Who owns a Mondeo ST220 / ST TDCI?

Sounds good to me if it is tidy overall :) so much car for the money

The moosing is the idle control valve as far as I know yes. People tend to clean or replace them to fix it I believe.
 
-Neil- said:
I did have to lol the first time I heard it happen in person!

Neil.
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It is quite an amusing noise!



As a general bit of info for the thread, I changed my spark plugs on saturday, which involved removing the upper inlet manifold. It was fiddly, but not as bad as people make out on other forums! Getting to the rear two nuts (one holds a wiring loom up, the one below that holds the manifold on at the back - you only need to slacken off this nut) was fiddly but fine with a set of ratchet spanners (with a piece of string tied to them in case I dropped them down behind the engine). Then you just remove the six bolts on top near the inlet ports, then two bolts holding on the bracket for a purge valve at the back to the right of the manifold, then there's another bolt attaching a bracket below and to the rear of the throttle body. Disconnect the rear breather hose, brake vacuum hose, and other vacuum/breather hoses that may not flex so well, and gently lift the manifold up. I suspended it at about 45 degrees by resting it on a large ring spanner!


The old plugs were very worn, and it has made a bit of a difference to how the engine feels, particularly at low revs and idle speeds.



If you need to do yours, don't be scared ;)
 
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-Neil- said:
What's a decent exhaust system for the car? Miltek, Janspeed?
Do they respond well to remaps? Add anything to the mid range in torque?

Neil.
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You may gain 10-20bhp depending on whether you've got an aftermarket exhaust/induction kit. Supposedly the remap units (Dreamscience, Pumaspeed etc) remove the torque limiters in lower gears as well, which should make it feel quicker in the mid-range with town driving etc.

The best modification to do to the induction side of things is to add a pipe to the airbox inlet next to the gearbox. This second air feed was removed when they facelifted it and added the 6 speed gearbox because there wasn't enough room for the pipework, so they just left a hole in the side of the airbox. It can help with induction temps if you add one yourself and route it to behind the headlamp or into the bumper for example. This will give you as much if not more gain than spending a fortune on an "aftermarket" air filter system IMHO.


I'm probably going to go for a JP exhaust system at some point soon. They seem to sound the nicest!


Imy said:
Almost forgot why I logged on...

My insurance renewal has come through and this is the first time I'm being quoted for the entire year (previously was a top-up when I changed cars).

I've been quoted £533.45 for 12 months, fully comp including bonus protection and extended hire car cover (with Admiral).

I've got 8 years NCB and no points.

Just wondering how that compares with what other people pay. Remember to include the name of your insurer!
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I renewed back in August for £580. I'm 25 with.. erm.. 7? years NCB. I live in a 'C'-rated postcode area.
 
Imy said:
I'd describe the clutch in mine as a medium in terms of heaviness.

The difference in the sensation of speed isn't just down to the N/A engine. It's the size of the car. Smaller (especially less refined) cars will feel quicker than larger cars at the same speed and the mini and ST220 are on almost complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size. Also the 6 cylinders in the ST220 along with the weight of the car means accelerating feels smooth rather than sudden.

The noise from mine is pretty much how you describe it. Again this adds to the lack of speed sensation. It is quite tame in stock format which can be both a pro and con.

As for torque I find there's plenty when you're on the move but moving off from stationary feels like a bit of a chore for the car.
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It's a heavy old thing as well, which means it can sometimes feel a bit lethargic at slow speeds if you're in the wrong gear. Wind up the RPMs through 2nd/3rd/4th though and you can feel where the power is coming from, and it shouldn't have any problem walking away from a Cooper S
 
I think it sounds great stock. Lovely engine note, grunty yet smooth and sings when you wind up the revs. That's not to say it can't be improved but let's face it, its a practical and comfortable performance hatchback/ saloon. They're not going to go mad when building the car are they?
 
The bulbs are wonderfully easy to change. Remove the grille, pull out two retaining pins for the light cluster, remove cluster. Makes a mockery of more complicated cars :)
 
Crizzy said:
Howard, do you miss your mx5 or are you content enough with the ST?

Reason I ask is that my mx5 has been diagnosed with 'excessive rust' to the chassis meaning that the most realistic option is that I will have to change cars within the next year or so. I did have a thought in the back of my mind that I would never get rid of my mx5 it's been so dam good and it's only NA as well.

I often thought of an ST220, I think they are great cars but my concern is that it won't feel special enough and I'm not sure if it is a car that will make me want to keep it forever like the mx5 did. Quandaries.
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I don't rue the day that I sold the MX5. However, I do miss the sort of fun that kind of car offers! Recently I have been contemplating swapping the Mondeo for something a bit more fun-oriented, i.e. some kind of hot hatch. I decided however that there are too many compromises considering my usage. I decided that the Mondeo is a fantastic all-round car and if you want to hoon it along some twisty back roads, it is more than capable. I think in a way it does feel special - it looks good on the outside, plenty of leather and kit inside, big V6 under the bonnet with a lovely engine note. I have no intention of selling it any time soon unless I magically come into enough money to swap to something better.
 
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