inman999

My focus (2002 TDdi) has suddenly lost power. It feels like the turbo is no kicking in but I removed the intercooler pipe and the turbo is definitely boosting. The car drives fine no noise or smoke and it has covered 210k. I have replaced air and fuel filters which has not worked. There are no lights on the dash. No obvious vacuum leak.

Any ideas diesel pump, MAF sensor, MAP/EGR valve, blocked cat.

Thanks in advance.

steve4i

struggling to do more then 30mph? if so then points to ya pump or check the earth in the wiring to it as they are crap or breaking

inman999

No it will get upto 60-70, it just takes an absolute age. Feels like it has 20-30hp. It starts no problem like it always has and idles great.

steve4i

sounds like possible pump no leaks from the solinoid?

inman999

No leaks that I can see.

Hope its not the pump although pump failure seems the most likely. Most people with pump problems seem not to be able to start the car. I'll have to get diagnostics done and see if that pulls anything up.

Thanks for the replies

inman999

Had another look tonight and my dad seems to think its the turbo as although its giving some boost its not much i.e. no audible whoosh and absolutely nothing below about 1600rpm. We compared it to the turbo on his diesel delica and that was giving more boost even at idle. If the turbo is at fault then I guess it has to be a wastegate problem.

steve4i

take the intake pipe off to the turbo and start the van up and see if the spindle is spinning or see if there is any play in the spindle when the van is not running

inman999

The spindle's spinning but not fast enough I don't think. Got half way through removing it today before getting stuck. Why are the bolts always either seized or impossible to reach.

SJM1985

Alrite pal, few little pointers. first the turbo on TDdi`s dont start to kick in until 1600 rpm and dont full boost til 1800 rpm. with the car having over 200k on id say that either your maf sensor or ur intercooler senser has broken or dirty(the one on the left hand side of intercooler pipe). According to haynes manual the ecu uses both these sensors to decide how much boost to allow from turbo.(somethin to do how condense the air is extra).. I recently cleaned my intercooler and forgot to plug the sensor back in and it did exactly what urs is doin, itll go to any speed i wanted just took ages.(felt like drivin 1.1 lol)
Id personnally would start by checking both sensors and wiring, you twist them both anti-clockwise to remove.
Oh u can buy fords internal workshop manual off ebay (2.50) it covers all fords from 1993 to 2003 or sumfin like that well worth money.

keith8000_0

SJM1985, im in rotherham also and have just bought a focus 1.8tddi. i bought it as running poor. previous owner spent 100s on it, fuel pump,some sensors, etc, but its having trouble. it will start fine,no smoke but runs as if no turbo. though you can hear the turbo spool up ans the pipes expand some. it will rev to 4500 when stood but has no power when driving. i really would loike some help if possible im no stranger to engines. ie 2.5 rover engines but am a novice with the diesels.

SJM1985

Alrite pal,
which tddi do you have the 75 or 98bhp,. If its got the intercooler then id check all the wires to the maf and intercooler sensors and probably give them a good clean too.
p.s how quick does it rev to 4500 it should be instant while stood still, if it builds up slowly then deff turbo problem but a much more precise way to tell is to get up to about 40 in 3rd release your accelerator and put straight back down you should deff feel the turbo boost kick straight in because theres no wind up time in diesels
Do you have any other problems like difficulty changing gears especially between 1st and reverse, grinding nosies etc because it sounds like your engine producing the power but its not getting to your wheels. id think about checking gearbox oil, clutch bleeding (ur brake fluid feeds both brakes and clutch through seperate channels)

keith8000_0

hi. cheers for your reply.the focus is the 90bhp model with intercooler... the gearbox and clutch are fine. the air intake sensor on the air filter pipe is new, the one on the side of the intercooler is not but is nice and clean. origionally the intercooler sensor wire was hanging off, reconnected and this improved the power but only slightly. the turbo spins and can hear it at low revs(ie below 2000), but it does drive like its got no turbo. ive blanked the egr valve off to eliminate that. just been trying to find out about the map sensor on the bulkhead,could this be the fault. and how is it tested?, also thinking about wastegate stuck open slightly?.

