2003 Ford Mondeo Zetec 1.8 Petrol - What to look for?

Sleepy

Going to see a 2003 Mondeo that caught my eye on DoneDeal tomorrow.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4119628

It's a UK Import with a FSH and looks to be in good nick. Anything I should be aware of with these cars / should be looking at when giving it the once over?

bazz26

That link is broken, all I see is alot of adverts for different cars.

Sleepy

bazz26 wrote: »

That link is broken, all I see is alot of adverts for different cars.

Fixed

bazz26

My only concern on it is that it is the pre facelifted model which had the Ford Zetec engine which were known for alot of issues including burning alot of oil. On the facelifted model that engine was replaced by a Mazda unit which proved to be alot more reliable. The pre facelifted model also suffered from an inlet manifold problem, just google "Ford Mondeo butterfly valve issue". It does look tidy though given the mileage and worth a closer look at.

roper1664

A zetec engine doesn't exist in the Mk3 Mondeo, It's a Duratec engine. The Zetec branded engine was discontinued and the name is simply used to distinguish the trim level. Zetec has leather steering wheel, alloys and silver dash, LX does not. Only differences.

As mentioned these engines suffer from an inlet manifold issue i.e. there are swirl flaps that can break off and be "eaten" by the engine. This is how you check for the problem and is essential you do it before buying OP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRIsLwvjZQ&playnext=1&list=PL2C999681CF02F0D0&feature=results_main

Other than that look for smoke. Not much else goes wrong on these engines. Expect approx 30mpg city driving and they are a little bit underpowered. Overall though, a comfortable and reliable car. It seems a little pricy though. This is 1.8L 110PS. 2L 145PS manuals are rare in Ireland but if you find one go for it, good power and fuel enconomy is the same unless you rag it.

Enjoy your Mondeo

roper1664

OP, just realised the one you posted is '03. Ford revised the inlet manifold at the end of 02 and fixed the problem but it's worth checking anyway before buying. All the best.

ninty9er

What you should look for is a diesel one. Not the worst, but on combined driving you can expect to get no more than 700km on a tank (60l).

I had a 1.8 SCi 130bhp (only available in Ghia and Titanium specs). It's a smooth engine and the figures above are for it. The standard 1.8 is not so economical, at least anecdotal.

28-30 mpg is average. It can do 40-42 if you take it easy on long journeys in 6th gear. The standard 1.8 is a 5 speed.

roper1664

Agreed, if doing 80km+ a day dual carriageway/motorway driving the 130PS TDCI is the way to go For more modest city driving though I'd go for petrol as it's generally cheaper to buy the car and there's less to go wrong and repairs tend to be cheaper.

Ninty, just out of curiousity, what's the story with the SCi? I'm not as familiar with it. I know it's a more powerful 1.8 engine but I've also heard it was soon discontinued as it was flawed. That's why they stuck with the Duratec HE and simply improved it in later years. Any truth in this? I'm a curious enthusiast
Hope I'm not going off topic too much.

Patch123

roper1664 wrote: »

A zetec engine doesn't exist in the Mk3 Mondeo, It's a Duratec engine. The Zetec branded engine was discontinued and the name is simply used to distinguish the trim level. Zetec has leather steering wheel, alloys and silver dash, LX does not. Only differences.

As mentioned these engines suffer from an inlet manifold issue i.e. there are swirl flaps that can break off and be "eaten" by the engine. This is how you check for the problem and is essential you do it before buying OP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRIsLwvjZQ&playnext=1&list=PL2C999681CF02F0D0&feature=results_main

Other than that look for smoke. Not much else goes wrong on these engines. Expect approx 30mpg city driving and they are a little bit underpowered. Overall though, a comfortable and reliable car. It seems a little pricy though. This is 1.8L 110PS. 2L 145PS manuals are rare in Ireland but if you find one go for it, good power and fuel enconomy is the same unless you rag it.

Enjoy your Mondeo

If it's a uk spec car as the op says it should be 125PS in the 1.8. Not sure if Irish Zetec's were 125PS, but the Irish Lx's were definitely 110ps. Don't think they ever sold the 110ps 1.8 in uk in any spec

Cungi

As stated before butterfly valves are the biggest issue which was resolved on 2003+ models afaik

1.8 Duratec came in 3 flavours. 110ps (Ireland only afaik)), 125ps and 130ps (SCI)

Mine is an 05 1.8 110ps and while its not a very fast car, its comfortable and fine for overtaking grannies

Average fuel on mine is 36mpg. Mainly R roads and a bit of motorway

This site is handy for checking the power output (yours wont show as its a UK import)

http://www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do;jsessionid=567C78FAF07F27188A74030C2CA1790C.fcvas508

Mikko Mallikas

Yes both the 110ps and the sci are flawed, when I was buying I held out till I found a 125ps duratec, I think the 125 only came in after the 04 facelift, I would recommend holding out for one. Otherwise check for rear brake calipers, as they seize quite regularly and need to be replaced and also rear subframe bushes are a common problem too. Water ingress through the doors ( all 4 ) can be a problem, as can water ingress into the boot, so check for soggy carpets.

