stitches Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Quick question from an new and non-mechanically minded member if I may? I have a T reg 1.8 Zetec focus which is up to date on the service schedule, but which yesterday I noticed was throwing out a fine spatter of unburnt fuel from the exhaust. Drives and sounds fine but am I right in suspecting the Cat might need changing? Is there anything you guys would advise checking/ doing? Got a reasonable journey planned this week and don't want to aggrivate anything. Thanks for any help in advance Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 if your not burning all the fuel replacing the cat wont really help, sounds like you might need to replace the sparks if nothing else... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitches Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Thanks. Relatively straight forward job I guess or one for the pros?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 replacing spark plugs is a DIY job, but its more a case of you need to confirm they are the issue first. does your exhaust smoke come out transparent, white, or black / grey? Also can you smell any petrol around the top of the engine block? or can you only smell it at the tailend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Changing the spark plugs would certainly be a good place to start, and any DIY mechanic can do these with very little tools. If its throwing out fuel in the exhaust, it sounds to me like its overfuelling so could be down to a faulty sensor somewhere. First suspect would be the pre cat lambda. But before you go replacing any sensors I would have someone with a live data scanner check it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitches Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Thanks guys. No white or grey smoke output as yet (or any more than you might expect on a cold start) - its transparent when warm and idling and I haven't noticed any petrol smell other than at the exhaust. Sensor makes sense. Will drop it into the garage after the trip (circa 400 miles) unless you beleive it should be done before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Are you sure it's fuel and not just water vapour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitches Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Pretty sure but will check again. Thank you. Do you happen to know if water vapour is indicative of any issue? (Apologies, I really am that clueless when it comes to these things). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef123 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 Water is produced when you burn hydrocarbons, so is perfectly normal. However, excessive water vapour should be investigated, it could be coolant entering the combustion chamber somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitches Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Many thanks Stef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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