But apparently there's a reason most cars have everything jammed in the front these days. Working on this Focus is so easy!
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/2003-ford-focus-svt/fearing-focus/
Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? We added a Focus SVT to our project car fleet. Read about it here.
I've never minded diving under the hood of the late Escorts and Foci. Ford left enough room to access most without lifting the engine out. Most...
Nice job on the mount. 
Muhahahaha! Wait until you get to adding the LSD!
It really depends. I enjoyed working under the hood of my Mazda 626 Turbo. I hated working under the hood of my Olds Intrigue. I think transverse V6's aren't nearly as fun to deal with as transverse inline-4's. It also, honestly, seemed like the Mazda engineers did enjoy things like working on cars or driving cars. It seemed like the GM engineers were told by accountants that none of that really mattered.
In reply to pres589:
agreed
also, then the german engineers must have just been drunk and thought it was a good idea.
Yup. Japanese fwd is usually very mechanic friendly, at least through the mid 90's. Domestic fwd has usually been a bitch. Chrysler 's neon platform being one great exception from personal experience. Never worked on a focus yet. Hoping to get a zx3 when I can drive stick again.
I had fun replacing an alternator on a 2003 automatic focus. I got so frustrated the car sat on jackstands for a month while I cooled my head (we had a 3rd car that SWMBO could drive anyways)
Of course I got it out and swapped in the new one in less than an hour once I got back around to it. I do agree they are simple cars to work on overall.
Try AWD in a car. I am working on one as a project for me as a new DD and what a PITA. It has all the annoying things of both FWD and RWD crammed in to the same space so everything gets exponentially more complicated and tough to work on.
E36 M3... Ferd's one of the harder to work on FWD's IMO.
It depends on the car and how you approach it. Personally, I find working on new MINI's a hell of a lot easier than working on my E30.
In reply to Tom Suddard:
I guess you missed all of the talk in the industry when Ford designed the Focus. Ford made efforts to communicate to the masses that they were engineering the car to be maintainable by us non special tool mechanics. I remember one delay of its production was due to the engineering team wanting to make something that much easier to replace on the car. I remember one other "feature" they focused on was to get the rain and water management right so that English drivers could drive around with the windows slightly open. Not sure why those Englishmen want to drive around in the rain with windows slightly open but it was a big deal for them.
I heard some thought maintenance was much improved and others thought it wasn't an improvement at all.
dean1484 wrote: Try AWD in a car. I am working on one as a project for me as a new DD and what a PITA. It has all the annoying things of both FWD and RWD crammed in to the same space so everything gets exponentially more complicated and tough to work on.
I feel your pain Dean. Going from Neons to the Evo was rough. The only plus being that the Evo had design features for Production Class Rally competition that also make it easier for us to swap parts.
My RWD XR4Ti was weird to work on as I just had too much room around the engine filled with vacuum hoses. Then the 89 Miata had that DARN rubber coolant plug on the back of the engine...REALY!!!.... COME OOOONN!
Advan046 wrote: I remember one other "feature" they focused on was to get the rain and water management right so that English drivers could drive around with the windows slightly open.
Very advanced technology. 
very funny. Since I bought my SVTF, the first three things I did exactly mirrored yours.
I now have about 112k, and have a silly check engine light (i think due to an intermittent fuel pump issue) that I am tracing. if you get this issue and solve it, let me know. I'm just waiting for it to die completely, because I hate chasing intermittent faults.
In reply to N Sperlo:
? Wha cha sayin there mate?
Advan046 wrote: In reply to N Sperlo: ? Wha cha sayin there mate?
he's saying that he misunderstood the comment about "water management so the windows could be open in rain"..
regarding working on fwd cars: some things i don't mind, some things i hate... the timing belt i had to put on the 2.2 in my 86 Charger back in the day was insanely simple. the head gaskets i've put in 2 different 2.2 pushrod motor powered Cavaliers were also insanely simple.. rear valve cover gasket and spark plugs on a V8 Aurora not so simple.. and i hear the alternator on a DOHC 3.4 powered Lumina is also not so very much fun, either..
pres589 wrote: It really depends. I enjoyed working under the hood of my Mazda 626 Turbo. I hated working under the hood of my Olds Intrigue. I think transverse V6's aren't nearly as fun to deal with as transverse inline-4's. It also, honestly, seemed like the Mazda engineers did enjoy things like working on cars or driving cars. It seemed like the GM engineers were told by accountants that none of that really mattered.
It's even easier when you remove all the things that aren't absolutely necessary to go down the road.
I CAN SEE EVERYTHING.
Swank: I'm well aware. I pulled the cylinder head off in a parking lot to have a spark plug bore helicoiled and machined. For the most part it was a pretty easy project.
It's so good. Easiest car i've ever worked on, FWD or otherwise. 
I use this FWD as the benchmark against wrenching on anything else.
Still be afraid of doing front brakes on 90s accords. And learn the special handshake before replacing the alternator on a 90s Civic/Integra. 
Advan046 wrote: I remember one other "feature" they focused on was to get the rain and water management right so that English drivers could drive around with the windows slightly open. Not sure why those Englishmen want to drive around in the rain with windows slightly open but it was a big deal for them.
That feature doubled for the French, you can enjoy a cigarette while cruising down the road in a downpour.....
In reply to clutchsmoke:
Haha,yeah I scratched my head for a bit trying to get that alternator out....once you figure it out it was easy but still.
I hope its a better designed engine than the 2.0 Zetec in SWMBO's 02 ZX5. Replacing the pcv hoses is a pita, the iac valve can't be gotten without removing the intake manifold which is awful in and of itself. And the oil filter location is up behind the passenger axle and the exhaust and the filter is mounted sideways so every oil change you spill a cup of oil down the side of the block and axle. Then there's the plastic coolant crossover tube that clips to the top of the radiatior. I wish nothing but a plague of fire and hemorrhoids on the designers of that engine.
I'm glad the SVT seems to be more intelligently designed. That makes me able to still want one.
At 130k mi, I don't think that I am capable of getting my SVTF more than 92% dialed in. There's always some rattle or crunch sound to track down. It has been pretty straightforward to work on, though. If my special tools weren't in an unmarked box across the country, I would send them to the mag. Made the clutch job a bit easier.
Lancer007 wrote: I hope its a better designed engine than the 2.0 Zetec in SWMBO's 02 ZX5. Replacing the pcv hoses is a pita, the iac valve can't be gotten without removing the intake manifold which is awful in and of itself. And the oil filter location is up behind the passenger axle and the exhaust and the filter is mounted sideways so every oil change you spill a cup of oil down the side of the block and axle. Then there's the plastic coolant crossover tube that clips to the top of the radiatior. I wish nothing but a plague of fire and hemorrhoids on the designers of that engine. I'm glad the SVT seems to be more intelligently designed. That makes me able to still want one.
Unfortunately the SVT oil filter location sounds familiar....
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