Ford Focus Mk2 Common Problems Thread

[mozz]

 

After a couple of stops and starts gauge has now reset itself, so, happy days. 😀

[NWDenso]

Hello all,

As it seems to be a common MK2 fault, can anyone guide me to decent instructions on replacing the injector seals on a 1.6 tdci, I also need to know what size seals are supposed to go on there. This is the issue with the chuffing sound and its after i de-maf'd the car after it died and im not spending 130 quid for a new one 🙂

Also does anyone have any reccomendations on how to clean the rocker cover without dropping crap into the injectors, id rather give it a clean before adding the new seals

Cheers in advance

[ChaserHUN]

Hey all!

I bought a Ford Focus MK2 TI-VCT last week. Everything was ok. The timing belt and a camshaft sensor was replaced just before I bought the car. It starts easily in cold, accelerates good, no problem, After 50kms I got a check engine light. Went to a mechanic pluggid it on the computer said it was camshaft sensor. So the other one wich hasn't been replaced before got replaced. After about 10km the check engine came on again. Switched both out for a new one, after 17 km check engine again. Plugged it on the computer again we get to codes, P0341 and P0030A. 

http://www.kepfeltoltes.eu/view.php?filename=709ford.jpg

If you look at the picture the two with the red circles got replaced. But what are the sensors on the left? Because some mechanics said there are 4 sensors, but the car shops said there are only 2. For Authorized service said to change the timing belt again, but it has been change about 300kms before, and the car drives good, so we don't think it is necesarry. The guys mechanic who I bought the car from said we should take the car to an automotive electician, becuase probably not the sensors are the problem.

 

Any advice why does it keep doing this?

[Tdci-Peter]

6 hours ago, ChaserHUN said:

what are the sensors on the left? Because some mechanics said there are 4 sensors, but the car shops said there are only 2. For Authorized Service said to change the timing belt again, but it has been change about 300kms before, and the car drives good, so we don't think it is necesarry

There are two cam position sensors at the flywheel end of the cover, and two solenoids (to control the valve timing) at the timing belt end of the cover.

If it is cheap and easy, I suggest changing the crankshaft sensor first. Not particularly likely, but I had this on a previous car: Codes said one thing, it was another. The cam sensors are compared to the crank sensor by the ECU. The software in these ECUs is far from perfect when dealing with faults.

The reason the Ford dealer say change the belt again is that it may not have been timed exactly right, or may have stretched by more than the normal amount. Ford will normally never refit a used belt, even if only used for a few miles. So belt removal to test timing means a new belt in their book.

After those two, it could be the variable timing solenoids or sprockets.

 

[Joneeboy]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2013 at 8:31 PM, artscot79 said:

Rear light clustets boot hinges and spoiler seal all leak tell tale signs is a damp or wet boot process of elimination though its best to use quality sealant and seal all 3 suspected areas.

Power steering hose just behind the radiator and at the join to the pump are prone to leaks from corrosion recommend every 6 months applying grease to the area such as vaseline to prevent this.

Noisy aircon pumps can be from either the bearing or the system needing regassed since the regass is cheap its best trying this first also the ti vct uses a different aircon pump a vss pump which varies the gas so it does not click on and off regularly like older pumps but runs continously.

The heated windscreen can fail on one side either its a simple fuse issue to which there are 2 1 for each side or some cars under the scuttle panel have the electrical ribbon loose which gets rubbed by the wipers when in motion causing it to fail.

Rear hatch gathers water so when it rains and the boots opened water pours in ford sell 2 self adhesive plastic strips which is supposed to address this issue it helps but doesnt prevent it happening.

The design of the door seals means after or during rain once the doors opened water runs into the car there is no fix and its a common issue on the mk2

The aircon drain can get blocked or detatch allowing water into the dtlriver footwell the drain is found behind the plastic panel at the drivers left leg a poke through with a wire hanger usually clears it if loose its best to reattatch with silicone.

Dash displays stay lit after the car is locked for between 20-40 minutes the ecu remains live storing vehicle data for this period of time monitoring under bonnet temperatures once the ecu shuts down the display remains off displays which stay on for long periods such as overnight usually have pcm issues which bbereman can repair cheap.

Despite fords its galvanised claims the focus rusts particularly on the front and rear sills as well as front and rear arches therefore its imperative you deal with paint chips pretty quickly.

Rear bushes like the mk1 are prone to wear around the 5 year mark some are easy to change some are not.

The ti vct can go into limp mode with no power this can be either the ti vct timing relays on top of the engine or the cam itself the cam unit is not easy or cheap to repair so should be left to a dealer the cambelt will also need replaced during this average cost £500 minimum.

