Hey all,

Focus ST170 03 plate, 83k miles, recently had new dfm and clutch, coil packs, leads, plugs, wheel bearing, tyres and yesterday took it to a local well known nationwide service center to get the cambelt changed and a service done.

I picked it up today and was told everything was done however on the test drive the engine management light had come on. I was then told the fault was something along the line of 'air intake valve stuck open' and am pretty sure (by looking online) that it was indeed 'P1518 Intake Manifold air Control Solenoid Bank 1 stuck open'. I was then told that this however was purely coincidental to the garage having had the car for 24hrs as they had been 'no where near that part of the engine when doing the cambelt and service'. Disgruntled i then left....after being told i would need to get that sorted at some time soon and it would likely cost a few hundred pounds.

I then got maybe 4 miles and all of a sudden the car went in to limp mode and i heard the exhaust backfire. I called the garage and limped it back to them. The mech then ran the diagnostic and now another code was showing P1383 Variable CAM Timing Over Retarded (bank 1).

So the cars back with them and their going to take it all apart and re do the cambelt...is there anything I can tell them not to make the same mistake twice?

Also is it likely the P1518 code is related to the mech screwing up the cam belt change? or is he right in saying its purely coincidental - the eml has never come on before

 

i think from reading older discussions on this that it happens a lot when the cambelt hasnt been changed properly. im not 100% but i think the problem is that the cam pulley bolts need slackening then re tightening. something like that but wait for a more knowledgable person to comment or try searching the fault code.

 

Well I picked it up yesterday and the cambelt fault has now been rectified by looks of it as have done about 50miles today with no problems..

The P1518 fault however still persists and the car is not as punchy as it was before. I'd guess its running ta say 75-80% the power it was before.

Ive never done it before but Im going to have a look at digging out the IRMC and seeing if I can do anything with it. I dont really understand what the IRMC even is and how it works but have seen theres quite a few threads and vids that suggest it may be something i can fix myself. The fault was explained to me to be like a butterfly valve that opens and closes and the fault code suggests its stuck open.

Would it be right to say therefore that the problem could either be the IMRC (the little control box thingy) not working properly or the 'butterfly valve' itself being stuck open? If so where is this butterfly in relation to the IMRC unit? The garage told me the cable itself seemed to all look in working order if that helps. ????

 

i fixed mine myself. it was the spring on mine needed repositioning. easy fix using the online fixes posted up on net. cant rem where but google should find it.

 

Thanks for the reply,

I think I've located the IMRC box in the center of the car at the back of the engine bay - is that the right one? Can you remember what parts you removed to be able to inspect the IMRC box and the cable? If that is the IMRC box im looking at i cant for the life of me see where it goes!

Cheers

 

Also would i be right in thinking if when turning the engine on and off if can see the cable move at the IMRC end then the problems not the box? and it'll be whatevers at the other end?