Focus MK2 engine cutting out

[Openrob]

So I've just bought a 2006 Focus to get around with.

Only had it a week and now it cuts out whenever you try to move off. It starts up fine and turns over straight away but cuts out whenever you try to move off. Also check engine light is on.

 

I noticed a couple of days ago that the car lost power for a few seconds when on the motorway - for a moment the engine did not respond to the throttle at all. But it resolved itself and I didn't think too much of it.

It had spark plugs, cables and coil pack replaced a couple weeks ago.

Seriously, I need help. I need this car for a new job in a couple of weeks! Any advice appreciated.

[Tdci-Peter]

2 hours ago, Openrob said:

Also check engine light is on.

There will be an error code stored that may give some clue as to the cause. Code readers are cheap, easy to use and safe. Anyone with an out of warranty electronic car needs one!

I have a very basic U480 self contained reader for simple engine codes, and Forscan (on a WIndows laptop with an ELM 327 adapter) for deeper diagnosis and monitoring.

[FatHead1979]

13 hours ago, Openrob said:

So I've just bought a 2006 Focus to get around with.

Only had it a week and now it cuts out whenever you try to move off. It starts up fine and turns over straight away but cuts out whenever you try to move off. Also check engine light is on.

 

I noticed a couple of days ago that the car lost power for a few seconds when on the motorway - for a moment the engine did not respond to the throttle at all. But it resolved itself and I didn't think too much of it.

It had spark plugs, cables and coil pack replaced a couple weeks ago.

Seriously, I need help. I need this car for a new job in a couple of weeks! Any advice appreciated.

It would also be useful to know what engine you have as certain engines have known weaknesses.

[Openrob]

It's a 1.6 Petrol Zetec engine.

 

[isetta]

I have not done much trouble shooting on cars in recent years (mainly as they don't seem to go wrong as much these days).  Years ago if a car started fine but cutout when you tried to pull away, the first thing to investigate was fuel starvation and in my experience this was often cause by a blocked fuel filter which would allow enough fuel through to tick over but not enough for the higher fuel demand of pulling away from being stationary.  I realise with all the modern electronic stuff it might be a bit more complicated. As TDCI-Peter says there is likely to be a fault code which can be read with a OBD port code reader.  They cost less then a garage generally charges to read the code for you. Pretty much a must for fixing cars these days and everyone who can pickup a spanner should have one.  It might have a code waiting to be read which says low fuel pressure or something else.

example: https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/

i have the modified USB one and use free software on my laptop to read the codes. Modified means it has a little switch fitted to enable it to read extra stuff on Fords

[Tdci-Peter]

On 7/15/2018 at 9:19 PM, Openrob said:

I noticed a couple of days ago that the car lost power for a few seconds when on the motorway - for a moment the engine did not respond to the throttle at all. But it resolved itself and I didn't think too much of it.

A code reader can also clear the codes, and put the light out. This does not cure the problem (!), but it does help to identify the problem by allowing you to see if and when the light comes back on.

In my post above, I said " may give some clue", not "will identify"!

The codes are far from perfect, the software may be seeing an unexpected reading, but the software engineer had to guess the cause. In my experience the code is fully correct about 50% of the time. But even if it is not quite right, it can still give a pointer in the right direction.

Also when first read, there may be old codes that are not really relevant to the main problem.

So real symptoms, and timing of when the code appears, are very important. Always note down or store all codes before erasing them, with any symptoms and the circumstances.

Also generic OBD2 code readers may not see some manufacturer specific codes. A dedicated Ford system like Forscan is much better, but not quite so convenient or easy to use.

Giving a good description of the symptoms and circumstances, along with any error codes, may help people reading this forum to  identify the real problem. On these complex cars full of software, sensors and actuators, we need all the help we can get, and the DTCs are an vital part of that, but not always the whole answer.

[Openrob]

Ok update time.

 

After leaving it the car seemed to start up and run fine, however still had the engine light.

My friend (who helped find the car for me originally) came down and suggested we clean out the throttle body and make sure sensor cables were all plugged in properly.

 

Engine codes indicated a problem with the pack sides A & B.

Except the coil pack, cables and spark plugs were changed when I got the car.

 

It's driving fine today (admittedly just down the road to work) but concerned about the codes because it makes no sense for the coil pack to to have issues when it's been replaced.

 

 

 

[FatHead1979]

On 7/17/2018 at 8:46 AM, Openrob said:

Ok update time.

 

After leaving it the car seemed to start up and run fine, however still had the engine light.

My friend (who helped find the car for me originally) came down and suggested we clean out the throttle body and make sure sensor cables were all plugged in properly.

 

Engine codes indicated a problem with the pack sides A & B.

Except the coil pack, cables and spark plugs were changed when I got the car.

 

It's driving fine today (admittedly just down the road to work) but concerned about the codes because it makes no sense for the coil pack to to have issues when it's been replaced.

What brand coil pack was fitted?  Ford specified a fairly large 1.3mm spark plug gap on the petrol MK2 Focus's which put a lot of strain the coil pack in particular, a cheapo coil pack may well struggle to "bridge" the gap and generate a good enough spark.  I'd be tempted to check what your spark plugs are gapped at and reduced them to 1mm, apparently Ford produced TSBs back in the day instructing dealers to gap the petrols at 1mm when working on customers cars.  (Smaller gap equals less work for the coil pack to do).

[isetta]

As Peter says, you need to clear codes and see what reappears. The problem is the codes don't have a date and not all codes turn the red light on. Sometimes an owner might get the red light on and read the codes to find there are eg. 5 codes there. It might be that 4 are the types of code that do not turn the light on and were there from a problem a year ago and then mislead the owner as to what the current fault is. So always clear codes and see what reappears.

I don't like buying cars where an owner says it has just had a new this and that mechanically or electrically, it makes me very cautious. Over the years I have often found there are still faults and what the owner has done has not fixed the real root of the problem. It could be that the new coil pack is a cheap rubbish one that lasts next to no time