benjaminsarmy

boost hose compressing might be week only a fault as ive come across the same fault with a vectra td

SJM1985

not entirely sure how to test the map sensor but my good old trusty haynes manual says that you just need to make sure the vacuum hoses and wiring are securely tight but one way i would try is too disconnect the wiring for the sensor, drive it for 5 mins too see if its got worse or stays same as b4, if its same then the sensor is broke. As far the wastegate been faulty or stuck half open i was told that you will get a lot of excess smoke especially first thing because it wont direct the exhaust gases to the turbine but i think the wastegate uses the map sensor to determine the pressure in the inlet manifold those whether to send it to turbo or straight to exhaust.
Lastly i would not rule out the inlet temp sensor (intercooler sensor) because you said it slightly improved after reconnecting the wires, so it maybe covered in crap and giving a miss reading

keith8000_0

hi, thanks again for your response. im working today so cant really do much, but i went out and started the car, it did smoke quite a bit on start up and for about a minute. disconnected the map sensor plug and although i didnt drive it it does seem to rev with less hesitation. plugged it back in and its like its got a misfire or holding back at around 1500--2000 revs. and i can hear the turbo whine/whistle through the exhaust?. so it does point to map fault and wastegate fault??.. you wouldnt happen to have a spare map sensor for me to try would you?. dont want to wast money trying stuff that may or may not work. you know how it is on a budget and all that. im in Dalton by the way. cheers.

rs freak

it happend to my focus estate i took it to ford and a pipe on the turbo had snapped so had to replace the whole turbo

SJM1985

sorry pal i haven't got a spare one. Before you buy a new i would check the small vacuum hose attached to bottom of map sensor from what ive been told the sensors hardly ever break but the air hose becomes frayed and splits at its ends allowing extra air in which confuses the ecu.
Ive checked my bible lol (haynes manual) it says that all three sensors are used to calc turbo boost:
1)air intake- amount (new)
2)Intercooler- oxygen quanity (how warm air is)
3)Map sensor
i personally would check every air hose from air box to inlet manifold for signs of splitting etc.. If the waste gate is to blame then i would of thought that the turbo would not kick in at all with the map sensor plugged in or not. (it would either boost all the time or not at all)
I have heard that this problem can also be caused by block air pipes on the head because it stops the head from decompressing properly so the map sensor thinks that the engine is constantly at its top working pressure those stopping the turbo kicking in by sending all exhaust gases away from the turbo via the waste gate (sumthin like that anyway)

keith8000_0

cheers for that response, do you know which pipe broke?.

rs freak

just had a look and it wasnt a pipe i think its a metal rod and if i remember rightly ford said that i could either get a reconed one or weld the rod back together but i brought a reconed one for about 500 and i still have the old one

keith8000_0

cheers, im sure we are in the right ball park. just had a spin in the car and its deffo getting some boost, though i can hear the turbo at low revs, the car does pick up at around 3000 revs. ie the boost). so it defo leaking boost i think. gona have a play at the weekend. think im gonna strip the exhaust man and turbo and see whats going on. and i will check all pipes again for faults. cheers for your ideas i will report back with my findings.

keith8000_0

the pipe going to the wastegate?. and if i need another turbo would you consider letting yours go. assuming it spins freely. as i said earlier im new to diesels but every little helps.

rs freak

erm im not sure were abouts it goes because im not very good with diesels either but yes if you want it i am willing to let you have it how much were you thinking of

rs freak

to let you no if you did youed be getting the old turbo with the metal rod snaped so to save your dollas you might as well weld it mate if you no how but if its your actuall turbo and not the rod then yes you can have the turbo

SJM1985

Just to let you know, if you do end up needing some parts then there's a specialist in Barnsley who only deal in ford parts, not to bad prices either i tend to use them for some of the hard to come by items (ie engine twin fans) ill post the name and number as soon as my bloody phone stops pissing about, i wish i could get spanner to that to bloody fix it. P.s. i think youll probably find that the exhaust manifold and turbo are one and cant be seperated, i would guess thats why when he had his fixed they replaced the whole lot. (turbo and broken pipe)

DS81

I had a fault like that on a focus tddi and it turned out to be the cat, I disconnected the exhaust before the cat and went for a roadtest and it was okay, very loud but driving fine, knocked the inside out the cat and it was okay, maybe worth a try......

