kiteboystu

Hi All,

I have a 2008 1.8 TDCI Focus Zetec. Just fully serviced including ALL filters, oil (plus, some fuel cleaner put directly into the fuel filter).

Experiencing lack of power in 1st and 2nd gear as if turbo has not kicked in.

Bit dodgy at times, such as this morning when it crawled across a very busy junction!

Its totally fine from 3rd gear onwards and goes well in general.

Bought it in January off a couple who only used it for very short school runs - so i wondered if I may have a blocked DPF/fuel/turbo/filter???

It was fine on the test drive but I noticed this recently.

Should I pay a garage to stick it on a computer?

Also, its only averaging 43mpg which quite frankly I think is poor.

I just sold my Alfa 156, 2.4JTD 20v (as it was unreliable, although great to drive). This used to return 48mpg average on the same commute to work.

Cheers in advance,

stu

kiteboystu

Surely someone has had the same problem?

Do I need to post this in a different area? Its had plenty of views...

Anyway, its going into the garage tomorrow for a diagnostic.

Daniel-1986

split boost pipe possibly, one went on my mates mondeo diesel which hampered the power

kiteboystu

Cheers fir the idea, will take a look tomorrow.

Wouldn't it have lack of power through all the gears then though?

I had a split turbo hose on my 156 which whistled and caused a lack of power in all gears...

Daniel-1986

cant remember exactly I was there when we found the problem and bought a new pipe from ford, think it was worst in the lower gears

kiteboystu

Cool, thanks, it will be worth checking all the hoses for starters

kiteboystu

Typical - its stopped doing it now, so I've cancelled the diagnostic.

No point until its actually doing it.

Does the fact that its stopped give any clues?

Maybe its not hose-related (as that wouldn't just get better).

Answers on a postcard...

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Get the DTC's read anyway, there may still be codes stored even though the EML isn't on. I would get yourself a code reader off ebay, you can pick a reasonable one up off of ebay for heaper than some garages would charge for a diagnostic check. Where in wiltshire are you?

kiteboystu

OK, I will have a look on Ebay; although are they 'muppet-proof'?

Just looked and there's all sorts on there (OBD, EOD etc) - just looking on here to see if I can find out which model is compatible...

I'm in Trowbridge, near Bath.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

I'm not too sure what one you will need, maybe contact a seller and ask them. It's easy to do, the diagnostic socket is in the top of the pocket underneath the headlamp switch, plug it in there and follow the on screen instructions.

kiteboystu

OK, maybe go down that route then - although I don't have access to a PC, only Macs.

From what I can gather they come with a disc and you read the results on a PC?

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

You want the stand alone handset, i've got one of these, used it a few years ago but not for a long time.



It's nothing fancy but does the job of reading and clearing DTC's.

Some are universal, others are manufacturer specific so will include all their specific DTC codes.

kiteboystu

Thanks,

So can I check the codes the handset gives me online or do I need a PC (not Mac) with the right software installed?

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

If there are codes present then it will be a P followed by 4 digits, normally best to google the code and see what it says.

For example my car currently has a duff air flow meter, I've got laptop based scanning software and it comes up with P0101 and P0299, google the codes and it tells you everything you need to know.

If there are codes present it is best to clear them and see if they come back. A temporary glitch can put the car into limp mode and the code will be permanently stored until it is cleared.

kiteboystu

Cool, that all sounds do-able

Thanks very much for your help,

Stu

kiteboystu

Still suffering with this problem i'm afraid - just been 'living with it' whilst sorting out other more urgent 'life stuff'!

Since posting this It's had a full service and replaced ALL the filters and oil (plus the mechanic put some cleaning stuff directly into the fuel filter).

I chose to ignore the car's MPG reading and do a manual MPG calculation.

Full 55litre tank gave me only 37mpg combined driving around town and usual commute (none motorway). Interestingly, the car says it was doing 43! Just shows how inaccurate that is.

I've taken it to a garage and he's checked everything and ran the code checker - no faults

He reset the average mpg - which tricked me into thinking it was doing about 50mpg - but only for one day! You just press the reset button (when it's showing the average reading).

Car is still sluggish in low revs and hesitates before delivering the power in 1st and 2nd at low revs - it's pretty scary at junctions

I've got to either drop it down into 1st and gun it (like some god dam OAP!!!) or leave it in 2nd as I approach the junction and risk limping out until I get the power!

Mechanic said he could 'blank off' the EGR and see if it makes any difference - but I believe thats a pig of a job isn't it?

My wife hates driving it and prefers to use the 18ft Fiat Ducato Motorhome to pop to the shops.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

What engine is it? Is it the old single cam ford engine? If so then I've got the same engine in my mk4 mondeo and was experiencing a similar thing, blanked the egr off and it totally transformed it. Really easy to do, get the blanking plate off eBay and it's a 2 minute job to fit.

kiteboystu

Hi RichieST

I'm pretty sure it's the same lump a yours as the mechanic mentioned it was the same engine they use in mondeos etc

It's a 2008 58 plate 1.8TDCI Zetec

I thought the EGR valve was a pig to get to on some of these and required taking off loads of other stuff first - not sure where mine is?

Ahaaa!

Just taken a picture and found it - easy access by the looks of it. My mechanic friend is going to quickly blank it off on Friday - fingers crossed!

[IMG][/IMG]

Cheers for the reply

Stu

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

That's the turbo. Have a look at the rear of the cylinder head right at the top, kind of where the bottom point of your arrow is. You will see a shiny metal corrugated pipe attached to the head with 2 8mm bolts. Just slacken off these bolts, drop blanking plate in the re tighten bolts.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

In fact sorry just looked at your pic again in the computer this time, yes that's pointing right at the pipe you want to blank off.

kiteboystu

Hi RichieST,

Thanks for confirming. Will report back on Friday. Here's hoping...

Stu

kiteboystu

EGR valve blanked off and instantly a vast improvement.

Average mpg is now between 47 and 53 and that's without driving like an OAP too :-D

Power delivery in 1st and 2nd seems better too; at least, without as much hesitation.

Time will tell but first impressions are good!

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

That's great news glad it's better! My guess is the EGR could have been seized open or something.

What you could do one day is remove inlet manifold and clean out deposits left behind by the EGR which would have no doubt clogged it up.

kiteboystu

Cheers Richie, will bear that in mind next time it's in the garage for something