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Ford Focus SPI valve seat failure, SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO DO

N

naujcdl

No, I'm not the coffee guy
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Hi,

This topic is geared towards the ones that have done some engine rebuild and/or replacement or have studied the ins/outs of engine combustion...

History:
2003 Ford Focus SE
2.0 SPI (••••ty per inch) engine.
179k miles and always maintained, it shows it.
Bought it as a project/sorta run it to know more...
$400 from a guy with many new parts installed and clean in/out.

After pulling the head in five hours or a bit less due to my laziness i found this on the piston #4 and yes the head is toasty, obviously:
10zp6km.jpg


As you can see, the piston surface got chewed up a bit on by the bad valve seat that failed.
Ah, if i get a new engine head on the car and put it on this block, can they both survive for a while?

Just a question, i am throwing ideas, i like to study this stuff...

Thanks all.
 
Swap the whole engine get one from the junkyard sell it immediately. The 2.0 SPI engine drops #4 valve constantly it's happening everywhere. Next focus you get only go with a zetec or duratec engine.
 
They can drop any seat but that one is most common.

Piston will pretty much be scrap, they are brittle cast pistons, beating the outer 1/4" edge then loosens the land to break loose later if the ring is not outright pinched and locked down. Most need at least the piston changed and often rod, rod can bend slightly and then screwy cylinder and bearing wear. The piston can be SEVERELY broken underneath and not be seen, I've seen them with piston pin boss totally broken. That one picced ran for a bit, the bigger indents turned into smaller ones as the pieces broke down smaller.

You can get better quality aftermarket rebuilt heads that get around it happening again. The newer seats press in tighter to not come loose, the coming loose beats them to break up in pieces.

Clean inside of intake thoroughly, bits that have backtracked to land in intake have gone through engine after rebuild to tear it up again..........

Change water pump and timing belt, be a bummer to rebuild this damage only to have water pump fail next week, it takes out timing belt when it does.

Other than that a bulletproof engine, the sh-tty valveseat insert issue is what sends many to the scrapyard. Really a revelation on how much Ford cares about its' customers, the problem has been around for years (even in the 1.9 Escort motor) and they pretty much never lifted a finger to fix the issue. If you personally have one it should be screaming to you to never buy Ford again.
 
Ok, can i spend just as much as 1000 for a used/or rebuild engine as it is to part it out? Meaning, can i get some decent money by selling parts at "fire sale" so this thing can get out of my house?

Let me know.

Thanks.
 
Those used engines are expensive from what my dad went through when his crapped out. He ended up getting a reman from Ford in the $2200 neighborhood.
 
I know, even now, a reman block costs 1400 shipped from FL. Plus a head to mate to it. So yeah, it is a 2000 engine. Now, it'd cost me $300 for a head replacement, then about $300 for used block and then i need to drop $80 or so for all new gaskets, $80 for a timing belt kit and all the fluids. That's $900 plus $400 for car, that's $1300, give or take. Is it worth fixing, is it worth fixing and flipping, is it worth parting out...?

No, i am REALLY not in the mood to store a shell until all parts sale at high prices...if i can make double what i spent on it, great, that's my thing and done...otherwise, whatever...your thoughts please guys?
 
Can i get more than $500 in parts on a fire sale on this thing? I don't think i am wasting my time on a zetec swap or a damn spi engine.
Suggestions!!!
 
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