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Ford FocusOverall, it feels cushier than other compacts, both in terms of its comfortable seats and its soft suspension. It's fun to drive, however, with agile handling. It's comfortable on long trips and stable at high speeds. The Focus is among the best of the compacts in terms of ride quality and has been lauded by the enthusiast publications for its handling.
The housing IS the weak link here for sure. Those housings DO warp over time and don't meet up with the cylinder head as they should and subsequently leak. It costs around $50 and could always be the problem, but there are other things to consider as well. First I want to tell you about how smart the Zetec engine can be as far as overheating is concerned. The Zetec-E engine is equipped with a sort of "smart" fail-safe mode whereby you will be notified of an impending overheat situation. Stage 1 is indicated when the CHT sensor transmits a signal to the PCM that basically pegs the temperature gauge out in the RED zone. The multi-function indicator light should come on at this time, but shortly thereafter it may also enter Stage 2. Stage 2 consists of cutting off the function of two of the cars cylinders that restricts the engine to 3000 rpm or so. (To restore function to all four cylinders, the ignition key must be turned off and back on to clear this response to overheating...However the warning light will have to be reset by a scan tool usually) Your MIL should be lit by now, but if it hasn't come on, Stage 3 may be initiated. If the temperature rises to the critical level (read as engine damage imminent!) the engine warning light will begin to flash indicating that the driver has around thirty (30) seconds to get off the road before the car engine is shut down to prevent permanent damage. Cool huh? I have worked on several of these cars and I have found the culprit to either be that poorly engineered thermostat housing (not just simply the part that covers the thermostat itself, but the O-ring seal that takes place BETWEEN the thermostat housing AND the cylinder head), a faulty thermostat, OR (usually) simply the reservoir cap itself that is not functioning correctly. You should always check your coolant levels for sure, and keep your belts in good condition as well. The low speed fan resistor should be checked if you have access to a multi-meter or 12V tester light too. There is a VERY valuable HAYNES manual out there that comes in very handily if you need to trace wires and troubleshoot particular problems. I ALWAYS start ANY car repair with the purchase of one of these books. I guess I have around a dozen or so now, and they have saved me many dollars at the cost of under $20 per volume. No I don't work for HAYNES...lol...but I know a good manual when I see one and these are just that. Do yourself a favor and grab one for your vehicle. Most of these cooling repairs are simple and if you have access to a few simple tools and a Haynes manual you can save yourself hundreds of dollars in mechanic labor by rolling up your sleeves and digging in.
I am having the over-heating problem (basic fluids have been checked) and I would like to replace the thermostat and housing. Where it the thermostat located? Is it a fairly simple job? I am going to buy a used manual and try to do it myself.
Also, how can I check to see if my fans are running.
well first off to check and see if the fans are running you will have to get it up to operating temp and stick your head out the window and listen esp. when at a stop.if you never hear any noise from the fan you can try this: unplug the fan and run a hot wire from the battery and a ground wire. attach the wires to the fan and if the fan does not run switch the wires although if they are like some aftermarket fans i have owned reversing the wires will only change the direction of the rotation. if the fan still does nut run the fan may not be functioning just be sure to unplug it just incase there is a relay or something that will short out if you run a direct line to it ( my wife's 2002 focus with the sohc 2.0 did not show any signs of damage although i did not unplug it just suggesting it to you all just to be cautious) My wife's focus had an overheating problem when driving and if i stopped on the side of the road for about 5 min. with the engine running it would go back to normal and i would get a couple more miles down the road and have to stop again. I looked at the miles and thought it has like 80,000 miles and you know she's been good other than a starter so when i replaced the water pump ( WHICH is run off the timimg belt inside the front cover of the block {no exteral belt and does not run off the serpentine}) although i probably didn't need to do the water pump as i still had the same problem afterward i then replaced the thermostat which was probably my problem anyway i didnot replace the housing but after draining out the system to do the thermostat and evacuating the air my problem went away and down the road the focus goes now at about 100,000 miles we have no problems to report. My way can get exspensive but i usually replace things in systems plus with the miles i feel better knowing that the water pump and the timing belt have 20,000 miles on them hope this is of some help
