Engine service now sign and loss of power

[MdAkhtarA23]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone can help? I recently serviced my ford focus 2015 1L ecoboost. After doing that a few days later i was driving on the dual carriageway on 50mph and i get yhe amber (!) Light and error message saying "engine service now" flash. Car wasnt picking up speed as it usually does after that. After parking up i restarted the car and the message disappeared but still when up hill no power. 

When i did the service they recommended changing my clutch, just wondering if that would solve it if changed or is there anything else im missing.

Any help will be appreciated

[unofix]

Firstly don't start guessing what might be wrong, it will get very expensive very quickly if you do.

The next thing you need to do is get a laptop and download the software FORScan (it's free) and you will need a good ELM327 or a vLinker FS cable. Only then will you be able to read all the Ford specific DTC's which will tell you why it has turned the warning on.

Ecoboost 1.0 engines are shall we say quite fragile so expect the worst and hope for the best. I doubt the clutch has anything to do with the current problem, but as I've already said it's best not to guess.

Who changed the engine oil ? what oil has been used ? was the engine flushed with a cleaning oil ?

FORScan : https://forscan.org/download.html

ELM327 lead : https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_with_switch_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx

vLinker FS lead : https://www.cartool.co.uk/wholesale/elm327-for-ford-mazda.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8amWBhCYARIsADqZJoUHWR5ngBjVZjNay23KNAdukHGnktGVASIJFwh9HCHunsgnFYkbXf0aAkCVEALw_wcB

[TomsFocus]

Who did the service and why did they recommend changing the clutch?

There was a recall for these cars after a few clutch faults.  Adding an engine warning light and reduced power if it detected clutch slip.  So it's not impossible that the clutch could be causing the issue, but it does seem unlikely.

[MdAkhtarA23]

The garage that did the service said the clutch was really high hence why they recommended changing it. With regards to the recall, i had the car for 2 years and haven't received any recalls from the dealership.

[TomsFocus]

1 minute ago, MdAkhtarA23 said:

The garage that did the service said the clutch was really high hence why they recommended changing it. With regards to the recall, i had the car for 2 years and haven't received any recalls from the dealership.

If you've had the car 2 years the recall was probably already done.

So the clutch could cause these symptoms if it's slipping.

Focus clutches are generally high though, that's not a sign of a fault itself.  I assume it wasn't a Ford garage?

[RayC333]

You can check for any missed recalls here

 https://www.ford.co.uk/support/recalls

 

[MdAkhtarA23]

No not a ford garage.

[TomsFocus]

13 hours ago, MdAkhtarA23 said:

No not a ford garage.

Ok, well in that case the clutch suggestion could just be down to a lack of experience with Fords.

The best thing to do now is to get the fault codes read.  Ideally with Ford specific software (you can use Forscan yourself or find a Ford dealer/specialist).  But if you already have access to standard OBD codes, they might give us an idea of the fault.

[MdAkhtarA23]

I used a basic obd last night but nothing came up, the signs are not coming up on the dashboard thats probably why theres no fault codes to read. The engine service now sign goes away after i switch the car off anyway and after driving for about 3 to 4 miles it comes again. 

[TomsFocus]

1 minute ago, MdAkhtarA23 said:

I used a basic obd last night but nothing came up, the signs are not coming up on the dashboard thats probably why theres no fault codes to read. The engine service now sign goes away after i switch the car off anyway and after driving for about 3 to 4 miles it comes again. 

In that case, you will need Ford specific diagnostics.  There should be codes stored even if the light is no longer coming on.  I'd definitely recommend Forscan.

[MdAkhtarA23]

8 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

In that case, you will need Ford specific diagnostics.  There should be codes stored even if the light is no longer coming on.  I'd definitely recommend Forscan.

Is that something that only ford dealers can do or something that can be done without dealerships? Just asking as ford dealerships are usually a rip off and they cost and arm and a leg

[TomsFocus]

3 minutes ago, MdAkhtarA23 said:

Is that something that only ford dealers can do or something that can be done without dealerships? Just asking as ford dealerships are usually a rip off and they cost and arm and a leg

Forscan is a free app to use with a laptop.  You will need to spend £20 on an adapter for it.  Can also be used with some phones & tablets, but with reduced functionality and the apps for those are not free.

 

[unofix]

At the risk of repeating myself:

On 7/11/2022 at 12:19 AM, unofix said:

Firstly don't start guessing what might be wrong, it will get very expensive very quickly if you do.

The next thing you need to do is get a laptop and download the software FORScan (it's free) and you will need a good ELM327 or a vLinker FS cable. Only then will you be able to read all the Ford specific DTC's which will tell you why it has turned the warning on.

Ecoboost 1.0 engines are shall we say quite fragile so expect the worst and hope for the best. I doubt the clutch has anything to do with the current problem, but as I've already said it's best not to guess.

Who changed the engine oil ? what oil has been used ? was the engine flushed with a cleaning oil ?

FORScan : https://forscan.org/download.html

ELM327 lead : https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_with_switch_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx

vLinker FS lead : https://www.cartool.co.uk/wholesale/elm327-for-ford-mazda.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw8amWBhCYARIsADqZJoUHWR5ngBjVZjNay23KNAdukHGnktGVASIJFwh9HCHunsgnFYkbXf0aAkCVEALw_wcB

 

[TomsFocus]

12 hours ago, unofix said:

At the risk of repeating myself:

Tbf, I think people get a bit overwhelmed by massive posts and either skim read or skip them altogether.  I've done it myself on other forums!  

There should be a pinned post about Forscan on here, that we can all link to when people ask what it is, rather than having to keep posting the same explanation over and over again in each thread.  It needs to be concise and simple enough for people that aren't really into cars & tech to access and understand though.  If I write it myself, it'll end up as a confusing novel with several tangents!