1.8tdci codes U2023 and P2263

[isetta]

Sorry it's a long one. I am trying to sort out my brother's 2008 Focus Mk2.5 1.8tdci (140k miles) whilst he is on hols. Would be good if I can surprise with a rejuvenated car when he returns but it's not looking hopeful.

Car has a problem where ESP light keeps coming on and everytime it comes on the car does not run correctly below 2000rpm. Car owned about 5 months. Fine for three months and about 2 months ago it started doing this

So if I clear the fault codes and restart engine - without driving the car, just sitting there in neutral and handbrake on it revs nicely and cleanly when increasing throttle slowly and fast. After a few revs the ESP light and EML come on and the car won't rev properly below 2000rpm, it's very hesitant to increase revs. but above 2000 rpm it is fine.

So at the point I read the codes (using Forscan on windows laptop with a OBD code reader with HS/MS switch on it), they are:  PCM - P2263 Turbo signal above max       and     ABS - U2023 Communication network fault.

The ABS light does not come on (it seems to work properly ie. when you turn ignition on it comes on and then goes off)

When driving the car it goes fine above 2000rpm and really flies but if you drive it sedately it is really hesitant and jolts badly and just awful to drive when the ESP light is on which is most of time. Turning ESP off in menu when starting engine does not seem to make a difference. If you try to turn ESP off when it's running badly, it does not let you turn it off, it goes back on in the menu about 1 second later.

Bearing in mind the ESP light comes on and fault code arises without even moving the car, is it really something to do with ESP or something else. Is this a) an engine fault which then causes the ESP light to come on ,   or b) is there no engine fault and the ESP system is asserting itself to control the engine in a bad way.

I tend to think it is more likely (b) but I don't really know. So if it's (b) I am thinking the problem is electrical ,  but I don't think it is the wheel sensors as there is no fault codes for them and the ESP problem arises when the car has not even moved an inch.

I have checked all fuses (visually as I did not have tester handy) in the underbonnet fusebox and underglovebox fusebox. I removed all of the cable plugs from the underglovebox fusebox also . And I thought I might have found the problem. The big green plug had some corrosion on some pins. Cleaned it all up and put it all back together , but it's still just the same. I took the bottom off the fusebox which contains a circuit board with computer chips on but it looked good in there (I wondered if it would look like water got in and corroded it).

Not sure if the other code P2263 is part of the problem or not, car pulls like a train above 2000rpm. 

I have spent so much time over the last few weeks googling this problem (as has my brother) and not found a solution.

I am praying that someone reading this had exactly the same problem and found the simple but elusive cure for it.

Any thoughts gratefully received.     Also does anyone think this could be the common problem of faulty soldering in the speedo console? (was that a problem in late 2008 cars?)

 

[TomsFocus]

U2023 can be triggered by a boost fault weirdly.  With that, a boost code and poor low end running I'd be checking that the VNT vanes are moving correctly firstly.  I'd then check that the EGR isn't sticking open and that there aren't any split boost pipes anywhere.

The dodgy soldering on the dash cluster can still be an issue on 2008 models but I don't think it's that in this case.

[isetta]

Hi thanks for your response.

I just went out and had a look under the bonnet with a lamp. Pretty impossible to see much at all really, can't even see the turbo (although I know where it is from looking at images of the engine using google), it's all on the back of the engine and can't follow the boost pipes either.  Too much in the way. I think to do this properly I think I am going to have to get the front up on axle stands, take the undertray off and take the panel off where the wipers are . Then from looking down the back and up from underneath I should be able to view everything.  Also then really need someone else also to operate throttle whilst I look at turbo vane arm.

Turbo vanes: Can anyone tell me what the turbo arm position should be and when it moves which way so I can tell if it is moving as and when it should.

Turbo vanes seem to operated electrically, so I assume the electrical signal is controlled by a vaccuum sensor somewhere else - can anyone tell me where that is?

EGR: no fault codes for this,  would it normally show a code if it sticks open? is there any other way to tell if it sticks open other than dismantle but if intermittent it might not be stuck when dismantling. Wonder if I should blank it to rule it out if I can't see anything else wrong (hoses / turbo).

Comments welcome.