Worn or cheap brake pads and disks can cause a distinct click when braking.

A noise like a knock or thump between 10-15 mph is the abs test and is normal should happen only once usually when first using the car.

Poor idle can be due to the pcv valve needing replaced the springs weaken and can gunge up for the sake of £10 its best to replace this.

Rear drums prone to sticking in cold damp weather a clunk will be heard from the rear as it unsticks getting under the rear and spraying wd40 on the rear handbrake cables both sides before winter sets in can cure if not help this.

Paint removal on the sills lower doors front and rear is common a plastic protector should be attatched though this helps its advised to fit mudflaps even this will not stop road salt blasting paint away but reduces the effects dramatically.

Wind noise from the front windows is common often sounds like the window is open slightly when its not ford have no fix for this the mk2.5 recieved thicker door seals and glass to prevent this.

Rattles from under the car more often than not are loose heatshields or a broken rear or midfle exhaust hanger a new exhaust is not needed since the hanger detatches at the exhaust removing from the hanging rubber and buying a bracket clamp from ebay for £8 solves the issue and is easy to fit.

Rear washers not working can be a detatched hose inside the spoiler or a detatched hose in the car at the driver rear in the headlining where it stops at the boot

For winter a good screenwash used pure down to -10 -20 such as preston is needed as the screenwash bottle is under the wheel arch liner and will freeze heated washers wont defrost this.

leaky washer jets is common upgraded parts available but still leak only answer is to silicone them

Check all electrics work as they should let the car idle and sit in it any bad shudders could indicate the coil pack plugs and leads need replaced to solve misfires its best to do all 3 and use dielectric grease on the spark plug terminals at the plugs and coil pack.

Dpf failures are common and expensive however its possible to get companies to remove the dpf fault by removing the dpf altogether saving a small fortune and endless headache

Diesel issues ill leave to the diesel owners

Hi,

In relation to dash display not shutting down, can you please tell me who or what is bberman? 

[Tdci-Peter]

3 hours ago, Joneeboy said:

can you please tell me who or what is bberman? 

http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/index.aspx

However, in many cases the failure of the Cluster or ECU to shut down is actually due to some infotainment bit of kit, radios, bluetooth add-ons, etc etc. The modules all talk to each other on the buses, and can, like excited little kids, keep each other awake, if just one keeps chatting.

[Alank16]

I have a 08 Tdci Focus it has 148k on the clock a lot of that is from my driving had her a few years now. Anyway the car wont go over 3000 rpm and lost a lot of its power. My first initial thought was that it was the DPF regenerating so I took a detour to get the process started went into higher speed at more revs. It all looked fine the smoking from the back where the soot is burning off but after roughly 20 mins of constantly doing this it just didn't go back to normal power but it sounded like the regeneration had stopped. 

After i finished work i was going to try again and was expecting to see a warning light pop up... well it didn't. car still has little power no warning lights every time i start it up i let it run for 10 or so minutes the white smoke begins shortly after i then start increasing the revs which get cut off at 3000 rpm. I done some research and i tried the redex dpf cleaner as it was only a few quid in Tesco thought you know might be worth a shot and it did nothing at all. I have plugged in a code reader and nothing was found.

Nothing like this has occurred before in the car so any help or suggestion would be appreciated i also dont want to change the dpf to then find out £££'s down the line it was something different.

[TomsFocus]

4 minutes ago, Alank16 said:

I have a 08 Tdci Focus it has 148k on the clock a lot of that is from my driving had her a few years now. Anyway the car wont go over 3000 rpm and lost a lot of its power. My first initial thought was that it was the DPF regenerating so I took a detour to get the process started went into higher speed at more revs. It all looked fine the smoking from the back where the soot is burning off but after roughly 20 mins of constantly doing this it just didn't go back to normal power but it sounded like the regeneration had stopped. 

After i finished work i was going to try again and was expecting to see a warning light pop up... well it didn't. car still has little power no warning lights every time i start it up i let it run for 10 or so minutes the white smoke begins shortly after i then start increasing the revs which get cut off at 3000 rpm. I done some research and i tried the redex dpf cleaner as it was only a few quid in Tesco thought you know might be worth a shot and it did nothing at all. I have plugged in a code reader and nothing was found.

Nothing like this has occurred before in the car so any help or suggestion would be appreciated i also dont want to change the dpf to then find out £££'s down the line it was something different.

If it's not passing 3k it's most likely in limp mode, rather than actually being restricted by the faulty part.  I'm very surprised it hasn't produced an 'engine systems fault' on the dash though.

The next step should ideally be to use some Ford specific diagnostics such as Forscan (free app & check the Tunnelrat site for ELM cable/dongle).  The generic OBD scanners often don't pick up much and it could get very expensive just replacing items at will.