SJM1985

Barnsley motor spares number is 01226 717401, normally have large stocks of focus parts and apparently carb cleaner is best to clean all your sensors with just make sure they are well dry before putting back on car.

Ive done abit of checking up for you pal, the pipes i mention on the head which can become block and stop the engine from decompressing are actually apart of the pcv valve on the TDdi, unfortunately the pcv valve is built into the head (camshaft cover) the pipes to check are the ones on the right (nearside) they lead to the oil seperator. The best bet is to clean the pcv valve and oil seperator with engine degreaser but youll have to remove the head and oil seperator from your car to clean them propperly (nothing is ever easy is it lol) Also same as b4 jst check pipes for splits at the ends. I need to do mine as well coz im getting really shit mileage atm lol (35mph at a push)

keith8000_0

cheers for your comments, im gonna drop the cat off and check it out, and check the turbo wastegat valve. will report my findings.

keith8000_0

well ive dropped the cat off and the turbo. the cat was bang clear. the turbo seamed ok. lubed the center and it then spun alot better. cleaned the oil ways out and refitted. but still no joy. not sure where to go next?.

SJM1985

Alrite pal, its a nice head banger this one because you have checked all the main components physically id say its a sensor side of things.
The only other thing i can think of is maybe the intercooler is block up and not letting enough cold air through it, so the car is acting like its got no intercooler (ie 75bhp model) The way i would check is to disconnect the drivers side pipe and place my hand near the intercooler end to feel what is kicking out. You have blanked the egr valve already so it cant be that unless you did not block of sensor. Way i was told to trick the sensor is to move the little black air feed pipe which went to the top egr valve and hooked up to the ref side of sensor (drivers pipe) just remember to plug both of the old pipes up which went to the sensor.(sorry cant remember name of the sensor)

Were abouts in dalton do you live in because next time im down ill nip to yours to compare your car to mine, to see if theres anything obv different or wrong

keith8000_0

hi. im at s653hj.11.. i did only block the egr valve outlet off. didnt do anything with the pipes or wiring. going to go to the scrap yard tomorrow and see if i can get some other sensors to swap and see if they make a difference. the intercooler is also clear. but also i do have a wierd noise. almost sounds like air escaping under pressure. i was wondering if the inlet manifold gaskets ever fail and lose boost?. and im not sure what you mean regarding the pipe re routing. cheers.

ps, ive pmd the origional poster to see if he solved his problem, but had no response.

SJM1985

my sis lives in bottom end of thrybergh so next time im going down to hers ill pm b4 and nip to yours (im livin at dinnington atm)
Did you clean then plug intercooler sensor in b4 you blocked egr off or after.
The reason why im asking is because i starting to think it maybe ur egr valve/sensor fault, from what i understand youve blocked the egr valve physically but not tricked the sensor into thinking its still working. In order to do this your egr sensor has to be in working order but you can try for nowt (every saved penny counts these day lol)
The reason behind tricking the sensor is because its another bloody sensor the ecu uses to determine the pressure (sum crap anyway) when to close,open the egr valve. Now if the sensor or valve go faulty the ecu wont get a reading from the sensor and throws the car into limp mode (no turbo, well alot less power!!!) On later mk1 and defferently facelifts this would throw up CEL (check engine light on dash)

