I'm looking at another car 😱

[michaelluscher]

Goodbye inferior lug nuts

It's not as bad as I feared, I now believe some Fluid Film, scrape and paint the subframe, and cavity wax the rockers should keep it solid for a few years

That probably explains why the ABS wouldn't kick in, needs pads/rotors all around
Not unreasonable in my locale, due to rust and stop and go heat damage
Judging by the rotor retention screws, I wonder if they're factory 🤔

I noticed the overdrive cancel and grade assist button on the shifter was inop, pulled up the console trim (that was mis installed) to find the console screws missing, and the wires for the button severed
My hypothesis is that this happened when the long suffering FRT at my local (awful) Ford dealer had the dash out for the passenger side Takata airbag inflator recall
It's P.O being old, and infrequent use, probably means they never noticed
I'll track down some screws

Not attractive but functional 🫠

 

[ZZman]

They are both great cars I loved my old Camry. Can't go wrong either way.

 

[michaelluscher]

I think I caught where the water was getting into the rear quarter
I don't know if the waters coming through or around these one way air grilles, but there is a revised part number
They're also a little loose, you can wiggle them by hand in the body stamping
I ordered two new ones, and I'll surround the flange with some butyl/thumb sealer I bought a roll of off Amazon
Hopefully new ones sealed tight to the body will put an end to trunk dampness

Seems to have finally dried out
I'll wash it all out, then retest with a hose

 

[michaelluscher]

I knocked out some parts when I got home today from work
I got about 3 hours in before the Milwaukee light died on me 😭

Thermostat

Idler, Idler, tensioner pulley, belt

Improved idler to prevent timing cover failure

Tensioner seems smooth and strong, so just a fresh pulley will do

Not much room to work, but it was much less of a fight then on the Milan
Maybe I'm just better versed, this being the second time around 🤷‍♂️

Clock a long 3/8 flex ratchet the right way, and the subframe can hold it fully back, so you can feed the belt properly alone

PUTTING ALL THE CLIPS BACK
Something many mechanics struggle with 😒

Swapping the water outlet out as per a TSB

It's tight in there, but I got through it eventually

I'm surprised the drain plug came out in one piece, used the new one anyway

 

[michaelluscher]

Routing purge hose to new coolant bottle

So clear and fresh 🥰
I added a new pressure cap, because that seemed the right thing to do 👍

New thermostat, belt, idler

Now I need a 💤

Tomorrow we break out the vacuum filler, and mix up some Specialty Green
Maybe I'll drain and fill the transmission too
I'm looking forward to Wednesday, the plates will come and I'll get to drive it on my own terms 😎

 

[AZjeff]

Amazing rehab. Most people would just gas and go. Hope it treats you well for years. 👍

 

[michaelluscher]

Vacuum fill it

Remove the rear bumper
Went around some penetrations with butyl, found a hairline crack in the seam sealer, all I had on hand was some Toyota FIPG 103, luckily it's behind the tail lights where you can't see it

Got it all cleaned up

The filler neck was replaced c.2019, that's a score ✅
But they didn't put the filler door back on properly 😒

Now it's sitting flush

Yeah, these body vents aren't sealing
The new ones were supposed to be here, but USPS is a Common L 😒

Whipped the driver's door panel off (literally in 60 seconds) because someone used old school GM clips in a few spots, so the door panel was slightly loose
I have some really choice words for the people that worked on this car in the past 😡

 

[michaelluscher]

All new clips, reassemble

That's more like it 👍

R&R of the rear bumper has it sitting flush now

Made sure the sunroof drains were clear, they flow well

The thermostat seems to have fixed the heat, up to 205° at idle, with good heat out the vents
All I'm waiting on is the body vents, a valve cover gasket, plugs, drain and fill the transmission and I'm done
Hopefully the title and plates come in Wednesday, I can go drive it properly 👍

 

[michaelluscher]

The purge valve looks like it might be OE, but the part numbers have been ground off, implying maybe an aftermarket rebox?
That and the new filler neck suggests previous EVAP system problems
Since they've revised the part at least 4 times, a new and improved Motorcraft one went on
My belief is if every CD3 car got the updated throttle body and purge valve, people would have been much happier with them

On goes the new one

 

[turboseize]

I'm on page one and I will catch up with th eother posts, but from reading the initial posts and the first replies:

Buy the Fusion, keep the Camry. Drive the Fusion into the ground, use the Camry once a month for nice occasions - and as a back-up vehcle.
After the Fusion is used up, you'll still have a nice Camry.
Never sell your first car.

