Mk2 focus st things to look out for

[anonymous-user]

Evening Ford marque!

First time I have even looked at purchasing a ford! (Be gentle with me! )

I am looking at purchasing a focus st-3 mk2.

As I understand it, oil service is 12K and cambelt is 125K / 10 year lifespan?

Common problems:

Sit in 6th gear at 40mph and drive, if revs rise then clutch is on it's way out.

Clicking or clunks over bumps (driveshafts)

Back bumper and rear arch rust!

High pitched whistle when you pull the dipstick out (warm) Oil diaphragm split.

White smoke on idle,struggling to start or misfires (cracked liners on engine block)

Boost gauge on a stock engine should be at 12oclock (directly in the middle)

If its past 12 or in the red it's remapped.

If its under 12oclock then something wrong with the car.

If on boost is erractic then boost solenoid needs changing.

Above are my personal notes gathered through research on here,scooby world and focuk.

Does anyone have anything to add or wish that you knew before you purchased one?

Prepared for crap front tyre wear and poor mpg so thats all good


Cheers all

[swooshiain]

If you look at orange ones, check the bonnet in particular for the state of the lacquer coat - if it's starting to come away and is patchy, it's quite a tricky respray as it can be hard to match the colour with the wings. I know of a few body shops that won't take the job on.

[anonymous-user]

swooshiain said:

If you look at orange ones, check the bonnet in particular for the state of the lacquer coat - if it's starting to come away and is patchy, it's quite a tricky respray as it can be hard to match the colour with the wings. I know of a few body shops that won't take the job on.

Thank you, was planning to avoid a orange one through reading, dark blue or black for me

[thebigmacmoomin]

Water ingress.

I had water leak into the boot on mine so had to seal the seams around the boot hinge. This has now stopped.


Service intervals are 12.5k or a year, what ever is first. Focus RS spark plugs are an upgrade but my Ford dealer cant find the part numbers.

No idea about belts.

Fuel enconomy .... 20mpg around town & about 35mpg on a long motorway run.

Tax .... expensive but not the top bracket.

Insurance .... age dependant but mine is around £250 with 9 years + NCB and 0 points.

Edited by thebigmacmoomin on Tuesday 14th August 14:01

[Podie]

RS spark plugs are a step cooler. They're also cheaper, so a lot of people use them. Genuine ones are getting harder and harder to find though.

Belts are 10 years, but most get it done sooner. Consider the water pump at the same time, as well as the "block mod" as both standard and remapped cars have been known to crack liners.

Watch for the cheap / poorly executed mods.

If still on originsl suspenion, expect it to handle like a boat. Driver side seat bolsters wear quite badly. Check sills for rust, as even later cars are 8-10 years old now.

[zedx19]

I've got a mk2 ST, had it 16 months ish now, still love it. I wanted a standard one, looked at many before settling on the 2010 one I bought. It was completely standard and had always been standard as I got in touch with the previous owner. I've had cambelt/waterpump/block mod done earlier this year, I've de-res the standard exhaust, RS plugs and a remap taking it to 280bhp ish. Mine's a company car effectively although I do little mileage but it does result in a fuel card which is a bonus, I get 30mpg average but a heavy right foot will see that drop to 23mpg.

If you go for a facelift, a lot of the niggly problems that affected the pre-facelift are cured. The facelift still looks quite fresh as well imo and is a lot nicer inside, together with more toys making it easier to live with. Generally solid and reliable cars but look out for white smoke indicating cracked liner and rust where the rear bumper meets the arch (result of bumper rubbing away paint). Boost wise if it goes to halfway on the boost gauge, it's standard, if it goes into the red it's mapped. Clutch's can be hit and miss, mines on 70k and fine but many will slip once mapped due to the massive torque.

Another tip, don't thrash it till the oil's up to temp and don't turn it off till the oils back down to a normal temp. It's widely thought that lack of mechanical sympathy results in cracked liners on these. Don't let cracked liner internet talk put you off though, it does happen but with some sympathy and block mod, it'll be fine. Cambelts every 10 year and will cost 300-400 including waterpump. Where I had mine done it was 600 quid all in for block mod/cambelt/water pump/gaskets etc and took a few hours.

