skypeller

hi all hope somebody can be of help here

i have recently had my cambelt done and only owned the car 3weeks and its a very clean and smart example of a 54plate st170

it has circa 80k on the clock with full history

the engine light came on whilst driving through traffic at around 3-4k rpm the other day so i checked the code with my ebay code reader and found oddly that it wa the manifold stuck open code....but the imrc is working as it should with no odd noises other than when the ignition is turned to pos2 you can hear it buzzing over to the correct position but makes no odd ticking or clonking noises from the imrc box on the bulkhead

the 5k engine note changes although personally i dont feel any really difference to any other car in power change at those revs.... but it definately feels about right after coming from a bmw 325 and 328i ,....

the level is pulling the manifold clip towards the radiator side of the engine bay when started....so im assuming it is releasing the cable when over 5k ish revs and the manifold spring moves the flaps back to home position until below 5k again

does anybody know if i could change the manifold return spring with any great ease...with the manifold on the car seeing as sometime when pulling the manifold control wheel (where clip mounts) if i pull quite hard the manifold seems to occasionally stick into one or the other positon as if the return spring for the manifold is not quite man enough.....

anyway after messing about finding nothing odd isnide the imrc box i simply sprayed it with wd40 when i took it off the other day and sprayed some 20ml or so of wd40 down into the inelt flap via the intake rubber pipe and since doing this i havent had any engine light whatsoever for the 30mile mixed driving i have done since.....

if there anyway of stopping the manifold from getting stuck open ....it literally only takes a light tap with my hand on the manifold top to make it spring back into place....i am assuming this is what sends the light on because the cable doesnt return properly in the set amount of time inside the imrc ????

danme1987

Also interested in this. I also have This problem but i dont have anything that seems to stick. My runner does pull as your does but doesnt let go after 5k. Im not sure its meant to pull at startup though as if i unplug it i seem to have more torque at lower revs

box360

easiest way to check if the imrc is working is have someone start the car while you watch the dsi lever, it should pull on start up to the long runner position, then have them rev the car past 5000k it should retract to the short runner position

skypeller

Mines definately pulls clip towards bumper direction when started up but with engine off is towards dash/bulkhead

box360

yep thats good thats how it should be, test if it goes back after 5000k

skypeller

Ok mate thanks will do!! I just get impressions perhaps its not goin back everytime and sending light on cus if u turn it by hand with engine off 1in 5 times it sticks only slightly then it will spring back

box360

yeh mine feels like its a bit sticky as well, your IMRC could be on the way out though? observe it in operation and you should get a better idea of whats goin on

skypeller

Ok so yours when operated by hand feels like its sticking also....but
Works fine right? Ok so i will get somebody to watch it open when i rev it stationary (cant imagine i'll get anybody to lay under the bonnet whilst driving lol) :-s

box360

that's right mate it sticks ever so slightly, I have a modified version of the plastic dsi lever that ford provides, the nipple normally brakes off the standerd one causing the IMRC to fail, The modified one is heavy duty billet see here http://focus.c-f-m.com/freeshippingc...t170focus.aspx if you look down the side of your air filter box you should be able to see the unit in operation

danme1987

Ok so mine pulls as it should then at startup. Im pretty sure it doesnt go back though

box360

Like I said you need someone to rev the car past 5000k while you watch the dsi lever

skypeller

Where can i get a dsi lever? The pumaspeed one is extortionately priced at 50dollar

skypeller

I can now confirm its all working as it should (for now )
The flap lever goes back at it should at 5k revs and theres a slight change in engine note ....so i think its alwys been working fine but removing the imrc and taking off the backplate and a swill with some wd40 seems to have done the trick.....i must say though im more convinced that my squirt of wd40 (a wd40 lid full) down into the throttle chamber must have created a nice mist of lubricating wd40 when the engine started up and probably prevented any scoring or friction on the flap mechanism where the eye cant see and the manifold seems to stick less when hand operated

danme1987

keep us updated mate. im hoping mine is down to something like this cos im not convinced my IMRC is faulty

skypeller

Yeh will do mate same goes.... The only reason i was doing any of this is because the light came on although the car drove perfectly

box360

Glad to here its ok mate

danme1987

See my car is the opposite. Its very boggy low down the revs.

skypeller

Mine is when pulling away from cold but once warm is fine

box360

What air filter you got on there mate?

danme1987

Ive got standard on it at the min. looking for a way to fit my BMC but not sure how to go about it seeing as i need the MAF hole

box360

get yourself a K&N panel filter mate, its one of the best little mods you could to a 170

Coca

I have the P1518/P2004 fault on my car too.

I have just checked the dsi lever and on startup it moves towards the radiator. After about 3-4 seconds it moves back to its original position by itself (without me revving the car)

Is my IMRC twonked?

skypeller

Whoa yes maybe so! shorting out inside or is something telling it to open falsely? What actually tells the imrc that the engine is singing over 5k rpm?

Coca

Is it just 3 nuts to remove the IMRC from the bulkhead. There doesn't seem to be much room to work there. Would I have to remove anything else to get to it?

skypeller

I removed my airbox (ruined the shite clip so need a jublee to replace it) disconnected air hose from box and it simply pulls out on plugers and you can see a bit more in order to twist and wiggle it into a position where u can see what your doing with the backplate off i didnt actually remove the entire unit from the car

Coca

How the hell do you get to the 3rd bolt? I can see the top one and the left one but how do you get to the right hand bolt?

skypeller

10mm ratchet spanner and longlegs + patience

Coca

Is it worth me going through the hassle of removing the IMRC?

The DSI lever comes out but goes back in after about 3-4 seconds after starting

skypeller

The only things it should do are ;

Move towards radiator at anypoint starting the engine and always stay that position unless the engine reaches 5000rpm +

i have a feeling mine was doing what yours is or simply my flap(lol) was sticking in the radiator position and not releasing via the built in spring
Wd40 cured all my probs and that was 1week and 150 miles ago and mixed driving

Coca

I'll grab a 10mm ratchet spanner later and try it tomorrow.

skypeller

Does anybody know how much the uprated clip/lever is from ford roughly? Ta

box360

ford supply a plastic dsi lever, the problem is the plastic nipple that the cable holds onto snaps off causing the imrc to fail

Coca

I have been researching this fault and have found some links that may be of help to someone.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...d.php?t=222180
http://forums.focaljet.com/svt-headq...xed-p1518.html
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...d.php?t=164269

danme1987

I've managed to fix my own after lots of messing around. I've resoldered all of the connections to eliminate the cracked solder fault. I then replaced the transistor and hey presto it finally let's the cable loose after 5k revs! eml has gone out. I'm going to try and fix the spare one I have got a as a backup. Car feels much better now.

skypeller

Anybody got a spare they wanna sell cheaper than ebay prices so i can rebuild one as a spare? Cheers

robrs2

I have inlet top and IMRC for sale

skypeller

how much are u asking for both and imrc alone also? thanks

robrs2

£35 for manifold and IMRC £8.50 postage

Coca

WOW it worked! My EML has been on forever, not anymore.

I just opened my IMRC up and sprayed some WD40 onto the metal cogs and also the cam mechanism.

Tested it and now the DSI lever opens as it should and stays open until the car is revved over 5500rpm. I have also reset the EML and it hasn't come back on, although I am yet to take it out for a proper drive. Will update with my findings after a week or so.

Thanks to whoever worked out this little fix, saved myself a few ££££'s

Hopefully my fuel economy will improve.

danme1987

So you simply put some wd40 in and it worked? Seem lucky if thats all you did