 

[michaelluscher]

6 PSI 😳

New body grilles are in, I went around the edges with the only sealant I could find in the shed (Permatex Ultra Grey)

No it ain't pretty, but as long as it doesn't leak I'm fine with it
...can't see it anyway
I put a Damp-Rid and a Arm&Hammer refresher in the trunk to dismiss the remaining dank 👃

I washed the spare, it was nasty

Let's clean those injectors 🧽

Touch up paint finally arrived, shockingly hard to find 🤷‍♂️

These all weather mats are mediocrity personified
They're also recalled, so they'll get swapped out when I go for the drivers airbag 💣

72° and humid AF today, this gives me hope the A/C would be cold in hotter weather 🌡️
Let's check up on the costs of this endeavor, I learned that the hard way with Project Milan and Project xB

...$659 on a car I've driven for maybe 45 minutes 🤔
I make good decisions don't I 😭
I get the plates tomorrow, I'll be able to take it out for a nice drive after I get home from work

 

[super20dan]

the way cars rust there it dosnt seem to matter what you buy. they all die from rust in 10 years it seems. you will regret not getting another toyota tho i suspect when that ford nick and dimes you to death which it allteady has started. thats a lot of work needed for such a low mileage car

 

[Blinker]

These Fusions were good cars. Basically a Mazda 6 in Ford clothing. Several members here have had 2006-2012 Fusions.

Hope it gives you lots of trouble free miles. I’d much rather drive a Fusion over a Camry anyday.

 

[michaelluscher]

Well plates have been delayed 😭
Turns out there was a duplicate title issued, and the lady I bought the car from didn't know about it/gave us the wrong one
Something with the dealer when the bought it, because they bought it cash?
There was two titles issued, I've got the older of the two (March 2010 vs May 2010)
She's looking through her file cabinet, or she'll just send away for a new duplicate title and that'll be valid to transfer ownership
Because New York 🤷‍♂️

I guess I'll stare at it for a little while longer, maybe drain and fill the transmission

The disappointment 😞

 

[michaelluscher]

Change of plans, the title was found

I'll drive it some more and report back on how it is

 

[michaelluscher]

Drove it back and forth to work for two days
Didn't miss a beat 🤌
But then, why would it 🤔

I'm doing the valve cover gasket right now

Torque freaks 🫡
106 in.lb 🗣️

 

[michaelluscher]

Out comes the factory NGK (Motorcraft branded)

Something looks a little off about these plugs, but I'm not expert
The porcelain seems a little darker than I'm used to
And they seem a touch dark/sooty
Now it did have a bad thermostat that was keeping the engine from reaching full temperature, maybe they're ever so slightly fouled?
Or the two bottles of Techron in the tank did this?

 

[michaelluscher]

As a cost/availability issue, I downgraded from double iridium to double platinum

 

[michaelluscher]

Ooh it's looking fresh 😎

D+F the ATF into an old coolant bottle, I'm assuming it's the factory fill, so noting what comes out will help me refill kinda close
It's a hair over 4 liters, so 4.something qts
I learned the hard way with the Milan that this dipstick is hard to decipher

 

[carviewsonic]

I haven’t bought and gone through a car like that in years. It’s really satisfying to bring a car up to snuff like that, for not a lot of dollars. I’m sure you’ll get many years and miles out of the Fusion, taking good care of it like this. A lot more satisfying than monthly car payments.