Suspension bushes
I received two advisories on my 2005 Ford Focus 1.6: “nearside and offside front (rear bush) suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but no excessive play.” Consulting my Haynes manual, it does not mention suspension arm rubber bushes, but looking on the internet, I have found “front suspension, lower wishbone arm, rear bush”. Could you please tell me if “suspension arm rubber bush (rear)”, as indicated on the MOT, and “front suspension lower wishbone arm, rear bush”, as mentioned on the internet, are one and the same?
I am getting on a bit now and nearly past crawling under cars, but I like to get the full information before I start my under-car exploration! George Woodward The bush referred to is the one contained at the rear of the front lower arm/wishbone. The easiest method to renew it is to replace the complete lower arm assembly, which involves jacking up the vehicle and supporting it on a stand to allow the suspension to drop freely. Next, remove the road wheel and then unbolt the swivel centre nut. As the swivel comes with the new lower arm, there is no need to worry about damaging the swivel boot – and a fork-type balljoint splitter can be used to separate the joint. After this, the front bush centre bolt needs to be undone and the two bolts securing the rear of the arm should be removed – the lower arm should then be free and the new arm can be fitted into place. After fitting a new lower arm, the vehicle tracking will need to be checked and possibly adjusted to suit the change in the suspension. The new lower arms can be found on this website: http://bit.ly/1zgqaww
I have removed the throttle body and cleaned it. I checked the entire engine bay for air leaks and there are none. I replaced the T-MAP sensor on the throttle body/ inlet manifold just below the throttle body, as well as the coil pack, plug leads and spark plugs, using genuine Ford items, as these had been replaced previously with cheap aftermarket parts. I also replaced the water temperature sensor. There is no idle speed control valve fitted to this engine. Also there is no vehicle speed sensor as it has ABS, so the speedo is driven by the nearside ABS sensor. This has also been changed with a known good working unit, not a new unit.
I have noticed a number of plunger switches (one on the clutch pedal and two on the brake pedal). One of the brake pedal switches operates the stop lights, but I can find no information as to what the other switches do. The Haynes manual for the car doesn’t show them in the wiring diagrams at all.
I have a very comprehensive Pc-based vehicle diagnostic software system and the car is showing no error codes, while the real-time data indicates all is running correctly, including the Lambda probes. This issue does seem to be a known problem, judging by the number of messages on the Ford internet forums, but no one seems to have an answer. Alan Grist My first thought is that this is more likely to be a fuel/mixture control problem than an ignitionrelated fault. Having covered many of the points I would have otherwise suggested, I would check and possibly consider replacing the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve. The problem is possibly related to braking affecting the vacuum in the intake system due to a failing PCV valve allowing pressure variation in the inlet manifold and causing the engine revs to drop.
The brake pedal position switch and the clutch pedal position switch are directly connected to the ECU, so it should be possible to check their operation using your diagnostic software. It is possible that incorrect information from one of these switches could be causing the problem. The two switches can also be tested using a simple ohmmeter or continuity meter. The clutch pedal position switch should be disconnected when the pedal is up and connected when the pedal is depressed. The brake pedal position switch works in the opposite way and should complete a circuit when the brake is off and be disconnected when the pedal is depressed.
As you correctly say, your vehicle with ABS does not have a separate vehicle speed sensor in the gearbox, otherwise this would be a likely suspect.