Hello all well I've been enjoying my focus for a while now with no trouble but in the last couple of days it's had me scratching my head, I have a make 2.5 1.8 tdci and on cold it's hard to start , I cheeked the levels and the antifreeze was low so I've topped it up ,again on cold cranking like mad then after a while she starts, could it be the glow plugs ? And are they easy to change I'm pretty good with car stuff any advice would be hugely appreciated .

Battery?

I've checked the battery and its fine loads of charge and it cranks over like a good en.

Please don't take this the wrong way but are you letting it 'Heat'?

I don't have a diesel Focus but have a Sedona and you have to turn the key to position one and wait until the 'Heat' symbol goes out. It takes a bit longer when it's cold.

First port of call if it starts easy in warmish weather but hard to start in the cold then its usually the glowplugs its been a long time since i did any but they can snap if youre not carefull

Yeah I've waited till the light goes out then done it again, when she starts there's no smoke out the back and when the car is warm she's as smooth as silk , it's going in for a full service next Tuesday at ford as its over due I might ask then to pop some new ones in , I've filled up with some wonga loan diesel and put some wynnes cleaner in let's see what happens at 4am tomorrow when I'm up for work.

Hi FocusColin - I have had the same problem only a few days ago and the guys on here diagnosed it as glow plugs and they were spot on! :) I had a lot of excess smoke coming out of the exhaust and took ages to start, I then had a red cog with a red exclamation mark appear on the dash.

I took it into the garage today and they hooked it up, turns out it is the glow plug module, quite a common fault apparantly.

They have quoted me £130 + VAT to have it replaced.

Hope this helps :D

mine sits in the garage and is a bit of a slow starter in this cold weather. i let the glow plugs heat 2 times before i crank it over.

130 sheets ahhhhh lol thanks pirategirl thank you all for the pointers I hope it's just the plugs it's something to do with that,, right where's the piggy bank......

If your handy with this kinda stuff it won't be a problem to change them yourself. Expect to pay around £40 ish for a set of 4. Only thing I would recommend is a little piece of kitchen roll over the end of the socket when removing the tiny nut that holds the connecting wire across the glowplugs, coz if you drop that, chances are, your never seeing it again lol. Same again for refitting. Also a good idea to spray around the plugs where they go into the engine block the night before, good soaking in wd40 or similar, may make for a smoother job.

get yourself a magnetic tray....if you havent got a magnetic tray nick a baking tray from the kitchen...your wife wont even realise its gone missing until you return it....covered in oil!

if you dont want to upset the wife then an oil yoghurt pot or jam jar will do just as well.

Good advice with the tray chaps I've ordered 4 new glow plugs picking them up on Friday , I'm kinda looking forward to getting my hands dirty lol I do love to have a tinker.

Get stuck in just remember these glow plugs can be easy to break so take it easy lol

Right service done at ford they have told me the glow plugs are fine but the starter motor is on its way out 400 quid to fix ???? And the thermostat housing needs replacing ? Another 300 quid now I know I've lost a bit of coolant but that sounds a lot .

I had this very same problem in my diesel corsa.

The most common problem relates to the starter motor and glow plugs if both have been replaced then its generally some sort of air leakage as diesels need the right compression rates before it can starts. In warm conditions its much easier to do this as it expands - do you find its easy to start once the engine is warm?

I never found out what mine was to this day i think it was a faulty starter motor on the back of a knackered starter motor. We got around it by waiting a little extra longer after the lights go out before turning the key over - always helps.

Right service done at ford they have told me the glow plugs are fine but the starter motor is on its way out 400 quid to fix ???? And the thermostat housing needs replacing ? Another 300 quid now I know I've lost a bit of coolant but that sounds a lot .

I'd get that done elsewhere you're being stung by them!

I know I've told them to leave it robbing gits. How hard is it to change the housing and the starter ?

Not done it myself before unfortunately only seen it on a corsa but it was a pain in the !Removed! on those as corsa cram everything into a small bonnet.

Right all in at a local garage new starter and thermostat housing kit fitted with 12 months warranty £210 quid , what are ford thinking trying to charge near 800 quid the dirty buggers. I feel sorry for people who don't know much about cars there getting ripped off.