SJM1985

I hate the internet... anyway were was i
On most mk1 it doesnt throw any lights on just puts the car into limp mode to protect itself. The way to trick the egr sensor is to reroute the thin pipe from the egr valve to the egr sensor.
1)unplug both pipes from the egr sensor (it should be near your brake reservior,thin black thing which will say ford on n have two little pipes running from bottom)
2)make sure both pipes are blocked up coz hot exhaust fumes will come through n obv not good lol
3)take the thin pipe off the top side of the egr valve itself, should be same size as the two youve just unplugged from the sensor
4)plug the pipe from egr valve into the left channel off the sensor
Ive only read this so dont have personal experience with how well it works but from what ive been told it should work unless your egr sensor is dead. (inwhich it wouldnt matter if you blocked the egr valve coz the ecu would still realise the sensor dead n put it into limp)
The weird high pitch noise could be a split in any of the pipes i mentined above or the intercooler pipes as there are all under pressure when engine is runnin
Sorry for the length of post pal

keith8000_0

that would be great. im working all day friday and monday. but off others. ive just had a play with the egr valve solenoid jobby. tested it across its contacts with an ohm meter and its showing a direct short?. so it would be nice to measure the resistance on yours if poss before i go and blow some more money. though ive no dash fault lights on. its wierd.

SJM1985

theres few possibilities for check engine light not been on, if its an early mk1 then it wont come on with the egr solenoid faulty (ford never told ecu to flag it up on mk1) the other reason could be it was on before you bought the car but the bulb might have blown.

keith8000_0

hi. the engine man light and glow plug lights are ok and work, the focus is a late 99 model.

SJM1985

Shoulda probably mentioned how to used the digital display on foci earlier just didnt fink (blonde moment lol)
* Insert Key but do not turn it on

* Press and hold the Trip Meter Reset Button

* While holding the reset button, start your car and continue
holding the button

* Within 10 seconds, the display should change to "test" in LCD font
and the needles will do a full sweeping. Release the Button

Pressing the button will now cycle through some 17 different modes

* 1.Shows a Gauge Sweep
* 2. Shows all 8's on the LCD (LCD TEST)
* 3. Illuminates all the bulbs on the dash
* 4. Displays hexadecimal value for ROM level
* 5. Displays the hexadecimal value for EE level
* 6. Shows DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code)
* 7. Digital Speedometer - mph
* 8. Digital Speedometer - kph
* 9. N/A
* 10. Digital tachometer
* 11.Fuel volume
* 12. Engine coolant temperature
* 13. Battery voltage
* 14. ABS fail
* 15. Electronic brake distribution (EBD) failure
* 16. Illumination
* 17. Crank Sense
this is for all mk1 and facelifts all you need is the digital odometer in middle (mileage thing) its not very helpful with actually pin pointing percific problems but will actually tell you if ur cars ecu is reading one. it only gives you the codes to represent certain faults
number 3 a gud one to test all ur dash bulbs, pay attentin to number 6 the dtc (mine says dtc none, urs i suspect will flag a code up.

sorry for not mentionin earlier i forgot

keith8000_0

yeah already know about that. it says none for the dtc. been told it needs to go on the ford fds2000 machine. a friend has got one but cant get it on till next week.

keith8000_0

right. at long last ive fixed my focus 1.8tddi. low power issue. after changing fuel pump,turbo,sensors,manifolds, ecu, checking out fuel lines and breathers, ive just changed the injectors from another focus. problem solved. the thing is i had the injectors out and "tested" by a reputable deisel specialist in rotherham, they said they were fine and spray pattern was ok. so long story short ive had the car 3 months and have had many stressed moments. but now the car runs and goes like a dream. thanks for those who took the time to try to help me on here.

bullsrs

i just bought a tddi from auction and its doin exactly what yours is, but on the intercooler there is a sensor on the drivers side but i dont have a muliplug/wiring goin to it and i cant find any loose connectors, can you look and let me know where yours leads to so that i know where to look for the multiplug on mine. cheers,roy

keith8000_0

hi. well i sold the car about a year ago. but from memory, the plug for the intercooler sensor runs along the underside of the front slam panel. and when the intercooler is removed the plug can drop down and is easily forgotten. undo the intercooler and have a good look. my problem turned out to be due to wrong or blocked injectors.