( engine is 1.8TDCI Focus 2008)

 

[Tdci-Peter]

6 hours ago, isetta said:

Turbo vanes seem to operated electrically, so I assume the electrical signal is controlled by a vaccuum sensor somewhere else - can anyone tell me where that is?

The Turbo actuator is a self contained electronic (Hella) motor driven unit. So no vacuum. It gets some sort of pulse width modulated signal from the ECU. On the Mondeo, these units were very prone to failure, I suspect it was a bad batch. I have not heard of much problem with them on the Focus. I started to investigate mine, but found a broken hose to the MAP sensor, and that seems to have been the cause.

I could try to see where the arm is at rest, tomorrow if needed. I tried to photo it once, but as you say it is not easy to get at.

The EGR actuators on these are very prone to faults. I replaced mine with a Chinese one (Ford have never supplied just the actuator), and it has worked well so far. Bad EGR will cause power dips at low speed, but not as bad as your symptoms, I think, and will usually give EGR DTCs.

[isetta]

Thanks for reply peter. I wouldn't want you to go to too much trouble re turbo arm as I know it is very difficult to get to. 

I think the first thing I need to do is have a good old poke around to see if anything split, come out of place etc. but won't be for a few days.

As I mentioned, it is my brother's car and he is on hols so it can wait.

[TomsFocus]

15 hours ago, isetta said:

Thanks for reply peter. I wouldn't want you to go to too much trouble re turbo arm as I know it is very difficult to get to. 

I think the first thing I need to do is have a good old poke around to see if anything split, come out of place etc. but won't be for a few days.

As I mentioned, it is my brother's car and he is on hols so it can wait.

It's much easier to check on the Mondeo engines with the turbo being on top, this video should give you a rough idea.  It should start just at the actuator movement but if you've time to watch the whole thing it shows how to manually test the vanes towards the beginning as well as a cheap bodge for sticky vanes...I know how much you like cheap fixes!   

 

[isetta]

Thanks for that Tom. that video should be useful when I get access to the turbo.

[Tdci-Peter]

22 hours ago, isetta said:

I know it is very difficult to get to.

I can't see a thing down the back, but I can get one hand down to it, and on these modern(ish) cars I have to get used to doing most jobs by feel, it seems!

There is a box with fins on it, the actuator I assume, with a crank coming out of it and a connecting arm almost vertically down to the turbo. When I first felt it, the crank was up. Turning on the ignition it moved down, but then stayed down when I turned the ign off (no engine start). When I turned it off before the engine was hot and running, so I assume that is the difference.

There is a few degrees of slack in the actuator crank, and a little play in the connecting arm, in both states, but the crank will not move more than that slack (I did not try any force!) with ign on or off. So the vanes feel quite free moving (by the tiny amount I can test) at both ends of the travel. Also, with ign on, when I tried to turn the crank in either direction, there was a whine from the actuator that sounded like it was powering up to resist the movement.

There is also a continuous whine at a higher frequency from the EGR, so ignore that.

The EGR actuator is very easy to remove, but the valve itself is a real pig as it is part of the inlet manifold. Also it should be possible to blank the EGR on these cars with no error messages or DTCs, I have done it several times. I now have it unblanked, as I have a working EGR actuator, and the ECU seems to prefer that, with maybe a little better MPG. But your symptoms don't really match any of the many EGR related faults I have had.

I have logs of live data for my car, for things including APP, RPM, MAP, MAF, EGR, FRP etc. Ie most of the main engine variables. So some comparison of, for example when the MAP starts to rise, may be possible. My turbo comes in in a very progressive way, from really very low engine power, going up to about 2.5Bar abs at max power. No sudden "boost" point at all.

[isetta]

Thanks Peter.  Although I have Forscan on laptop I am by no means an expert on how it works. I did not think of using it to look at live data or log the data, I was aware in the past it can do all of this but had forgotten.

[Robweedall]

Hi did you manage to fix your problem o have the same fault on a 1.8 tdi Ford Focus 2009. Thanks 

[Tdci-Peter]

6 hours ago, Robweedall said:

have the same fault on a 1.8 tdi Ford Focus 2009

There is another quite long thread on the same car, with I suspect the same underlying problem:

It was a wiring loom or connector related problem, at least partially solved (enough to get to Luxembourg & back!) by some additional wiring to bypass the fault.