Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)
  • Mondeo ST220- what to look out for?
  • davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Off to look at a 2003 estate for my brother. 91k, fsh, “possible heat shield rattle”. Anything in particular to look out for or check on these? Cheers.

    legend
    Free Member

    Estates miss out on a lot of the problems of the saloon as the rear suspension layout is different. Two of the most annoying things in the saloon are sub-frame bushes and hand-brake cables, both are much improved in the estate.

    Check for a coolant pipe running across the front of the radiator (might not exist on the V6), strangely enough it can corrode

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    molgrips
    Free Member

    Cyclists and pedestrians.

    honkiebikedude
    Free Member

    Rear wheel beaarings , rear brake calipers , handbrake cables , rear tyres worn on inside edges due to play in bushes on rear suspesnion .

    Number plate lamps corrode and stop working . Water ingress in tailgate button , tailgate either won’t open or will open on it’s of it’s own accord .

    Anti roll bar links wear front and rear .

    Front springs break .

    Heatshields attached to underside of body do corrode and fall off/rattle .

    Alloy wheels corrode allowing tyres to deflate .

    singlecrack
    Free Member

    The traffic Police …they’re fairly rapid 😆

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Heatshield rattle is an optional extra on all Fords, it’s a pain in the balls to fix frankly because of how they fit them. OTOH sometimes the fix is just to throw it in the bin, that’s what I did on the Focus. No idea for 220s. if the wheels have alloy worm don’t worry too much, it’s ugly but again it’s pretty much par for the course with STs.

    Does he own an oil well? I saw a nice article where it turned out that an ST155 towing an ST220 is still more efficient than an ST220 driving itself 🙂 I toyed with the big ‘un but went with a breathed-on 155 instead, not that much slower at 180bhp and a fair bit more liveable-with at 50mpg. But still, I liked the V6.

    scruff
    Free Member

    I looked at one which was in ‘perfect’ condition. Oil was leaking underneath although he insisted it hadnt leaked before, gearbox felt woolley. I walked away.

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Check rear tyres for wear on outside edges also, can be rear wheel alignment out. Cheap to fix, we did ours but I could feel it was getting squiffy again when we sold it a year or so later.

    On TDCI’s, there is an aux belt pulley with a vibration damper that can cause annoying vibration at idle, when cold its not an issue as the engines idles higher, but at operating temperature it idles lower and causes an annoying vibration/background rattle. There is an upgraded pulley that fixes it. Turning the air conditioning on had an effect as well, can’t remember if it made it worse or better.

    Also check the underside of the doors as the seam sealing is poor for that age and they often go rusty, eventually perforating the outer door skin. We got ours fixed under the corrosion warranty, the car had no corrosion checks in the handbook so we paid for a service, got the appropriate tick in the handbook as they only really check for chips etc, and then promptly booked it back in to their bodyshop for it to be corrected.

    zokes
    Free Member

    Petrol stations, I would have thought…

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    Mate had the 3.0 V6 Mondeo, (not an ST though).
    Dont recall it being that heavy on fuel, if driven sensibly. Around 28-30 ish mpg I think he said. Nice car. Theres a chap with an 06 silver diesel version who parks at work. Even amongst much newer cars its still a really nice looking car.

    MrTall
    Free Member

    I have the 3.0l V6 which is the less sporty version and it’s been a lovely car. I do have the heat shield rattle but i barely notice it and seems pointless to fix it.

    Fuel is obviously a problem but i tend to get 29-30mpg but it’d be a lot less if urban miles are his driving (sub 25mpg). My front spring did snap in half last month while in a 75mph bend which led to an interesting moment but that’s about the only problem i’ve had (as well as a dodgy bonnet latch which is a well documented problem – Ford wanted £370!! local garage did it for £96).

    It’s a heavy car so tyres get worn reasonably quickly but aren’t hugely expensive to replace (£75 a corner last week). I considered a ST220 but found my V6 at a bargain price so went for that instead (saloon).

    Edit – Don’t forget the £430 Road Tax which is a bit of a sickener! 🙁

    cbmotorsport
    Free Member

    molgrips – Member

    Cyclists and pedestrians.

    ..and faster drivers overtaking. 😉

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Cheers for the replies. I posted at short notice so missed most of them before viewing. Drove very nicely indeed, lovely V6 bellow with the windows open! Couple of things – the ‘heatshield rattle’ – the rear shield had already come loose and he had it in his garage. Rest of it felt firmly fixed but moving the exhaust changed the vibration/ noise characteristic. Might have been missing the mid section mounting bolt, bit hard to see. Hope it’s nothing more serious….

    Sat low at the back – guy was very genuine and said his mate has an identical one which sits an inch or so higher. Felt fine to drive, no sign of ever having a towbar fitted – could it be related to worn anti roll bar links or bushes as mentioned above? Nothing in the history about it

    Alloys in remarkable nick considering, all the documents, new fuel pump, new front discs and pads, all electrics working, wouldn’t mind it myself TBH…Bloke reckoned 22mpg around town, 27-30mpg on a 70-80mph motorway run. My brother doesn’t do many miles so doubt he’s bothered (although he is planning on driving it to Poland….), lot less to go wrong then on a higher mileage diesel too I guess. Lovely looking thing in performance blue with black leather!

