Ford Focus Powershift swap into Mazda5?

[MichaelBrown]

I was pondering the possibility of swapping Fords Dual-Clutch transmission "Powershift" into a Mazda5.

I currently own a 2012 Mazda5 with a 6-speed manual, and while I don't like converter type automatics, I wouldn't mind a sequential transmission.

I understand that the newer Ford Focus utilizes an MZR Duratec and doesn't differ much from our own. With that in mind, the transmission should at least bolt on. My concerns are mountng, axles, and of course electronics/tuning.

Anyone interested or have any information on this?

 

[ratr0]

2012 focus owner here with the DCT transmission. While we haven't had the nightmares that some people have had with theirs, I can honestly say that I much prefer the behavior of a standard automatic (like the one in my 5) than the way my wife's focus behaves.

The focus shudders at low speeds, and stop and go situations. It is slow to react to throttle input, slow to upshift when you need to accelerate quicker. I think its always shooting for a higher gear for the sake of fuel economy. Ford says the transmission computer needs to "learn" your driving habits. We've put 130k+ miles on the car, and overall we still aren't too pleased with the transmission. Don't get me wrong, I think we will surpass the 200k mile mark with ease with this car, but we likely wont buy another ford DCT in the future when its time to get the wife a larger car. We did have 1 day where the trans was acting really bad and the TCM was replaced under warranty.

I much prefer learning how to use my right foot to make a standard automatic transmission do what I want, than one with a brain that's constantly trying to learn and think about what i want and drive accordingly. It doesn't seem to work out so well 90% of the time for us.


just random thoughts:
isnt the 2012+ MZ5 a 2.5L engine?
the focus is a 2.0L

 

[MichaelBrown]

I've read up on this and they keep offering flashes to fix this that the dealership supposedly does for free that has helped quite a bit. I'm not sure if you've been back to the dealership to get the most recent flash, but I also understand there are ways to tune them yourself aswell. So, I'm not too worried about the behavior (because that can be changed/modified), but I am concerned of reliability and with yours lasting this far, that sounds great.

just random thoughts:
isnt the 2012+ MZ5 a 2.5L engine?
the focus is a 2.0L

Yeah, but there isn't any major difference other than engine height. People swap the 2.5 into the 2.0 miatas a lot these days. Both MZR Duratec. Both bolt in.

 

[njaremka]

you would be better off trading the mazda5 for a focus with the transmission already in it. i would think that transmission swap would be a nightmare. besides getting all the mechanical bits sorted out, you would still need to figure out how to get all the electronics figured out.

 

[MichaelBrown]

you would be better off trading the mazda5 for a focus with the transmission already in it. i would think that transmission swap would be a nightmare. besides getting all the mechanical bits sorted out, you would still need to figure out how to get all the electronics figured out.

I don't really consider that an option. I like the Mazda5 and I like the idea of swapping in a Powershift transmission.

I made this thread because I wanted to find and post information on this type of swap, not just give up and trade in my car.

 

[njaremka]

I don't really consider that an option. I like the Mazda5 and I like the idea of swapping in a Powershift transmission.

I made this thread because I wanted to find and post information on this type of swap, not just give up and trade in my car.

have at it, then. i think you'll be fighting a whole host of issues trying to even get it running correctly, let alone the issues of getting it to physically fit into the car. but, hey, if that's what you want to do...

 

[Vasy]

I don't really consider that an option. I like the Mazda5 and I like the idea of swapping in a Powershift transmission.

I made this thread because I wanted to find and post information on this type of swap, not just give up and trade in my car.

You will mostly likely be the first and probably the last one doing it.
I'll watch the thread if you take the plunge and drop a few Gs into this project.

 

[Secondtyme]

I will also wish you luck in creating a one-of-a-kind 35 thousand dollar Powershift Mazda5 with a resale value of 5 thousand dollars. I would think that your largest hurdle is going to be getting the Engine ECU and the transmissions TCU to speak to one another, given the difference in manufacturer and vintage. By 2012 I believe Ford and Mazda had "broken up" officially, so the odds of the whole thing being anywhere near plug and play are pretty long. I would also get used to folks questioning your sanity when you call them for programming help (You put a WHAT? in a WHAT?) Don't get me wrong, the end result would be pretty damned cool, and unique, but be prepared; the role of pathfinder is not an easy one