my cars started hesitating badly while driving, complete lack of power, more so when warm.

if i press the accelerator down further than about a third of the way the car really feels like its holding back and the exhaust starts to make a popping noise.

ive cleaned the maf element but its made no difference.

any ideas what could be causing this?

 

I'd look at ignition, more particularly the plugs for signs of leakage, unless they are BOSCH plugs in which case bin them.
tabetha

 

ive changed the plugs and leads, twice actually lol. tried bosch and also motorcraft ones, made no difference at all

also, i changed the temp sensors, one that goes into the bottom hose and also the one under the coil pack, thinking about it, the problem only really started happening after i changed these, could they cause it? they were motor factor supplied, so not genuine ford

 

replace the MAF, cleaning isnt guaranteed to work and the symptoms sound MAF related, try one from another car if possible and yes the sensor s could be the cause try changing back to the originals and see if the fault goes away