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Focus 1.8 Zetec Intermittent Starting Pattern


chrisrhondda
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Hi all i'll try and keep this as short as possible, every so often when I get into my Focus and go to start the car it just turns over and wont start. As soon as i turn the key off and try again it will start. Any ideas what this could be as its starting to get vey annoying now.

Thanks

Chris

:blink:

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Hi all i'll try and keep this as short as possible, every so often when I get into my Focus and go to start the car it just turns over and wont start. As soon as i turn the key off and try again it will start. Any ideas what this could be as its starting to get vey annoying now.

Thanks

Chris

:blink:

Mine does exactly the same bloodey thing! only every so often though usually on really hot days or when the engines hot i was told it could be either a fuel sensor making the car run rich or lean one or the other OR an immobiliser fault.

Either way im completely stumped and seeing as its only a once in a while occurrence ive just left it alone but if its something as simple as swapping a sensor over il get onto ford now and order myself one because it does it at the worst times.

Sorry i cant help mate but ur not alone with this fault!

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My old 1.8 Mondeo did exactly the same thing , I never found out why. I now have a 59 plate 1.8 Focus , it starts every time , but every now and again it starts and idles at low revs ( 700 or so ) , but will not react to the accelerator at all , then after 20 seconds or so it picks up.Weird !

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My old 1.8 Mondeo did exactly the same thing , I never found out why. I now have a 59 plate 1.8 Focus , it starts every time , but every now and again it starts and idles at low revs ( 700 or so ) , but will not react to the accelerator at all , then after 20 seconds or so it picks up.Weird !

really simple explanation when you were driving the ecu had everything set based on the current engine temperature outside temp etc etc when you left it a bit and got in the car those readings have changed but the ecu still has the original ones stored from when you switched the car off so its trying to start a colder engine based on fueling etc for a hot engine less spark less fuel thats my theory and the ford mech seems to agree that its more than plausible the ecu just seems to get it wrong once in a while.

other than that incorrectly gapped plugs 1.0mm not 1.3mm as they are when you buy them maybe even need a new pcm update mine sorted all sorts of annoying issues or new pcv valve

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I now have a 59 plate 1.8 Focus , it starts every time , but every now and again it starts and idles at low revs ( 700 or so ) , but will not react to the accelerator at all , then after 20 seconds or so it picks up.Weird !

My 59 plate 1.8 Focus Zetec S has done EXACTLY the same thing from new !

I've posted the problem on here ( without success ) and it's been back to Ford six times now, but because it's an intermittent fault and throws up no error codes Ford are at a loss to know what's wrong.

A couple of days ago, because I bitched like hell, and in an effort to solve the problem, they have temporarily replaced the throttle body and sensor, and have asked me to test it for a week and report back.

I will let you know what happens........

A word of warning...... they had to replace my CAT last week after only 9,000 miles, and I am beginning to wonder if it may have been damaged by this problem we both have.

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my focus did the same thing once. it is a 1.8l petrol and was revving very low for a morning start. the gas pedal would not respond and i decided to turn off the car. almost immediately, i turned it on, it started straight away, as normal.

the reason why i believed it happened is because my fingers slipped on the ignition key, i did not hold it long enough on start. this is my explanation to why i believe it happened.

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Interesting replies ! Artscot79's explanation sounds plausible. We will wait and see what the update from Whizz is.

My 1.8 is being replaced soon by Ford , because of an unrelated problem. I will see if the replacement has the same problem.

Apologies for hijacking this thread from Chrisrhondda, it wasn't intentional.

Has anyone an answer for his original question ?

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It's very very common. On nearly all 1.8 petrol focus we sell it does it and this is on brand new. No idea why.

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My 59 plate 1.8 Focus Zetec S has done EXACTLY the same thing from new !

I've posted the problem on here ( without success ) and it's been back to Ford six times now, but because it's an intermittent fault and throws up no error codes Ford are at a loss to know what's wrong.

A couple of days ago, because I bitched like hell, and in an effort to solve the problem, they have temporarily replaced the throttle body and sensor, and have asked me to test it for a week and report back.

I will let you know what happens........

A word of warning...... they had to replace my CAT last week after only 9,000 miles, and I am beginning to wonder if it may have been damaged by this problem we both have.

As promised, an update.

I've just reported back to Ford that after using it for a week, the problem has not re-occurred.

So hopefully, the replacement of the throttle body and sensor is an end to my particular problem.

( Sorry for the thread hijack too )

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  • 2 weeks later...

My 59 plate 1.8 Focus Zetec S has done EXACTLY the same thing from new !

I've posted the problem on here ( without success ) and it's been back to Ford six times now, but because it's an intermittent fault and throws up no error codes Ford are at a loss to know what's wrong.

A couple of days ago, because I bitched like hell, and in an effort to solve the problem, they have temporarily replaced the throttle body and sensor, and have asked me to test it for a week and report back.

I will let you know what happens........

A word of warning...... they had to replace my CAT last week after only 9,000 miles, and I am beginning to wonder if it may have been damaged by this problem we both have.

Mine is a 10 plate and has has this exact problem. It has been back to the ford garage where we got it from 4 times now! I feel like i am going mad!!! Today, fter the fourth time going back they have replaced the throttle body and sensor - or so they tell me- and i have to keep a record of if it does it again. I am at my wits end with it. I hope what they have done this time works!

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Mine is a 10 plate and has has this exact problem. It has been back to the ford garage where we got it from 4 times now! I feel like i am going mad!!! Today, fter the fourth time going back they have replaced the throttle body and sensor - or so they tell me- and i have to keep a record of if it does it again. I am at my wits end with it. I hope what they have done this time works!

It should do........ it worked for me.

PS: It's obvious from just this thread alone that this is a widespread problem that I am sure Ford must know about by now.......so why don't they acknowledge

it and come clean.

Perhaps they don't want a Toyota style recall on their hands !

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It should do........ it worked for me.

PS: It's obvious from just this thread alone that this is a widespread problem that I am sure Ford must know about by now.......so why don't they acknowledge

it and come clean.

Perhaps they don't want a Toyota style recall on their hands !

as they say ignorance is bliss the throttle body issue seems to work on around 40 percent of cases so hopefully youres is sorted though i have to say ive only had the issue happen 3 times in 2 years so no biggy for me but ive heard of people who get it at least 3 times a day

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Mines gotten better in the cold weather but again mines a 1.6 with this fault so its not just 1.8's that are affected by this and it is also all years on the older ones fair enough but a 10 plate and a brand new one is just bad ford really need to buck up there ideas i think in order to stay afloat in the coming years. Lets hope the new series of eco boost engines fitted into the new fords dont have this issue!

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It should do........ it worked for me.

PS: It's obvious from just this thread alone that this is a widespread problem that I am sure Ford must know about by now.......so why don't they acknowledge

it and come clean.

Perhaps they don't want a Toyota style recall on their hands !

replacing the thottle body on mine hasn't worked with the low idleing inital problem.

i now have the added problem of very high revs!!

In contact with the dealer on what action to take next.

Any advice?

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  • 4 months later...

this has happened to my 1.8 petrol (titanium) - 3 times now in the last month.

When it happens it Revs really low on start-up but once I turn off and leave a few seconds before re-starting it seems fine. The annoying thing is the key operated bonnet on these models so unless you have the spare key with you can’t pop the hood to see what is happening to the engine. Funny thing is I have yet to have this happen on a cold start in the morning. Seems to happen only at work car park around 5pm in the evening drive at lunch also so car not been left all day cold.

Think I will drop it into ford for them to check but feel like a regular there in the last 3 months with other little problems I’ve had.

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