Hi all, I have a 2005 Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI which an intermittent hard to start problem.

When the problem is occurring, the engine will turn over and begin to fire but then suddenly drops off without starting. It will turn over a few more times without any sign of firing before repeating the previous. Eventually it will start. It seems to happen more often than not first thing in the morning, however it has been noticed that if the car is parked in the sun it will start first time. Once it has started, it will start first time all day long.

The battery and starter have been confirmed as good. Extensive diagnostics have been carried out on the diesel system with no faults found. ECU and throttle position sensor have been replaced with no improvement.

Any help at all would be most appreciated.Thanks

have the glow plugs and the power supply to them been checked to see if their working on the cold starts?

Move to sunnier climes

couldn't resist sorry

Seriously, as I'm running a petrol variant, I ain't much help. Will say though purely as an observation, diesels do seem to suffer more fuelling/starting issues than petrol models if these forums are anything to go by.

glow plugs are the first thing that should have been done long before the sensors etc it only takes 1 faulty glow plug so ide change all 4.

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Move to sunnier climes


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I wish the option was available!

I should have mentioned at the start that the glow plugs have been checked and confirmed as good. I'm not sure how this was done? Would a bad glow plug give a DTC? The problem doesn't always occur when cold either, sometimes it will be like this on a warm day. It just seems more prevalent on a colder day. There are no fault codes showing up at all.

Would a dirty/sticky throttle body cause any of this?

Thanks for the replies, any help at all is greatly appreciated!

try turning on the ign waiting for the glow plug light to go off then turn off and repeat this time advancing with the key as soon as the light goes off and see if it starts easier