Its go a Belt
Does a 2001 Focus 2L have a chain or belt? I'm looking thru the maintenance
schedule ( 60,000 miles)and see nothing about a belt change. I also see the
plug change listed at 100K. TIA,  Mark S

Mark,

From earlier postings, we have a belt, recommended change interval is
120kmile, however a lot of folks recommend changing at as few as 80k miles
for precautions.  This is a NON-interference engine so if your belt did
happen to break it would just leave you stranded away from home. :-(  No
enging damage.

Most folks change the water pump/thermostat at the same as the belt, cause
in most engines you have to take off almost all of the same parts.  I had a
K-car with a change interval of 60k and the belt broke at 100k.???? Took me
a weekend of work, $20 for a new belt, $19 for a new water pump plus
gaskets, and a few beers later it was working great.  I "might"? leave the
focus up to a mechanic thou, I have not looked to see how hard it is ot fix.

Plug change intervals varies, depending on who you ask....Platinums do last
a long time.  The most important item to remember about plugs is to remove
them and apply an antiseize compound at least once per year to prevent the
threads from FREEZING to the head.  When you do this you can check to see
how your plugs/wires are holding up. Also, apply silicone gel to the plugs
boots to prevent dust/moisture from attacking the plug.

I personnally would use the gas milage/engine knocking as an indicator.
Keep up with the gas mileage at fillups and listen to what you engine tells
you while driving.

Good Luck

--
Dan
2003 ZX5 2.0L  26k miles
"Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it" - George Santyana