has a marking on the top of the valve cover "Zetec" and the Duratec is the 05 plus years.

Tue Apr 03, 2012 9:54 pm

Redlineracer12 wrote:
No it was still a 2.0L in the Focus, actually might have been more cubic inches then the Zetec... The tell tale sign is the SOHC instead of DOHC though. Well that and the natural knocking sound the SPI makes lol.

That and the telltale chunks of valve seat flying out the tail pipe.

Skazi · Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:43 am

OK, so avoid the SOHC, right

Any recommendation on a mechanic around the Twin Cities to do a prepurchase inspection?

Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:11 am

Skazi wrote:OK, so avoid the SOHC, right

Any recommendation on a mechanic around the Twin Cities to do a prepurchase inspection?

What part of town are you in?

Skazi · Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:12 am

I'm in SW Minneapolis, but could be buying the car anywhere, so anywhere within the area is OK with me.

I'm hoping to find someone who knows their way around a Focus.

Patalrob · Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:34 am

I'm in Aitkin, MN 2.5 hrs strait north of minneapolis. Doubt you'll be buying a car this far north though.

Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:07 pm

To be honest they're pretty basic, if it's clean and well maintained it's probably fine.

If it's a Zetec or SVT (especially SVT) see if the timing belt has beeen done, if it's an automatic does it shift properly?

If it's a ratty, beat up rattletrap then it's going to need a lot of help.

Doc · Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:02 am

At how many miles should that timing belt be replaced?

hermitmaster · Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:19 am

70,000 to be safe on an SVT.

Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:59 am

It's not just miles, it's years as well.

I wouldn't go past eight years or 90k miles on an SVT.

The Zetec being non-interference isn't such a big deal since 99% of the time a timing belt failure isn't catastrophic, Ford suggests 120k on the Zetec.