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    £430 tax! Just gone off the idea! Knowing my brother he’ll be planning to bolt to Dover without tax as it doesn’t have any currently

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Some of the higher spec estates had self levelling shocks, they are self contained with no electrics or hydraulics to worry about. If its had aftermarket shocks or ones from a basic estate fitted, that could be the reason it sits lower. I think the Ghia models had them at least. You put a load in, the car sits down, but when you start driving they will level the car. But being a sporty model it may not have had them fitted anyway.

    timber
    Full Member

    Re: rear tyre wear, you can adjust the camber on the rear of mk3 Mondeos as I had this done to accommodate ageing shocks(elliptical bolt mount, had sagged 1.5 degrees away from stock), although I would’ve thought the ST would have the self levelling units.

    From experience, get the original/skf rear wheel bearings, the cheap ones may be thrid of the price, but you’ll be doing them every year/20k.

    When he cracks the big wheels in Poland, I have some 16″ Jaguar X-Type ones he can buy 😉

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Hmmm, this sits low at a standstill both stopped and running. Makes me wonder if something major is up with it and an expensive fix is required. Ford ETIS system lists “special suspension” for the car, whatever that is?

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    The suspension only has to readjust when you change the load. Unless you’ve just filled the boot with bricks or hooked up a caravan, I don’t think the ride height before driving should look any different to normal.

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Would a flat battery and then change for a new one cause it to need some sort of reset?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    FWIW my Ghia X has standard/boring suspension. I think the ST is lower but I don’t know if the parts are otherwise different. Mine often looks low at the back but it’s an optical illusion I think, but I assume that’s not the case here!

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Nope, defo sitting low. Visibly higher at the front and even the owner says his mate’s ST220 sits higher

    timber
    Full Member

    Thought that Ghia upwards had self levelling shocks. If the rear shocks had rubber gaiters, they are probably self levelling. If like 2 plastic tubes, probably not. Think the ST just had shorter springs for lower/stiffer ride, TalkFord.com will have more on the ST than me.

    spooky_b329
    Full Member

    Probably been lowered at some point. Maybe the front springs didn’t last and its gone back to OE ones…or they couldn’t lower the front as much due to tyre scrub or something.

    P.S Makes me miss my Mundano!

    craigxxl
    Free Member

    Special suspension just means lowered springs. It’s the same with all ST’s.
    The self rear shocks can cease or leak so visually make sure they are leaking and they feel rock hard if ceased. £200 a piece to replace.

    Bottoms of the doors rusted on early models so have a good check. If you go on ST Drivers forum there is load of information on there as well a few for sale where the owners have looked after them.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Why not just get a diesel 130bhp plenty of power, I can’t see why anyone would want to get an ST, wont be as comfy, quiet and do anything like the same mpg

    legend
    Free Member

    Why wouldn’t the big leather seats and smooth V6 engine be as comfy or quiet?

    Bottoms of the doors rusted on early models so have a good check.

    I’d forgotten about that one, its a right pain in the arse. The rears in particular like to rot from the inside out, so have a good look at the area around the drain holes

    br
    Free Member

    £430 tax! Just gone off the idea! Knowing my brother he’ll be planning to bolt to Dover without tax as it doesn’t have any currently

    For an 2003, are you sure – my 2001 3.0i Jag is £270.

    davosaurusrex
    Full Member

    Late 2003 is liable for the higher duty apparently. Think it’s concerning him a bit

    pjm84
    Free Member

    No it wouldn’t be. Had a 2004 Defender and didn’t have to pay the top bracket. It applies to high emission cars registered 2006 onwards.

    gmex619
    Free Member

    Yep.

    Check around the bottom lips of doors for rusting. Common on mk3 mondeos.

    Rear ends wear out. Listen for rear end knocks on test. Will be an expensive fix.

    Check seatbelts for wear. They arent amazing quality.

    Plus 1 for alloy corrosion. Ford alloys are awful for it.

    Tell him to consider other models. St tdci for example. The 220 is a pretty expensive car too fix. Extremely by ford standards. Manual clutches arent super strong either.

    gmex619
    Free Member

    Also. St used different calipers and cables iirc. Not as prone too sticking.

    Common upgrade is a upgrade too rs brakes.

    karen805
    Free Member

    Rear sitting lower could be broken springs? Mate with a Titanium X estate (looks like a ST, but isn’t) has just had to do both rear springs on his due to a complete spring failure (snapped in half). sat lower at the back because of it..

    Same happened to our Alfa, actually fitted Eibach ‘lowering’ springs to that under advice from local Alfa dealer (said genuines would break again) and it now sits higher ‘lowered’ than it did standard with snapped spring.

Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)

The topic ‘Mondeo ST220- what to look out for?’ is closed to new replies.