Ford Focus RS owner's Head gasket problems.
 

https://jalopnik.com/why-so-many-for...out-1820280550





https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.evo...9aa9a03c7a.png

Sad that the first one to come to the states was not a bigger success. Since the next gen Focus is getting even bigger, any hopes of an exciting Mk4 RS someday doesn't seem too likely.

They need a fiesta RS if that's case. And I'm really glad I didn't end up getting one of these (thanks dealer markups...lol). There seems to be an inerinet design flaw with the engine. And since its not a safety issue, it's going not going to turn into a mandatory recall by the NHTSA. There might be a class action law suit at some point, but that will just get people money, not a solution to the problem.

What did they do, take design cues from Toyota's 7M-GTE?


Scrap.

Ford should step-up, issue a TSB, and take care of RS owners. But I guess its cheaper to fix/replace engines as needed. Bean counters win again. Good news is you will likely be able to pick up a used RS for bargain basement pricing when the warranty is about to expire.

And then build the motor...lol. ETS made 520whp with theirs.

Hopefully the aftermarket will have figured out a cooling solution for the rdu by then too.

Mishimoto has a setup. But they haven't updated their blog on it since April, and it still doesn't seem to be available

Seven months of radio silence is not a good sign. Maybe they think its no longer a viable project.

I continue to be amazed at how durable my Evo is. I watched the Focus RS series of development videos and it seemed like one of those cooking shows where the chefs work against the clock. Getting things right takes time.

Yes Sir. Years & years of 4G63 & drivetrain development.

But maybe, the orig Mitsu design was far better, from the start, than what Ford has done w/this Focus drivetrain.

Mine still puts a smile on my face daily. The amount of blown gaskets is disturbing but being magnified by the lense of the forums (and internet in general).

I will get it fixed if it happens, till then I will enjoy the car. Word is a class action lawsuit is in the works and the issue has been covered by Jalopnik twice now. FoMoCo has said a "fix" is in the works to the most recent author of the article but is probably blowing smoke up our asses.

Link to the article: https://jalopnik.com/why-so-many-for...out-1820280550

With methanol or other, the car makes great gains but due to the open deck design sleeves may be in order. The head gasket issue has the majority of owner scared of modding so the platform is still not throughly tested. I have tons of respect for Stratified and a few other who are still pushing it and Full Race for working with turbonetics to get some good twinscroll bolt on turbos in the works.

It is definitely not equal to the cast iron block of the 4G63 but then again few 4bangers are lol. :beer:

To expand on my previous post the RDU seems to be shut down by the PTU over temp situations and a few individuals are working to decode the RDU control algorithm. Hopefully it will offer greater control and understanding of the system.

Evo 1-x ftw!!!

Still can't fathom why they moved to an open deck design on the 2.3, especially when the 2.0 in the ST is a closed deck.