Hi all,

 

I have a 2008 MK2 Focus with 130K miles on the clock.

When i take off there can be like a stutter or bog sometimes, also when at motorway speeds if i try to accelerate there seems like a lack of power and that same bog appears, i know its a low power engine but it felt different to when I first got the car.

Fan speed 1 never worked so after some self diagnosing i discovered this was due to a heater resistor switch and once changed speed 1 worked perfectly. This was around 1 month ago, i didnt notice any issue with stutter immediately and maybe its not related but said i'd mention in case. This could be completely in my head but it feels like when the fan speed is on highest the stutter issue is way less severe which would lead me to believe its an electrical issue.

I have the car about 5 months and has been treating me well in that time, the previous owner regularly serviced an had the coil pack, plugs (iridium) and leads changed in 2021, in 2020 the water pump and timing belt was also changed.

I dont have a scanner but using the hidden menu it says theres no DTC codes.

 

Thank you for any replies folks 🙂

 

22 hours ago, Threadripper said:

I dont have a scanner but using the hidden menu it says theres no DTC codes.

Hidden menu only shows cluster related DTCs

Get yourself FORScan and a decent lead and run some live tests.

If spark system is good, you might have an injector going down with that mileage or it could be just rubbish fuel

Is air cleaner clean & dry? Clean the MAF sensor

When was fuel filter last changed?

Could also be the throttle body needs cleaning

 

hI Dave,

 

Thanks very much for the reply! will get a forscan test run on it.

Not sure if the fuel filter has ever been changed, no mention of it in the service history book.

I have it booked in next week so hopefully they can find the issue and i'll report back here.

Regrarding the fuel, E10 was only recently introuduced in Ireland and its possible thats the first time the cars had any.

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Threadripper said:

Regrarding the fuel, E10 was only recently introuduced in Ireland and its possible thats the first time the cars had any.

I too had a similar sounding 'stutter', so decided to feed the old girl ever since on BP Ultimate (E5). It has improved, but not totally cured...

It turns out the garage i got it serviced last year put spark plugs which were not suitable apparently an incorrect gap my new mechanic said, now the car is working perfectly!

9 hours ago, Threadripper said:

It turns out the garage i got it serviced last year put spark plugs which were not suitable apparently an incorrect gap my new mechanic said, now the car is working perfectly!

My own 'stutter' was also cured properly by a set of new plugs. One of the plugs was faulty having a minute crack in the ceramic leaving a carbon trace, allowing the spark to jump...

On 6/19/2023 at 9:03 AM, DaveT70 said:

When was fuel filter last changed?

As far as I know, the 1.4 and 1.6 petrols don't have fuel filters.

Just now, AntonovAN12 said:

As far as I know, the 1.4 and 1.6 petrols don't have fuel filters.

I concur, that's what I learned when I wondered if I should do that to my own Mk2...

Hi all, 

This story has taken another unfortunate turn, after changing the plugs the car worked absolutely perfectly for 1.5 months there was no hesitation and stutter and the power was great.

The issue has now come back and is probably worse, last night I was on the motorway at 60mph and an engine light came on for maybe 2 seconds and disappeared.

 

Would anyone have any ideas what could have caused the new plugs to fix the issue for such a short amount of time only for it to arise again?

 

Thanks folks

Just now, Threadripper said:

Hi all, 

This story has taken another unfortunate turn, after changing the plugs the car worked absolutely perfectly for 1.5 months there was no hesitation and stutter and the power was great.

The issue has now come back and is probably worse, last night I was on the motorway at 60mph and an engine light came on for maybe 2 seconds and disappeared.

 

Would anyone have any ideas what could have caused the new plugs to fix the issue for such a short amount of time only for it to arise again?

 

Thanks folks

Yep, change the coil pack and HT leads...

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

Yep, change the coil pack and HT leads...

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the reply!

I know the previous owner and they changed the coil packs /ht leads in 2020, is it same to assume they were crap quality?

1 minute ago, Threadripper said:

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the reply!

I know the previous owner and they changed the coil packs /ht leads in 2020, is it same to assume they were crap quality?

Unlikely even if crap to fail after such a short time. I will change my analysis to check the car for fault codes, if the management light came on, there will be a stored fault which should help diagnosis...

5 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Unlikely even if crap to fail after such a short time. I will change my analysis to check the car for fault codes, if the management light came on, there will be a stored fault which should help diagnosis...

Thanks Stephen, will book it in and report back here once i have it sorted.

Cheers again and have a good Boxing  /Stephens Day 👍

 

The coil pack could have failed again if it was a cheap poor quality part.

I had an aftermarket ignition control unit fail in less than a year on another non-ford car.

I replaced it with a 20+ year old used unit that cost £5 from a breakers and it lasted the rest of the time I had the car.

 

27 minutes ago, AntonovAN12 said:

The coil pack could have failed again if it was a cheap poor quality part

The coil pack, HT leads I got for mine were genuine Bosch parts. I have no issue using 'cheap' Chinese parts, except where they can potentially lead me to a breakdown...

Hi all,

@StephenFord On the money mate, a new coil and HT leads fixed the issue.

The code showed a misfire in cylinder 4, my mechanic confirmed the coil was recently changed but said it looked fairly cheap quality.

the cars currently on 136k miles, hoping if properly maintained i can get another few of years from it.