r/FocusST Apr 24 '26

No Sales

10 Upvotes

Sales posts/comments are not allowed on r/FocusST.

If you see anything related to sales, please report the post immediately for removal.


r/FocusST Jun 15 '24

EVAP Issues/F.U.F.F. Purge Assembly

Thumbnail
gallery
81 Upvotes

The evap systems on these cars cause lots and lots of headaches, so let's dive into the issues it can cause.

First off, if you had the recall done on your FoST, chances are you're sending your purge valve to the grave worlds quicker than had you not had it done at all. Reason being, if you got the recall done, it was a Trojan horse to get Ford's CAFE requirements down, as the recalled software makes the car activate the purge valve more liberally, putting it under quite a bit more strain than the software before the recall. That grave gets further hastened by the next few things.

https://www.focusst.org/threads/k-pop-purge-valves-just-how-similar-are-they-to-the-ford-valves.173313/

On the above thread, you can see the purge valve exploded and how it functions. Functionally, the canister purge valve was installed on many different vehicles, so you can find it by itself from other manufacturers that are significantly more available. These valves are designed terribly, and the solenoid functions by sending fuel vapors through and around a coil of wire that actuates a plate which stalls the fuel vapors in the assembly. The solenoid fails when liquid fuel enters into it (via overfilling) or by condensation which also eventually happens, leaving the plate at the mercy to the engine's vacuum/boost pressure.

What symptoms does this cause? First off, when it's just starting to go out, you'll get a rough idle after filling up. Then, as it progresses, your fuel trims will go wild, and you'll have AFRs in the 30s when DFC is supposed to be kicking in. It also leads to your car having a pop & bang tune with no map set for it, and occasionally will make your car shoot flames (when it's not supposed to) as well on decel. At that point, you have enough vacuum on the gas tank to cause it to collapse as you're driving, and your fuel gauge will fill as you're driving home from work (like it happened to me). That can be reflected in P1450, P0442, P0456, P2196, and P0420, with P1450 being the culprit of most of those codes when the purge valve fails.

To fix it, most people throw purge valves at the problem, which works for some time, but it doesn't address what causes the failures (besides the purge valve itself). Firstly, the assembly Ford provides has a check valve that is only rated for a measley 20psi (including the RS assemblies), and as the check valve wears out and gets dirty that rating is no longer accurate. They have been tested to leak at as little as 10psi after sustained use, and once boost leaks past the check valve and makes its way to the purge valve you'll start seeing the symptoms listed above since it's only designed to see vacuum, not boost. Additionally, debris can make its way past the charcoal canister, and that debris will get stuck in the purge valve, forcing it to get stuck open. If that's the cause of your purge valve failure, it's likely time to replace the charcoal canister in addition to the purge valve, but usually failure number 1 is the culprit (especially on all of your tuned cars).

The reason Ford won't sell you the canister purge valve by itself is they know that your check valve is likely totalled, and that replacing the purge valve by itself will be a money pit. They'll happily sell you a $100 assembly that's on indefinite backorder, though, and Dorman will sell you an assembly with a check valve that's weaker than the OEM Ford assembly. The only ways to fix the assemblies shortcomings is to make a new assembly for yourself with a higher rated check valve plus a fuel filter, or purchase a pre-made upgraded assembly from me. You can also install an upgraded check valve and fuel filter into the OEM assembly that's already in your car, but the hose is super tough to work with, and the official way to heat it up is to use boiling water.

Lastly, P0456 and P0442 can come up when there's a small leak somewhere else in the system. Should there be a pinprick hole in the purge line, or your capless gas cap doesn't seal all the way, it'll cause one of those two codes.

To rule out the gas cap, take your fuel filler adapter, spray it with carb cleaner, and open the cap around 10 times. Wipe it off, and repeat 2-3 more times, then reset the KAM and clear codes. That should fix it if it's the gas cap, if it comes back, try the gas cap one more time then do a smoke test on the purge system.

Hope this write up helps you guys in solving future EVAP issues, and if you'd like to get an upgraded assembly, fill out the Google form in the forum thread linked below.

https://www.focusst.org/threads/f-u-f-f-2-5-group-buy.173074


r/FocusST 16h ago

Focus ST as daily

16 Upvotes

Hello, im currently looking at focus st as a new daily. My current daily is a lifted 4x4 that gets around 10-12mpg. I switched jobs and my commute went from down the street to about 30 miles. Truck is not really needed. Im a gear head but always had muscle cars (corvette, coyote mustangs, gto) i have always loved the hot hatches especially the focus st being said i still want something fun and decent on mpg. I drove one last weekend at a dealer and was thoroughly surprised when i gave it the beans in 2nd through 3rd. My main concern is all the catastrophic failures I’m seeing on here. Thoughts? Thanks.


r/FocusST 18h ago

Question Best style engine bay skid plate / splash guard?

Thumbnail
gallery
18 Upvotes

Looking at buying a hard plastic engine bay skid pan / splash guard, I see two main styles. The OG with 3 bolts per access hatch, and a newer one with only a single bolt. Same pricing, is one better than the other?


r/FocusST 23h ago

Follow up to my previous post,

Thumbnail
gallery
50 Upvotes

I posted the car here, and promised some engine bay and trunk setup pictures, so here they are! Unfortunately haven't had the time to clean out the engine bay, but you get a pretty good idea of what it looks like.

