Just got a 2011 white Ford Focus SE sedan (was hoping for a hatch) with 120,000 miles. I paid six grand for it, and it came with a 2-year, 24,000-mile warranty. My plan is to add a FS Works cold air intake, headers, probably a FS Works cat-back exhaust (something that won’t sound like a fart can), a tune, and maybe a 50 shot of nitrous. I’m not building it for speed but as my daily driver/door dash car. I want a bit more power, better cornering (planning to upgrade the suspension as parts wear out), and a little boost when I need it.
I’m aiming to get between 165-200 horsepower at the wheels.
I know the automatic transmission is a limitation, and I would’ve gone for an ST if it came in manual. Sadly, I can’t drive manual because of physical injuries. I know how to drive stick, but my right leg—specifically my ankle and foot—makes it difficult. Right now, I’m preparing to have my right foot amputated above the ankle.
I’m sure there are options for disabled drivers to use manual cars, but I don’t have the time or money to make that happen.
I’m not trying to make this a race car or think I can just throw in a turbo and go.
For context, I previously rebuilt a 2000 Buick LeSabre. I did the top half of the engine, replaced connecting rods, and rebuilt the suspension. I plan to do all the work on this Focus myself.
I’m pretty sure the passenger-side motor mount is bad, along with the transmission mount. There’s also a clunking sound from the passenger-side tire when I turn the steering wheel at slow speeds. It clunks once when I turn, and then again when I straighten the wheel. It also clunks over bumps at lower speeds. I think it’s the tie rods. I have an appointment tomorrow with the dealer I bought it from, and they’re going to replace the motor mounts and fix the clunking issue.
The second issue is idle hunting. Whenever I’m idling, whether in drive, neutral, or park, the RPMs go from around 500 to 900, cycling up and down. It shakes badly when it drops below 600 RPM (probably due to the motor mount issue since it stops shaking when I give it a little gas).
The spark plugs were replaced 20,000 miles ago, according to the maintenance records. I plan to install some NGK iridium plugs, get a set of NGK coils, clean the MAF sensor, and do a Seafoam treatment to see if that helps. I did a quick check for vacuum leaks but didn’t find any. If the problem continues after that, I’ll need to do more diagnostics.
The engine is strong, and the transmission shifts smoothly.
The motor mounts on the Focus tend to wear out pretty often. There are stiffer mounts available that make the car vibrate more than the regular ones, but they improve response and rigidity. You might want to check out Lentech valve bodies; I think they make some for the automatic transmissions. If you’re interested in going with forced induction, could find you just a perfect referal
I had a clunking sound with the steering on mine when I had it. Check the bearings at the top of the shocks that’s what caused it for me. They were worn out and causing some rubbing, which only happened in certain spots.
These are great cars, so once you fix these issues, it should last a long time.
The dealership I bought it from is fixing it for me.
You were right—the noise is coming from the struts/shocks, and it also needs new sway bar end links. I figured it needed the links because of the excessive body lean.
They told me the shaking is “normal,” but I know that’s not true. They said the motor mounts look fine and that even replacing them won’t stop the vibration. I plan on replacing the motor mounts myself.
At idle, the car fluctuates between 600 and 900 RPMs. When I roll the window down or brake, it drops by 100-200 RPMs. Once it hits 600 RPMs or lower, it vibrates almost as badly as my old Buick LeSabre did when it had a major vacuum leak.
What’s interesting is that Torque Pro is only showing 10 psi of vacuum at idle, but the long-term fuel trim stays between -1.75 and 2.5. The car gets decent MPG, accelerates well, and the O2 sensors seem to be working fine. All the other readings in Torque look normal as far as I can tell.
When my LeSabre had a big vacuum leak at the T-connection on the throttle body, it vibrated like this at idle, but it kept shaking even when I gave it gas and ran really rough. The Focus, on the other hand, drives great as soon as you give it a bit of gas. No issues with acceleration or power.
Like I said, I plan to replace the coils and plugs, clean the MAF sensor, and do a Seafoam treatment. If I’m still having issues after that, I’ll figure it out when I get there.
I love this body style of the Focus its absolutely amazing. It was my first car, and now I’m on my second one. I had a 2011 SE, and it made it to 225,000 miles before I had to retire it.
The ignition switch might become a problem down the road. Check your tie rod ends for the clunking sound. Also, the valve cover o-rings around your spark plugs will eventually need to be replaced.
A new throttle body will fix the idle surging. I recently replaced mine on my 2010. I’ve probably gone through 4 motor mounts owning this car—it’s a design flaw, but they’re super easy to replace. Sway bar links are another common issue with these models. I’ve pretty much rebuilt my entire front suspension, and now it’s solid. Strut bearings are also a known problem and could be part of your issue too.
Also, don’t forget about the PCV valve. It’s located behind the intake headers and is a real pain to get to, but they tend to fail and start leaking oil into the intake runners. Despite these issues, these cars are great. I’ve seen them run up to 300k to 500k miles, though most of those were manuals.
Well, I now know my computer’s MPG reading is way off! It said I was getting around 22 MPG, but when I put in 7 gallons last night at an eighth of a tank, I got just about 200 miles before it dropped to an eighth again. That’s pretty impressive, 28 MPG if you ask me
