Hi all,
Im new to this forum so if this isnt the right area to post this i apologise.
Im having a problem recently with my Focus Tdci 2003 starting when it has been raining or damp weather and has been left overnight or long periods opf time, it turns over but struggles to fire its like im trying to start an old tractor engine, and the glow plug light flashes, im not sure if there is water somehow getting into the engine bay, i have had it serviced about 2 months ago when they replaced the cabin filter it broke the scuttle panel seal thus leading to a wet passanger footwell which i have sorted now and no water is getting in that way, some people said it may the Egr valve but that have been cleaned.
I thought i would to and get some advice from you guys before i take it to the garage and get stung with a huge bill
Has anyone had this problem? If so what solved it?

Many thanks In advance Chris

 

Have you tried or tested the glow plugs.

 

What's the mileage? Does it turn over quickly or slowly?

 

Mileage is 120k, and it does turn over fairly quick which makes me think it isn't the battery, this morning at 6 am ready to go to work and it started first time with no problems at all its so tempermental, I have got some new plugs to put into it but unsure how and haven't had the time to do it either.
chris

 

That mileage is getting into fuel injector failure range. If it spins over fast it's not the starter dying. So it's most likely injectors or glow plugs. Tomorrow morning when it's cold and shitty when you leave for work, turn the key, wait for the glow plug light to go out, count to 15, turn the key back to off, do that twice more so you've cycled the plug warm up 3 times. Then try to start the car. If it still moans about starting you need to have a friend/garage perform a leak off test on your injectors. If it starts ok then repeat the process for the next week or so and if its 100% fine change the plugs and you should be ok.

 

Morning, tried what you said this morning and was raining all night so expected to give me problems, done what you said with leaving for 15 seconds 3 times, it didn't start first time but did start in 5-6 seconds which is a lot better than it has been, and thinking about the battery now, im thinking it isn't turning over as fast as it was in the summer, so at the weekend im gonna put in on charge at the in-law house for a couple of hours and change the plugs.
Im fairly competent I would say, How easy/difficult are the plugs to change?
Thanks Chris

 

Oh and forgot to ask, Will an Egr valve blanking plate effect the running of the engine in any way and is it worth doing?, will it make the exhaust smoke more??
Thanks

 

the glow plugs are easy to change, you need to remove the power feed rail then they just unscrew like a spark plug would. They can seize in the head and if you are not careful they can snap so try not to force them.

 

Thanks

 

Charge the battery, if it still turns over slowly then the starter is probably on its way out, has the car ever had a flywheel change?

 

It has all of its service history and only 2 owners before me, and there isn't anything saying is has had the flywheel changed, I really hope I don't have to do that . would it effect the car if I took the battery out to charge it, or would it be better to charge on the car?
Thanks

 

Better to charge off the car, unless you have a proper regulated charger like a ctek, just to be safe to the module and the wiring. If you haven't had a flywheel then you might be lucky, old flywheels kill starters on the 1800 tdcis over time. Knackered starters spin slowly and might not turn a cold engine over fast enough to reach target rpm. Target rpm is the minimum rpm at which the ecu will fire the injectors and try and start the engine.

 

If you don't have the kit to effectively measure the cold cranking amps you can do a simple test which will tell you if your problem is the battery. If you can get a good set of jump leads and connect them to your battery from another car, leave the other car running and then start yours from cold. If it turns over and starts easily enough I would suggest your battery is on its way out, if it’s still sluggish then obviously look into other potential problems.

I've just put a battery on mine and its only when you turn it over with a new one that you realise just how sluggish the old one has become over time, as someone has already commented if the starter can't turn the engine over fast enough (750 rpm) the injectors will not fire !<O</O

 

When was the air filter and spark plugs last changed? It could be the filter is blocked to the point of affecting the starting, or the plugs could be worn out and giving a bad spark. there may be a spark at the leads, but a poor spark in the plug itself.

 

It be a diesel, no sparking electrical trickery here