Leonard Hofstadter

All Irish spec LX petrols are 110 PS (90 PS for diesels). All Irish spec Zetecs are 125 PS - there was never a 110 PS option for the Zetec (until the Mk4, and there was never a 90 PS option for the diesel either - it was always 115 PS for both TDdi and TDCi). All UK spec 1.8s are 125 PS, and also the 90 PS diesel was never sold in the UK either - all diesels in the UK are either 115 or 130 if they are 2.0s. LXs and Zetecs in the UK were available with 2.0 petrol and 130 PS diesel options as well.

CiniO

bazz26 wrote: »

My only concern on it is that it is the pre facelifted model which had the Ford Zetec engine which were known for alot of issues including burning alot of oil. On the facelifted model that engine was replaced by a Mazda unit which proved to be alot more reliable.

They were indeed known for burning an oil, but that's not true that engine was changed in facelift model.
From the begining it was the same engine - Duratec, which underwent some modifications (inlet manifold issue was resolved, and probably oil issue as well).

Also they are not Mazda engines used in Ford, but the opposite.
They are Ford engines, which are being used in Mazda.
I have that engine (2 litre) in Mazda 6

L-M

Is 1500 the max of your budget OP?

I'd imagine with a bit of patience in the 1.8 Mondeo market you'd get a lot nicer bang for your Mondeo buck for 2k ish with a bit of patience. (A 04 facelift at least).

Or in the Mazda 6 market! A friend of mine bought a mint pre accident 04 Mazda 6 1.8 with a 13 months test and two months tax for 890 euro, needed a bonnet bumper and wing so stood him about 1300 all in painted and fixed up.

Sleepy

Well, for better or worse it's mine now. Wasn't taxed as advertised (expired in October, guy claimed the car had been listed before it ran out) and a small crack in the rear left lighting case but otherwise very clean and with a good, if not entirely complete (a few NCT sheets missing), service history.

Didn't pay the asking and have run it to Wexford and Back this afternoon. So far I'm very happy with it. It's a huge step up from the Corolla I had previously, nice to have the little things like A/C, leather steel wheel, heated windscreen, steering wheel controls for the stereo etc. and it certainly handles far better. It's certainly not the most powerful thing in the world but it's better than I've had in a while!

L-M

Heated screen is one of the nicest extras I've had, very handy once you don't focus on the wiring, lol.

Best of luck

Mikko Mallikas

Congrats, hopefully you won´t need it but this site is very useful http://www.talkford.com/forum/89-ford-mondeo-mk3-2000-2007/

Cungi

Limerick man wrote: »

Heated screen is one of the nicest extras I've had, very handy once you don't focus on the wiring, lol.

Best of luck

Have to agree.

On cold icy mornings everyone else will be out scraping ice off the windscreen while you press a button and watch it clear.

CiniO

Cungi wrote: »

Have to agree.

On cold icy mornings everyone else will be out scraping ice off the windscreen while you press a button and watch it clear.

I also agree.
For Irish climate where every second day during the winter there is thick layer of ice on your windscreen to scrub, that front windscreen heating is extremally useful.

knucklehead6

Sleepy wrote: »

Well, for better or worse it's mine now. Wasn't taxed as advertised (expired in October, guy claimed the car had been listed before it ran out) and a small crack in the rear left lighting case but otherwise very clean and with a good, if not entirely complete (a few NCT sheets missing), service history.

Didn't pay the asking and have run it to Wexford and Back this afternoon. So far I'm very happy with it. It's a huge step up from the Corolla I had previously, nice to have the little things like A/C, leather steel wheel, heated windscreen, steering wheel controls for the stereo etc. and it certainly handles far better. It's certainly not the most powerful thing in the world but it's better than I've had in a while!

best of luck with her. I had one for 9 years (03, same as yours only changed about 3 months ago) and they are a great car.

Things to watch out for, as other users mentioned Oil. keep an eye on the oil.
And check the Oil.
And it's an idea to check the oil.

The Butterfly valves were on the way out on mine a while back, but after a service it seemed to go away.

I had to replace the coil pack twice, and the cat once in the 9 years, so watch out for them.

Oh, and keep an eye on the oil!!

Sleepy

Certainly got use out of the heated windscreen this morning!!!