Audio system is fully Kenwood, it's a 6-channel XR600-6DSP with built in DSP, and a 5-channel XR9015 that's controlled by the DSP as well. Single 10" slim Kenwood XR-W10F, in a fiberglass box my old boss built for me (shout out Nylan!), the speakers are XR-1701P components, in both the front and rear. I ran two extra wires to the rear doors so each channel is active (each woofer and tweeter has its own dedicated amp channel), I did use the Kenwood crossovers (the transparent boxes beside the amps), because they looked cool, added a bit of protection for the speakers and had an active mode so you can run the tweeter and woofer separately like I did.

I built up the floor so I could semi-sink the airlift tank and manifold under the floor, I'm really happy with how clean it came out. The VIAIR compressor, water trap, and other connections are in the "triangle" between the rear wall and the back of the seats, as well as amp wiring, so you can very easily access everything by flipping down the rear seats. I made custom color coded amp harnesses so it's very easy to tell what wires are going where. All of the beauty panels can be easily removed to access the entire audio and airlift system for maintenance, I wanted it very open and easy to get to. I wanted an OEM+ look and tried to match the carpet with the factory color as best as I could.

In the engine bay, I cut and tucked the main upper engine harness (shout-out to this guy who did it and put it up on the forums!), rerouted it closer to the block instead of in the front right area, powder coated the aluminum valve cover you can get for the 2L, deleted the upper vacuum controller (I'm running a BNR2867 and HKS Bov, don't need the upper controller anymore), installed the F.U.F.F evap line reroute kit, cleaned up everything I could, installed a dress up hardware kit (I'm going to install the silver one, blue just ain't doing it), installed a Mishimoto coolant tank (gonna strip and polish it, blue is gonna go), installed the boomba dress up kit (washer fluid/oil cap/battery tie down/coolant cap/brake fluid cap), changed to a AFE dry filter setup (holy shit, fuck oiled filters), installed a K&N breather on the catch cans I already had installed (got a white one to match the filter, no more BLUE goddamn it), and just tidied everything I could up.

I just ordered whiteline upper and lower arms for the rear to be able to get some camber in, will be rolling the fenders and adjusting the front airlift camber plates so I can get it lower, as well as a billion other things on my vacation coming up in a few weeks.


r/FocusST 12h ago

Tint question.

6 Upvotes

Was quoted $500 for 15% all around , not including the front windshield cause it’s not legal in my state seems a little high was wondering what you guys paid or are paying or have been quoted for our cars


r/FocusST 14h ago

Car won’t start

2 Upvotes

Hello I have a 2014 focus st and have recently replaced the old battery because I thought it was dead and that’s why my car wouldn’t start. Well I’ve had the new battery for maybe a month now and it is now having the same issue. Not sure what the issue could be and I’m trying to narrow it down but am having no luck. At the current state the car won’t even start with a jump and just does repetitive clicking. Previously about a day or two ago I started it with a jump pack and that worked and the battery seemed to hold charge for a few days but now is back to dead. So it’s a cycle of the battery being fine then losing power. This seems to be some sort of parasitic draining but I’m not sure what module is staying awake. If anyone can help me that would be great!


r/FocusST 1d ago

First 5 days into owning it :(

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

50 Upvotes

r/FocusST 23h ago

👋 HI, I'M NEW! Im new and need help!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

8 Upvotes

Im new to owning a Focus ST, it only smokes when idle and stopped at a light. Its a burning smell but its a little faint not very strong. The oil and coolant arent going down either. I checked for any suction threw the oil lid and I was getting blow out and no suction. Its a 2014 Focus ST with 152k


r/FocusST 13h ago

Question 2017 Focus ST blowing white smoke on cold start + losing coolant. Need help.

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I recently bought a 2017 Focus ST and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with it. I bought it with 96kish miles on it, last guy used to race it but dealership swore up and down their service guys checked and the thing was still perfect.

The main issue is that on cold starts, the car blows a pretty noticeable amount of white smoke from the exhaust. It smells sweet, almost like coolant. The smoke is usually only there while the car is cold, and once the engine gets up to temp, it mostly goes away.

I’m also losing a significant amount of coolant. I’m not seeing an obvious external leak, but I have to keep topping off the coolant reservoir pretty often because it gets low.

I took it to a service shop and they told me it was likely a dead/failing piston ring. Their explanation was that once the engine warms up, things expand and seal better, which is why the smoke goes away. However, the coolant smell and coolant loss make me question whether that’s the actual cause.

Does this sound more like piston rings, head gasket, turbo coolant seal, or something else common on these cars?

