Poor Starting

[al & cat wilson]

Hi all.

We are Alec and Catherine, we had a Mondeo 2.0 tdci about 3 year ago and desided to get a landrover freelander to pull our caravan better as it been a 4x4 ( what a mistake ) so now we have managed to get ourselves a fantasic Mondeo 2.0 tdci(130) ghia x in black and we love it.

The only problem we have is somtimes when we start the car it will start then stall after a second or two somtimes it will take 2 or 3 attempts to start correctly or it will start but sound like a bag a hammers the revs will not lift any more than about 500 rpm then rise to normal speed after a few seconds and the engine runs fine .

Can any one shed any light on this problem ? advice much appreciated .

Thanks Alec .

[Colin T]

I know that my car is a Focus + Petrol but the problem / symptom sounds exactly the same as my car. Essentially my problem was caused by a failing battery which was starting the car and immediately stopping, in my opinion I think this may have been due to the alternator which would have been under heavy load trying to charge the dying battery, the Ford Smart Charging System makes the alternator work very hard when starting a cold engine.

I did some checks on my battery and found fault code showing low battery, a new Ford Silver Calcium battery has fixed my starting problem.

See my post here: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18526&view=getnewpost&hl=&fromsearch=1

[Barneyd]

Hi mines doing the exact same thing I turn the key it starts and dies it's very intermittent and very annoying. It did it on the last day of warranty I took it to the dealers. They said it was a bad fuel filter due to bad diesel. That was replaced and it still has the same issues. It's also developed a flat spot around 2k...

[taffg]

i would change the filter as its cheap an easy, im thinking a partially blocked filter, also from what i read in the forums the diesels are prone to having a small leak around the filter housing, maybe a bit of air getting in the lines when stood still, then self bleeding when you start. change filter, replace seal or check for air tightness, and some good injector cleaner in the tank. maybe a tank full of posh diesel may do it a bit of good!

[Barneyd]

I use Shell and Tesco diesel... When you said filter air or fuel filter? My fuel filter was changed a couple of weeks ago:( . I have also thought about putting some kind of cleaner in the tank but I'm not sure which would be best as there is quite a choice out there.

The car would run fine for a week or so then it just plays up but it does seem like fuel starvation of some kind.

[al & cat wilson]

Thanks guys.

The car was seviced a few weeks ago and had a new filter so it could be the seals but im not to sure how to check them ? is it a case of looking for leaking fuel ? .

Im pleased it may be somthing simple I convinced my self it could be injectors or injector pump .

I would like to no what fuel additives (cleaners) you guys recommend.

Thanks again Alec

[taffg]

redex or stp seem to be the choice around the boards with regards a small leak around filter area etc, trace your fuel line to the filter assembly onto the pump and then onto the injectors, your looking for a damp patch rather than a raging leak. dont stress over injectors, they can be professionally cleaned or if worn can be bought for £40/50. try and eliminate the simple stuff before anything else!

[mintalkin]

is this happening at any time or only when the engine is warm?

[al & cat wilson]

is this happening at any time or only when the engine is warm?

its any time but may be more when its warm the car did it yesterday the engine was off a min or 2 i put £40 of fuel in and we all no with the price of fuel these days that don't take long at all