So y'all say the Focus 2.3 Duratec is the one to have...tell me more!

In reply to ScreaminE:

According to the seller, I'm the only one that's even expressed interest...he's out of town until Friday, so I'm pretty much first in line.

Hey check out the Grassroots site again!! If you live near Seattle you can pick up a blue S-10 pickup '84 model for only $10,000!

ScreaminE wrote:

PHeller wrote: At what point did they switch the Zetec 2.0l over to the Duratec 2.0l?

2005

Actually 2003 in the "green states" for 2.3L, 2005 for all 50 states with 2.0L. 2.3L was available 2005-2007 in ST sedans.

First, clean up the intake with aftermarket parts. Intake was very restrictive, especially on PZEV models.
Second, find a balance shaft delete kit. Does not make much difference in noise/vibration but does release some extra power due to not having to spin that shaft.
Third, get a header (F2 is a good one) and try to find a Cosworth intake manifold.

Ooops. I dropped this here. :evil

In reply to Hal:

There was a '05 ST local here that had all the cossie goodies plus a focus sport turbo setup on it for $5k.

Call me biased, but I think that the 3-door Focus is the only one that is remotely attractive.

Off the top of my head, the 2.3L gives up ~15hp to the SVT mill, but makes 10 more ft\lbs and doesn't require premium gas.

Hal wrote:

ScreaminE wrote:

PHeller wrote: At what point did they switch the Zetec 2.0l over to the Duratec 2.0l?

2005

Actually 2003 in the "green states" for 2.3L, 2005 for all 50 states with 2.0L. 2.3L was available 2005-2007 in ST sedans.

Right, but the Zetec's final year was 2004.

Mitchell wrote: Call me biased, but I think that the 3-door Focus is the only one that is remotely attractive.

I have kids, a 3 door would be like wearing clogs in a marathon.

I will take a ZX-5 any day.

yamaha wrote: In reply to Hal: There was a '05 ST local here that had all the cossie goodies plus a focus sport turbo setup on it for $5k.

Sounds just like the one my buddy had. I was rather PO'ed when he sold it without letting me know. It was faster than the new ST he bought. IMO the 2005-2007 ST sedan is the best Focus, I like them better than the new ST.

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Found a line on a 2.3 Duratec near me too. Seller asking for $1600. If it isn't sold by Sunday, I want it. Sucks that my first day of work is tomorrow and I'll most likely work Saturday.

Picked the car up tonight for $2400. Feels like the passenger rear shock is cooked and the drums squeak a little, but it runs and drives great! Previous owner took really good care of it, I scored a deal with this one.

If $2400 was a deal to you, then I should definitely try and purchase the one by me! How many miles was on yours? Did you notice any rust spots? Any tips when looking for problem areas?

In reply to Hal:

Was his name Josh aka "Draconix" on the boards?

SlickDizzy wrote: Picked the car up tonight for $2400. Feels like the passenger rear shock is cooked and the drums squeak a little, but it runs and drives great! Previous owner took really good care of it, I scored a deal with this one.

Nice!

What are your plans? $1500 is a nice pile to play with.

SlickDizzy wrote: Picked the car up tonight for $2400. Feels like the passenger rear shock is cooked and the drums squeak a little, but it runs and drives great! Previous owner took really good care of it, I scored a deal with this one.

I have a solution to both of those problems See below:

Congrats! Wish I find a deal like that here.

In reply to MINIzguy:

you should pick that up every day of the week and TWICE on Sunday.

yamaha wrote: In reply to Hal: Was his name Josh aka "Draconix" on the boards?

Name is Brian, Bri or Schroder02 on the boards. He now runs this:

Edit: I do know who Draconix is and think I have met him at the All-Ford Nationals.

In reply to captdownshift:

Sounds like I gotta giddy up and get on that car. Texted my boss and will be getting off at 3 tomorrow to drive down and look at the car. I'll post up my results and whether or not I'll be a new Focus owner.

In reply to MINIzguy:

I bought this one because it was gorgeous inside and out and displayed almost no issues. After some long driving today I think it's got a bum rear wheel bearing, too, but that's small potatoes considering how nice it is otherwise. One-owner car FTW. I guess just look for rust and signs of neglect, listen for timing chain noise, etc.

In reply to Mitchell:

I'm starting off by throwing some new rear wheel bearings/drums at it along with copper core plugs (which supposedly can be run with a much larger gap to offer a ~5HP gain over stock Platinums) and an oil change...then, it's the fun stuff. I already ordered new speakers for it because the ones in there sound like crap...probably SVT suspension as the first "real" mod as the bits on there feel pretty worn out. Then, I'm thinking a Steeda shifter and poly torque mount, followed by an intake and exhaust setup and a good tune.

alfadriver wrote:

iceracer wrote: 4x108 ! Or 4.25"

42, 43, whatever it takes. (they are still common with Alfas and Mustangs)

"How about a lil trim off that mustache Ron?" Thumbs up

SlickDizzy wrote: probably SVT suspension as the first "real" mod as the bits on there feel pretty worn out. Then, I'm thinking a Steeda shifter and poly torque mount, followed by an intake and exhaust setup and a good tune.

SVT suspension is a very good choice. You may want to put in the SVT brakes while you are at it. The only problem with that is that using the SVT front brakes will require 16" wheels. The poly "dogbone" will create a little more vibration but is worth it IMO. The intake will give you some power gain especially if yours is one of the PZEV models. CAT-back exhaust will help. A header would be better but if your car needs to pass emissions it might be a problem as it will eliminate the cat built into the stock header.

Another good mod for power is a "balance shaft delete" kit. It will give you some extra power by eliminating the parasitic drag caused by turning the balance shaft.

Don't waste your money on an aftermarket shifter. All of them for the Focus only shorten the upper part of the shifter which moves the knob further away from you and requires more effort to move it. None of them lengthen the shifter below the pivot which is the only way to really shorten the throws.

An SVT front sway bar and an Eibach rear bar will help the handling and cut down on the built-in understeer without making the rear too loose.

Me and the wife just let our 03( live in CA got the 2.3 erly) zx3 go. to a family member who "totaled" it in less than two months and only let me know a week later after letting it go to the tow truck driver. the same one who said it was totaled. 150k and the only problems we ever had was with some of the PZEV stuff on the intake and it was covered under warranty and the 6 disk changer going nutso.

I miss that car but two kids means at least 4 doors.

I now have a Ferd in my possession.

2004 ZX5 with the 2.3L Duratec motor. 116,900 miles of 100% bone stock glory. It isn't perfect, but it is perfect enough for $1400.

Notable issues are a slight vibration at 70, no CEL but a P0302 code on the scanner, and it has a tick sound which the Focus forums assure are the intake manifold flaps getting worn and vibrating/swirling around in the manifold. I'm going to swap coils around and see if the code pops up on another cylinder. I'll also do oil and spark plugs since they're cheap and may fix my misfire if I got a bad plug.

Extremely happy with my purchase!