Anyone changed a dmf on a mk1 Ford Focus?

[garethp]

Ta for all the replies

Symptoms are lots of rattling/banging from flywheel/gearbox area at tickover, at full throttle and overrun, fast tickover quietens it as does driving under part load and dragging the clutch whilst in gear and stationary. Clutch pedal also returns to a different place each time the gear is changed, just managed to drive it home yesterday as clutch now isn't realising properly.

I've started to strip it today and got a far as I can without undoing the front hub nuts and I've realised I don't have a socket the right size

Nothing has broken yet but it looks like the oil breather / separator has been separating oil from air and depositing the oil all over the box....

I've had a look on eBay for a flywheel/clutch kit and it looks like I can get an LUK dmf set including the slave cylinder for £248, is LUK a decent brand?

I did think about a solid flywheel but I think some engines/gearboxes are ok with the solid but some aren't, so far I don't know if the focus is or isn't.

Tonight's job is to price up how much I think I can break the car for selling the bits on eBay, local scrappy offered £120 if i take it to them

 

[pondy]

I fit luk kits for my customers. It's what Ford use, you should notice it stamped onto your old unit.

You will find that the diff will hit on the subframe, you need to get a 30cm length of wood and put it between the subframe and oil pan to push the engine forward

 

[Sidewinder]

A good local motor factor should be able to beat the ebay price and you have somewhere to rant at if things go wrong!

 

[garethp]

A good local motor factor should be able to beat the ebay price and you have somewhere to rant at if things go wrong!

Very true at least I've got a price to compare the factors price, no doubt they'll quote a high price first and I'll work them down

 

[Turbo]

As this is a welding forum I'm surprised nobody has suggested welding the dmf - it can be done. Never tried it myself but I know of a mechanic who does it regularly with good success. The dmf on my brother in law's ford s max was gone but the friction plate was ok. He was thinking of changing the car so he didn't want to spend the £500 it was going to take for a clutch kit. His mechanic suggested welding the 2 sections of dmf together - he had done it successfully to dozens of land rovers. They tried it and it was a success and he kept the car for another 6 months before changing. There was a barely noticeable vibration on starting the car but it drove 100% - not bad considering they didn't bother getting it balanced after welding!

Worth thinking about - you could weld it yourself and maybe get it balanced for a lot less than the price of a dmf kit.

 

[Rocketman]

keithski122
Recently Ford have bean putting a form of sealant/thread lock on the pinch bolts what migrates to the pin.
I still use the hammer method, but recently cursed at a ford.

I put a axle stand or similar under the hub so it can't move down at all, means you don't get that spring effect when you hit it. The ball joint usually flies off with one hit then.

 

[octo0072000]

As this is a welding forum I'm surprised nobody has suggested welding the dmf - it can be done. Never tried it myself but I know of a mechanic who does it regularly with good success. The dmf on my brother in law's ford s max was gone but the friction plate was ok. He was thinking of changing the car so he didn't want to spend the £500 it was going to take for a clutch kit. His mechanic suggested welding the 2 sections of dmf together - he had done it successfully to dozens of land rovers. They tried it and it was a success and he kept the car for another 6 months before changing. There was a barely noticeable vibration on starting the car but it drove 100% - not bad considering they didn't bother getting it balanced after welding!

Worth thinking about - you could weld it yourself and maybe get it balanced for a lot less than the price of a dmf kit.

see post 9 starter out weld it up insitu

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

not the same as a DMF, but my neighbours Nissan gear box went and broke. So I replaced, ripped the diff out and it screamed.
MAKE ME USEFULL!!!!!!!.

So I did, I made it into a candle holder.
Best thing for that money pit of a car.

 

[garethp]

Finally had some time and decentish weather at the same time and managed to get as far as pulling the gearbox out, what a sod of a job it's been so far, spent about 2 hours last night trying to split the ball joints on the front suspension to get the drive shafts out.

At least now I can see the flywheel and it's well and truly knackered, next problem is the two parts of the flywheel no longer line up and I can't get at the bolts to remove them and the flywheel. The angle grinder, chisel and and hammer are standing by

 

[AndyStobbs]

Those ball joints are a pain, they bind up halfway unless you push inwards on the disc as you lever down.