I bought a ford focus 2005 plate in April, last year and have never been happier with a car. However I have ran into major problems and could really do with some advice.

I had 8 months of smooth running and no problems, then I had it serviced. The spark plugs and HT leads were replaced as covered in orange dry dust (rust) It looked as though there had once been a water leak in the spark plug well! I thought nothing of it as it was dry. However I replaced it with trade plugs and leads not ford's own. Since this was done I have had engine mangement light come up due to misfiring. I found that the the spark plug well was full of water (2-3cms) and the trade leads didn't fit as tightly so the water had got up to the spark plugs and was causing the misfiring.

Since I have dried out this area and replaced with ford parts, it has been fine for 2 months now there is water in here and it's misfiring again!

I have looked on forums for an idea but they say leaking from the washer tubes this is not the case for me as I have duct taped them and no signs of water. I have not washed the car, used a jet wash on the engine or had rainfall.

I can't afford to take it to the garage as am in my final year at uni. Could anyone help please?? I would really appreciate it

Hannah x

I understand that there is a problem where water leaks through the bonnet from where the windscreen washer jets are fitted. If you do a search I am sure you will find a fix for it on this site.

Good luck

Hi, Yes I found that this can be a problem, so I taped up my washer jet tubes so no water could get into the head, but still it filled up. Thank you though :)

Check the washer pipe joints?

Taken from my thread on this:

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I purchased a cheap throttle position sensor from ebay for £15 (genuine part normally costs £70), fitted it and didn't solve the problem, so moving on.

After some research this is what I have found with regards to the stuttering/fuel starvation/misfiring :::

ecutesting.com :::

This common fault of misfire on two cylinders or complete non start is often caused by the ignition coil pack shorting out on the vehicle - it is very important that the ignition coil pack is replaced at the same time as refitting your ECU after it has been repaired - or your faulty coil pack may damage the repaired ECU. - http://www.ecutestin...u_misfire_.html

EXCELLENT thread from RAC.co.uk on this topic :::

Lots of detail into this very common Focus MK1 98-04 fault here:

- http://www.rac.co.uk...Focus-Misfiring

How I think the problem occurred :::

I believe that when the speed sensor started malfunctioning I continued to drive the car, which may have caused the faulty speed sensor to damage the Ignition Coil Pack which then damaged the ECU.

How I'm going to tackle it now :::

Take out the ECU, read it's part number and send the ECU off for repair/replacement by ecutesting.com for (hopefully) £150.

Purchase new ignition coil pack for £25.

Will let you know how it goes :)

to ensure you dont suffer the water issue further, you need to seal the joint on the bonnet and the washer jets as well as the tubes. Your best bet is to buy an engine cover and fit this, it will save you a lot of agro in the long run!