hi folks, I've recently bought a 2000 1.4 focus zetec 's' which is a great little car , i don't know why i didn't buy a focus years ago instead of all the other rubbish I've been running around in, however the engine makes a strange noise on cold start up, it eventually quietens down apart from a steady rotational knocking from the engine. i see in the manual it advises to adjust the tappits at 80,000 and mine has done 97,000. the vehicle was previously owned by a skiing instructor so it spent 6 months of every year stored in a warehouse, i'm wondering if the tappet sound may be due to the fact its spent most of its life in storage.
any advice would be greatly appreciated - cheerz

 

The clearances are 100K or 10 years (from Haynes) they are a bit of a pain to adjust though as they are a 'shim' adjustment. You need to do the maths and add/remove shims to obtain the correct clearance.

It may just need a good run,when was the oil changed?

Martin

 

hi martin
i changed the oil about a week ago, loud tappets sounds that eventually quieten to a singular tap tap tap sound.
also the other problem i forgot to mention before is the auto choke doesnt seem to work when i crank her over in the morning, if i turn the key without depressing the throttle it barley ticks over, almost on the point of stalling, the once i give her a blip on the throttle she'll pick up and run at just over 1000 revs, once its warm it doesnt seem to happen, only on cold start, i wonder if any of you chaps may have any ideas?
cheers
steve

 

FI cars do not have 'chokes', instead a valve is fitted (ISCV) that allows air to bypass the throttle. In this case this is the sole control of idle, so it should in theory stall without it working.

It may be worth removing it and cleaning it.

Martin

 

hi martin, when you say (isvc) are you talking about the idle valve? as ive replaced that with a new one.
i had a thought today about the tappet sounds tho - ive used nonstandard ford oil filters, do only ford oil filters have non return valves? and also i wonder if there is a particular grade of oil thats best for the zetec?

regards
steve

 

ISCV= Idle Speed Control Valve, yes.

With these it's not a case of just fitting it as the ECU has to 'learn' the new valve, it's worth disconnecting the battery for a moment, so the 'KAM' is cleared. (Make sure you have your radio code etc before doing so) if not there is another way to achieve this.

Yes 5W/30 is the correct viscosity, wouldn't have though so tbh, I don't think a manufacture would sell something if it would not work.

I have used non genuine in the past without issue.

Martin

 

thanks martin.

I've bought a maf sensor (inc. housing) for my 2000 1.4 zetec S.
can any of you folks detail to me the exact procedure to fit, as i believe i may have to disconnect the battery and i'm not sure at what point i disconnect it whether before or after i fit said sensor.
although i'm fairly competent with mechanical things i'd appreciate it if you could be as detailed as you can.
thanx guys

 

hi folks
just an update on this strange 'tappet like' noise that haven't been able to diagnose, my local ford garage told me it was an aux belt issue.
I've replaced the belt, tensioner and idler but still the noise is present.
i wish i could post an audio file on here as it would be better than trying to describe.
if it was tappets the noise would be present all the time i guess but this noise is only for the first 10 mins of running in the morning.
i wonder whether the cam belt tensioner/water pump might be blown out perhaps.
me heds done in with it to be fair

 

Had this on a 1.6 Focus, it was the water pump.