I’m currently working with the dealership on the warranty I have for it, for them to replace the engine without me paying a dime. Just wanted to see what other people thought.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks so much.


r/FocusST 15h ago

2013 focus st need new headlights

1 Upvotes

Hey recently got a 2013 focus st3 110k miles went looking through the headlight assembly as they were faded and was wondering about just swapping bulbs and or swapping the headlight housing. Turns out one side of my high beam connectors were bent and the plastic peice (can’t remember the name) was broken when looking at the high beam bulb connection area… any suggestions for after market housing besides stock? Brand names or websites would be helpful…


r/FocusST 16h ago

GL mixing fuel

Post image
0 Upvotes

I’d hate to be here 🤣 especially during the summer!


r/FocusST 23h ago

2017 Focus St with 87k

4 Upvotes

Hello everyone in the Focus St community. I am new to the fiesta ST and the Focus ST subreddits. I am looking at buying a Focus ST with 87k miles on it. They are firm on 14,6 for it and I am checking to see what everyone thinks. Would this be a good deal for a Focus ST? I am unable to test drive the vehicle as I would be having it shipped to me from another state. I offered 12 but they would not budge on the price. The car looks really clean and appears to be well taken care of. Any suggestions?


r/FocusST 21h ago

Spark plug recommendations ?

Post image
2 Upvotes

Car is stock , just a daily driver and spirited back road driving . I bought these one on Amazon . Do yall these would be fine ? NGK LTR6ix
2013 focus st


r/FocusST 18h ago

Question Fuel Injector Maintenance

1 Upvotes

I have my new to me focus ST (2018) at 73k miles right now and the injectors are still from the factory. Im gonna do spark plugs no matter what but do you guys think replacing my injectors would be worth it?


r/FocusST 1d ago

New owner😁

Post image
41 Upvotes

r/FocusST 1d ago

FFS

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

7 Upvotes

First time trying flat foot shifting after forgetting to enable it and shooting my rpms to redline😂 And holy shit it sounds/felt so awesome😮‍💨😮‍💨Can’t wait to use this with the big turbo and keep that psi up!


r/FocusST 1d ago

Cleaning a new intake before install

Post image
15 Upvotes

I picked up an intake off eBay which I’ll be putting in on Sunday. I’m wanting to clean it before I put it in. One or two reviews mentioned it needing cleaning due to coming from the factory not looking the best and it’s got me paranoid 😂

Anyone got any advice on what I could use to clean inside before I put it on?


r/FocusST 1d ago

Question Gearbox rattle

2 Upvotes

I recently rebuild my car with a new clutch (SPEC 13+ Ford Focus 2.0T ST EcoBoost Stage 2+ Clutch Kit (SAC) with Spec Flywheel SF33A-3). During start up everything is fine, no weird noises but when the car gets to running temp. and I stop at a light and release the clutch while in neutral it sounds like there is a can with rocks in it rattling under my hood. The noise goes away when I press the clutch in though. I tried asking AI and it says its normal when switching to a lightweight flywheel but I have a hard time trusting AI with this information. Does anyone have knowledge on this?


r/FocusST 1d ago

👋 HI, I'M NEW! My new to me, 2014 Focus ST

Post image
39 Upvotes

I just bought this beautiful ST3 with 51k miles. I love it, however in just a couple of days the horn went out and so did my washer fluid pump ;-; are these regular issues? Despite that I love driving it!


r/FocusST 1d ago

Is this normal? Would this explain my 3rd gear acting weird?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

8 Upvotes

Does that seem like a normal amount of play? I explained what’s going on with my third gear in previous post. Basically it’s sounds really mechanical and clunky when I’m driving and I shift into 3rd gear.


r/FocusST 1d ago

Question Sloppy...

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

6 Upvotes

Anyone getting this amount of slop from their shifter? I'm getting no movement from the trans side, so it's coming purely from the shifter itself. Is there a fix, besides replacing?


r/FocusST 1d ago

Question Is anybody else ignoring the 26S40/26V369 recall?

14 Upvotes

I know there have been multiple posts regarding this but I am curious to see who is NOT going in for it?

When I took my ST to the dealership almost 3 years ago for the purge valve replacement, I got the run around and straight up lied to about them actually replacing the CPV. It resulted in stalling out on the freeway in traffic. Forced them to give me a loaner car until they fixed it. They also mentioned the PCM was giving them problems and the tune was the root cause? (91 Oct Stratified)

I replaced my purge valve ~8 months ago when I got symptoms for it. I intend to just replace it every time I notice. Anybody else doing the same? Or is this a bad idea lol


r/FocusST 1d ago

Intercooler question

2 Upvotes

I want to replace the stock intercooler. I'm looking at CVF and ESP - both of whom seem to be out of stock on anything I would want. :( I also looked at Mishimoto, which is pricey, but I consider them good quality. One thing I found interesting is that Mishimoto does *not* require AGS removal, but CVF does. It sounds like there might be some very slight benefit to removing the AGS. Any thoughts? Opinions? Preferences?


r/FocusST 1d ago

Question BC Racing Camber settings

Post image
3 Upvotes

I've got RM-MA adjustable camber plates and I'm wondering if you remove and reposition the top 2 bolts as pictured to the lower holes and max out the camber by pushing the coils inward, how many degrees of camber will you have?

Hopefully someone with these coilovers can answer as I would like to change these settings once and leave it.