Here's a link to mine, in a subtle colour rather than the usual shouty orange or blue.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Podie]

zedx19 said:

I
Another tip, don't thrash it till the oil's up to temp and don't turn it off till the oils back down to a normal temp. It's widely thought that lack of mechanical sympathy results in cracked liners on these. Don't let cracked liner internet talk put you off though, it does happen but with some sympathy and block mod, it'll be fine.

RS oil cooler is a worthwhile upgrade. Can be found for around £150 if you know where to look.

[anonymous-user]

Thanks all for your replies will be sure to check boot stops and seat bolsters and base.

It won't happen for another year as my girlfriends age makes it no go on insurance for at least another year (worst bragging ever I know )


My plan was to try and pick up a st3 for around 5-6K with less than 100K on the clock.

It seems realistic now looking on auto trader etc, would it be worth me trying to save more and definitely ONLY getting a facelift version or are pre facelifts still good?

We have a terrible parking situation so unfortunately it will pickup marks and scratches hence not going for a top example.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

[zedx19]

IMO there are a lot of little tweaks both visually, specification and reliability wise that make the FL worth going for. I set out with a similar budget to you, but then after looking at many many examples for sale, upped my budget massively. The mk2 ST sold in the bucket loads so there's loads on the market but 90% of them are dogs when you view them in the flesh.

[Ahbefive]

Personally I prefer the pre-facelift front end and the needles on the dials.

They are good cars, a friend has a modded one and with 300bhp it is incredibly torquey.

[anonymous-user]

zedx19 said:

IMO there are a lot of little tweaks both visually, specification and reliability wise that make the FL worth going for. I set out with a similar budget to you, but then after looking at many many examples for sale, upped my budget massively. The mk2 ST sold in the bucket loads so there's loads on the market but 90% of them are dogs when you view them in the flesh.

I can probably stretch my budget for a decent one, I will up the money on autotrader and I could cover some extra for the right one, will gun for facelift and see how I go.

Ahbefive said:

Personally I prefer the pre-facelift front end and the needles on the dials.

They are good cars, a friend has a modded one and with 300bhp it is incredibly torquey.

I have heard they are torquey in basically every gear, must I have looked at have aftermarket exhaust too release some of that 5 pot goodness

[Zetec-S]

thebigmacmoomin said:

Water ingress.

I had water leak into the boot on mine so had to seal the seams around the boot hinge. This has now stopped.

This. Not ST specific, but check the boot for any signs of water, seems to be a fairly common problem.

[Podie]

zedx19 said:

IThe mk2 ST sold in the bucket loads so there's loads on the market but 90% of them are dogs when you view them in the flesh.

Agreed. There were plenty of dogs when I bought 5 years ago... can't imagine it's got any better.

[zedx19]

RE: Aftermarket exhausts, the standard system is pretty good and with a de-res they sound very good without having an intrusive drone. Before I got mine I too looked at aftermarket exhausts but I'm very happy with just a de-res. If you want 300+bhp though, you'll need 3 inch downpipe, sports cat and 3 inch cat back though so then you have to go aftermarket. De-res is cheap though so try that first if all you want is a bit of noise and some pops and bangs.

[DukeDickson]

BAM225 said:

Evening Ford marque!

First time I have even looked at purchasing a ford! (Be gentle with me! )

I am looking at purchasing a focus st-3 mk2.

As I understand it, oil service is 12K and cambelt is 125K / 10 year lifespan?

Common problems:

Sit in 6th gear at 40mph and drive, if revs rise then clutch is on it's way out.

Clicking or clunks over bumps (driveshafts)

Back bumper and rear arch rust!

High pitched whistle when you pull the dipstick out (warm) Oil diaphragm split.

White smoke on idle,struggling to start or misfires (cracked liners on engine block)

Boost gauge on a stock engine should be at 12oclock (directly in the middle)

If its past 12 or in the red it's remapped.

If its under 12oclock then something wrong with the car.

If on boost is erractic then boost solenoid needs changing.

Above are my personal notes gathered through research on here,scooby world and focuk.

Does anyone have anything to add or wish that you knew before you purchased one?

Prepared for crap front tyre wear and poor mpg so thats all good


Cheers all

for doing some research and most of it is generally correct.

