Hi guys, bought a w reg mk1 2.0 ghia a week back, history into it was that it was stolen recovered (not registered) the guy who last owned it replaced the locks, ignition etc.... The past couple of days I have had a look at the car and have found a minor problem of the blower fan being stuck on and it doesn't turn off by turning the knob and the recirc button doesn't work. That isn't the worst of it.

Between 1200 and 2500 revs and only occasionally depending on temperature it is like the car has a lagging turbo or is running on fumes, the car bogs down for about 1/2 a second to 2 seconds and then comes back.

Could it be my ECU about to blow or something simpler and if it is my ECU how easy is it to replace and is it just a case of plug and play?

 

More likely the VSS.
Is it petrol or diesel?

 

is it a focus your talking about? Sounds like an airflow meter problem perhaps. Not serious really. try getting the car plugged in on some diagnostic software first

 

2.0 zetec petrol, I was told by a guy that it was the air flow sensor and it needed replaced, so am getting a new one of them, hope it isn't the ECU, haven't given the VSS sensor a try yet but will do.

 

If it was the vss (speed sensor) the speedo would drop off, I had that problem where the power dropped and the speedo stopped working so I got a new sensor off eBay and replaced it myself, it is a fairly simple job but a pain in the arse. I'd be happy to talk you through it that was the problem

 

Speedo isn't dropping, neither is the rev counter from what I can see, it's more annoying than anything and I don't want it getting worse.

 

OK, probably NOT the VSS then. They do fail quite commonly which is why I mentioned it.

 

Only thing worrying me is a friend at work who is a mechanic seems to think that it could be the ECU, little electrical gremlins are occuring such as the passenger side not unlocking when the car is deadlocked but when just locked it dies, the engine problem and the heater, if it is the ECU how easy is it to replace, where is it for a start (just in case it is just loose connections) and what or who do I need to replace it. I am still going to fit the MAF sensor I have just got, maybe get the VSS sensor and a new coil pack just in case (I can get them quite cheap) it is just if it is the ECU I'm a bit stuck.

 

When I bought mine it was running like a bag of crap sluggish and misfiring so I changed the coil pack aswell and the HT leads, the coil pack was £19 and with the HT leads and plugs £35-40 in total. Personally I'd get NGK plugs cost a little more than the bosch plugs but they run better and the vss was £32 off eBay but that didn't come with a new pin that holds it in so I got 1 from the local ford dealership was only £1.20, all easy to replace really

 

Mine doesn't have the pin as it is the mtx75 gearbox problem is the VSS is nearly £80 for them, so might try the coil pack and plugs 1st and save up for the VSS before getting a new ECU