the themostat is inside the housing follow your top radiator hose to the block they usually hide there front driver side on the Single Over Head Cam engines 2.0 L
Swan1136,
You can check the fans by idling your car in park. Now turn on your air conditioning with the hood opened. Take a flashlight and look to see if both fans are turning. You will HEAR them as well. They should be if they are working correctly. This is on the 2.0L Zetec series DOHC engine. The single OHC should be similar and I will look in my manual tomorrow if you say that is what you have. If the fans are turning then you at least know that part is working correctly. If your car has no air or it is not functioning correctly, you will have to do as phoenix falcon suggests and jumper the fan/fans directly to the battery to check for proper function. If you have never replaced the housing that meets the cylinder block that is another area of concern. This housing warps after a time and allows coolant to leak and/or air to enter the system. The thermostat housing is where phoenix falcon told you it is, just follow the top radiator hose to it. The actual Ford thermostat has an air hole at the top that allows the air to be purged out after replacing the thermostat. I recently bought one from the dealer and the cost for a 2001 Ford Focus 2.0L DOHC was $15.52 for the thermostat and $8.30 for the gasket that goes AROUND the thermostat itself. You will need a TORX set to remove the screws that surround the thermostat. Another option is that the Expansion tank cap is faulty. That particular part costs around $30.00 at the dealer, but Advance had the same part with the "Motorcraft" name marked out for $23.00. Working on these cars is not as cheap as some cars because of all the special molded hoses and what not. If the car has quite a few miles on it, I would look into at least changing the bottom radiator hose when you drain the cooling system. That will cost you another $25.00 at the dealership, but could save you a headache later on. With cooling problems it often seems that replacing one faulty component makes the others fail at a quicker pace. Get a good flush of your radiator while you are at it, that will help as well. Keep us posted on your progress and I will check back this week to see where you are at. Tell us what type of engine you have, and some information on WHAT has been replaced since you first acquired it. Tell us more about the particular overheating issues too if you can. Do you have an MIL lit on the dash, or has it entered Stage 2 I described in my first post above?
2000 Focus (Zetec engine) starts to overheat whenever I use the CD Player for a few minutes. I recently had the thermostat replaced, new radiator hoses, faulty wiring replaced, maxi fuses replaced, new starter, fuel pump & filters.
No idea what it can be now or why it only happens when I use the CD player either. The gauge goes back to normal after I turn on the heater for a few minutes though. Any similar problems?
My focus a 2000 wagon is overheating, it only overheats when i am driving , if the car is in park i could leave it on all day and it does not overheat. When i drive it even for a short distance it overheats. Also when i turn on the heater it doesnt blow out really hot air is more like slightly warm air, and it was making some sort of banging noise from what seemed like under the dashboard somewhere... please help with any info..
Did you check if the car has water in the system? usually when you turn on the heater and the air is just warm is because there is not water in the cooling system,it is leaking somewhere.
My car overheated suddenly whilst driving. I stopped immediately and had it towed in to a Ford garage. They replaced the Therostat housing and the waterpump.I took the car after waiting for it for two weeks.
Three weeks later, whilst driving the exact same thing happens!! I had it taken into another Ford dealer, who opens it up and notifies me that the head is damaged (after doing a block test). The damage comes to R11500.00 and I am waiting to find out what the cause was. Ysterday I was told it was a faulty Thermostat but now I am still waiting for the exact answer since they had to go and investigate.
The previous dealer refuses to take up any of the costs as they claim it was not due to their negligence. What do I do?? I do not have that kind of money, and to pay twice for the same problem??
Hey Guys,
I have a 2001 Focus SE, 130k miles, Zetec, DOHC. Whenever I sit idle, I overheat. The a/c does engage the fans, and it does cool things down when I am stuck in traffic. Things also cool down when I get moving again after 30 secs or so.
I have replaced the thermostat housing, thermostat, water pump, and even gone as far as the cylinder head temperature sensor. I also have fluid in the system.
Any ideas?
A huge thanks in advance!
Last edited by DavidofTN; 03-17-2009 at 09:50 PM..
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