Yep on the belts

Clutch is a normal test, but might also indicate it has been non-standard at some point, or abused. Mine was fine at over 200k, which is better than the replacement, which could already be iffy (and I've never had to replace one ).

Never had driveshaft or knees issue (and always wonder if this is more of an upgrade thing), but did have the diaphragm. It comes quickly and does do damage if not sorted very quickly.

I think, unless memory is shot, std can briefly go beyond that briefly (and I'm 100% certain mine was standard).

Had the rear wheel arch issue.

Interior is plasticky, but hardier than people might think. I may have a picture somewhere of a 200k+ interior looking ok, with seat bolsters looking ok & I was a proper fat bd for the first half of that, so they should have looked worse than normal.

Fuel and tyres are never going to be exceptional, but like the clutch, are to at least some extent linked to whether or not you modify and driving style. I probably averaged about 27mpg and replaced fronts at 14k and rears every 30 or so. I did also manage some very healthy mileages on brake pads, without ever being remotely slow when I wanted to be , hence the driving style comment .

[Podie]

Another thought - the rear bushes on the front wishbones are known to perish. Aftermarket options often cheaper.

Also if there is a "clunk" changing from first to second you probably want to change the lower torque mount

[anonymous-user]

DukeDickson said:

for doing some research and most of it is generally correct.

Yep on the belts

Clutch is a normal test, but might also indicate it has been non-standard at some point, or abused. Mine was fine at over 200k, which is better than the replacement, which could already be iffy (and I've never had to replace one ).

Never had driveshaft or knees issue (and always wonder if this is more of an upgrade thing), but did have the diaphragm. It comes quickly and does do damage if not sorted very quickly.

I think, unless memory is shot, std can briefly go beyond that briefly (and I'm 100% certain mine was standard).

Had the rear wheel arch issue.

Interior is plasticky, but hardier than people might think. I may have a picture somewhere of a 200k+ interior looking ok, with seat bolsters looking ok & I was a proper fat bd for the first half of that, so they should have looked worse than normal.

Fuel and tyres are never going to be exceptional, but like the clutch, are to at least some extent linked to whether or not you modify and driving style. I probably averaged about 27mpg and replaced fronts at 14k and rears every 30 or so. I did also manage some very healthy mileages on brake pads, without ever being remotely slow when I wanted to be , hence the driving style comment .

Why thank you very much


Thanks for your input, I will probably end up driving it like I stole it on occasion, although not concerned about tyres or mpg.

Will definitely keep an eye for clutch and oil diaphragm.

Good to know they can take a bit of wear on the interior too

Podie said:

Another thought - the rear bushes on the front wishbones are known to perish. Aftermarket options often cheaper.

Also if there is a "clunk" changing from first to second you probably want to change the lower torque mount

Thanks will add that to my list

[V-Rod]

Good thread, thanks for the research as I have just bought a 2006 ST-3 with that lovely 225 engine.

Its an orange 5 door as that was my wife's requirement when we decided to look around, a one owner from new with 7,800 miles never modified with heated leather Recaro's that are like new.

Going to keep it standard with the exception of the mid box deres for the exhaust so it sounds like it was supposed to.

Have had Ford XR2's, Sport KA and an ST24 in the past and loved them, this was supposed to be a keep in the garage toy but already clocked it up to 8,200 miles as I love it. Great cars, I would definitely recommend one to anyone.

[zedx19]

7,800 mile on a 2006 plate? Wow! I hope it's had a cambelt and waterpump kit fitted recently? 10 years max, regardless of mileage. Mines clocked up 71k now on a 2010 plate!

Any photos?

[V-Rod]

zedx19 said:

7,800 mile on a 2006 plate? Wow! I hope it's had a cambelt and waterpump kit fitted recently? 10 years max, regardless of mileage. Mines clocked up 71k now on a 2010 plate!

Any photos?

Zed, had full service and new steering rack just before the sale but didn't have cam belt, it is on the to do list just for piece of mind.
As for yours, 71K is still nothing for an engine like this, probably better than 7K as yours has at least run in....

Didn't necessarily set out to buy such low mileage as there are advantages and disadvantages but it looked like a new car, just couldn't miss the opportunity. Have a couple of photos, exterior, interior and the mileage when I drove it home!