In the midst of the S15 undergoing its most severe makeover yet – arguably the most severe makeover any of my cars has ever seen – I have a bit of time to dig into the archives tonight for an “Early Days” post, to take a look at another modification that quickly became quite common back when all of us on the forums were busily experimenting with the Mk3 Focus platform and finding new ways to make our cars stand out or just bring together options and features from different trim levels.
This comes about due to some recent activity within owners’ groups, with newer members asking if there are ways to dress up their engine bays and in some cases specifically asking if anyone “makes an engine cover for the Focus SE” (the SE continues to be the go-to model for non-ST/RS builds). The answer for these queries can actually be found within the Ford parts catalogue, or at least still can be for now.
To be fair, even back when the cars were new most were unaware of this piece existing because of just how rare it was to have one fitted from the factory. Fast-forward about 13 years now and it’s faded even further into obscurity; say hello to the OEM Titanium engine cover.
Adding to the long list of features that Titaniums received which other owners have since adapted to lower models, certain Titaniums also received this engine cover. However, it was only ever factory-fit to the very (very very very very) early production vehicles and was quickly retired from the standard equipment list. If anyone had a Titanium with it installed from the factory they had one of the earliest vehicles off of the production line when Mk3s rolled out (in fact, it is sometimes referred to as the “early build Titanium engine cover” to be more specific, for this reason). For those curious, the noted dates within Ford’s system show it only being in use from January 31st 2011 through to May 19th 2011.
Once it was discovered that the piece existed the forums were of course quick to find the part numbers and start snapping these up so it wasn’t long before they starting appearing on many other Mk3s. Since there was only ever one engine offered in the non-STs at the time (in the North American market where almost all of us were) it was a direct fit for all of the cars. Incidentally – in case it needs to be clarified – this piece is only for the 2.0L Duratec DI Ti-VCT engines. If you have a Mk3.5 with the same engine, you can fit the cover as well.
Naturally I of course picked one up for Mustard and the photos I’m using for the article today are actually my originals from that time; these were all taken when my cover arrived and was fitted back in July 2012! It’s hard to believe that the car shown in these photos is the same ST-swapped/flared/slammed-on-Tarmacs-and-once-dailied Mk3 of today but indeed, it is. This cover obviously isn’t on the car any more (it was removed a couple of summers later for an aftermarket cover – more on that another time – and eventually found its way onto Dijon where it still sits today) but I do still very much like the look of it and have been debating grabbing one for Arabis just for the heck of it while they’re still available new from Ford. However, let’s get on to the details for all of you looking to add this to your own Mk3 shall we?
PARTS:
The parts list is very brief, consisting of the cover itself as well as a trio of plastic studs (that screw onto the engine and the cover then snaps on to) as well as a nut for extra security.
Engine cover: CP9Z-6A949-A
White studs: CP9Z-6A957-A (need two)
Black stud: CP9Z-6A957-B (need one)
Nut: W520201-S442 (need one, not shown)
INSTALL:
This one really couldn’t get any easier; it’s a fantastic way to hide some clutter in the bay with a minute or two of effort. Pop your hood and if it looks like what you see above (that is, if you have this engine) you can proceed to the next step.
The plastic studs need to be screwed on to threads you’ll find as part of the valve cover’s existing hardware. I realize that a top-down shot would have been better suited here, but remember I took these photos nearly 12 years ago now and they weren’t originally intended for a blog tutorial. Haha
The good news is though, if you aren’t sure on which threads to secure the studs to (and yes, you need to put them in the correct spots as the two colours of studs are different heights as shown) you can use the engine cover for reference. The provisions circled in blue are where the studs will snap in to, and the cutouts for the dipstick and oil cap make it pretty clear as to where this cover needs to sit on top of the engine. The final piece circled in pink is where another stud on the valve cover will pass through, and on to that goes the single nut that was listed above with the other parts. Again, 12 year old photos; I’m sorry I don’t have a top-down image. Haha
With the three plastic studs screwed on the engine, the cover popped in place, and that nut threaded on (it sits in that recess you see just above the R and A in “Duratec”, the cover install is officially complete!
WHERE TO BUY:
As a final note I figured I might as well highlight how you can get your hands on what you see above. The standard answers apply as with any other OEM part – go to Ford if you want new (if available) or start hunting partouts, junkyards, and eBay if you want (or have to go with) used – but it’s the buying new process I want to quickly touch on here. That’s because, until very recently, these were actually no longer available new from Ford! It wasn’t surprising given they hadn’t been used in production since 2011, but what was surprising is that just the other day another half-dozen or so appeared in the system. If you’re reading this the day it goes live and are fast you could likely scoop one of them up for yourself. Otherwise, expect to have to use those part numbers provided earlier in the article to do some hunting online or keep your eyes peeled for cars being parted out or arriving in junkyards in the off chance one happens to have it.
It’s anyone’s guess as to how many of these are out in the world now but all these years later I’m still a fan of how they tidy up the bays of these cars and also offer a potential canvas for custom painting or other touches – many owners were quick to add some colour to these to further customize their bays and I recall seriously considering that myself as well back when I had this fitted. Regardless of leaving it as Ford made it or taking it further however, they were another fun way to play with OEM+ tweaks and part of me really misses those early days when we were all researching these cars and trading notes every night on the forums, sharing our latest finds and how-tos so we could personalize our cars despite not having the the aftermarket support they have today.
-Bill