 

[ChaserHUN]

On 12/18/2019 at 8:49 PM, Tdci-Peter said:

There are two cam position sensors at the flywheel end of the cover, and two solenoids (to control the valve timing) at the timing belt end of the cover.

If it is cheap and easy, I suggest changing the crankshaft sensor first. Not particularly likely, but I had this on a previous car: Codes said one thing, it was another. The cam sensors are compared to the crank sensor by the ECU. The software in these ECUs is far from perfect when dealing with faults.

The reason the Ford dealer say change the belt again is that it may not have been timed exactly right, or may have stretched by more than the normal amount. Ford will normally never refit a used belt, even if only used for a few miles. So belt removal to test timing means a new belt in their book.

After those two, it could be the variable timing solenoids or sprockets.

 

The camshaft sensors were both changed and it didn't solve the problem. Cracnkshaft sensor wasn't changed. My mechanic did a fault reading and it said that the intake valves aren't opening up as much as they should be, or something like this. He did an oil change because it had black oil in it and said that VVT systems need clean oil to function well. Cleaned the solenoids, and tested them as in the ford tech talk video they work fine. Went on a test drive 60kms everything was fine, no check engine light, Previously it came on after about 10kms. Last day after 1km it came on again. It is driving me crazy. He said probably the valve timing sprockets need to be changed. It is pretty expensive though. He said if the oil hasn't been changed after the needed period it can ***** up the sprockets, or pulleys or whatever they call them. Sorry for my english, it's not my native language. 

[Tdci-Peter]

5 hours ago, ChaserHUN said:

He said probably the valve timing sprockets need to be changed. It is pretty expensive though. He said if the oil hasn't been changed after the needed period it can ***** up the sprockets,

I can easily believe that oil with too high a carbon load will gum up or wear out the adjustment system. Pressurised oil enters the sprockets to rotate them relative to the camshaft, there will be some sort of piston arrangement inside them. Carbon or tar deposits can make the pistons stick, wear will make them leak.

If it was due to tar or carbon, removing them and giving them a really thorough clean with some aggressive cleaner might help. If worn, the only cure is replacement. But if you have to pay someone to do the work, it would not be worth trying to clean them anyway.

So it does sound like, if all other options have been eliminated, replacement is the only answer.

[ChaserHUN]

3 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

I can easily believe that oil with too high a carbon load will gum up or wear out the adjustment system. Pressurised oil enters the sprockets to rotate them relative to the camshaft, there will be some sort of piston arrangement inside them. Carbon or tar deposits can make the pistons stick, wear will make them leak.

If it was due to tar or carbon, removing them and giving them a really thorough clean with some aggressive cleaner might help. If worn, the only cure is replacement. But if you have to pay someone to do the work, it would not be worth trying to clean them anyway.

So it does sound like, if all other options have been eliminated, replacement is the only answer.

Yeah it seems it has to be replaced 😞 I've seen the sprockets can be bougth seperetaly, both intake and exhaust. I only get fault code for the intake camshaft being late. So is it enough to change only that than? Does ford have any regulations on this? I change both of them if I have to, but also don't want to spend all that money if I don't have to. 

[Tdci-Peter]

52 minutes ago, ChaserHUN said:

Does ford have any regulations on this? I change both of them if I have to,

What Ford do say is they they won't refit a belt, even if nearly new. I don't think there is any real problem with re-fitting a nearly new belt, it is just they are worried about warranty claims. So you can change just one sprocket, but if the other then needs changing, a Ford dealer might insist on another new belt. See what you mechanic says about it.

If I was doing a job like that myself, I would probably only replace the faulty sprocket. But then then I would not have to actually Shell out for all the extra labour if the other one went.

[ChaserHUN]

4 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

What Ford do say is they they won't refit a belt, even if nearly new. I don't think there is any real problem with re-fitting a nearly new belt, it is just they are worried about warranty claims. So you can change just one sprocket, but if the other then needs changing, a Ford dealer might insist on another new belt. See what you mechanic says about it.

If I was doing a job like that myself, I would probably only replace the faulty sprocket. But then then I would not have to actually shell out for all the extra labour if the other one went.

I have a new belt actually, wich is unused. My mechanic just tried theese things first to see if it is necessary to change the sporcket and belt. He said it's probably enough to change the faulty one. I just have a fear - the loser I am- that after this is changed the other one will go bad, and the whole thing has to be started over again. My biggest fear is that the check engine will come back with the same faulty code even after the sprocket is changed. It's getting on my nerves. Modern technology, more things that can go bad, no such issues with my dads 40 year old Lada, haha. 
Thanks for you help! 

[ChaserHUN]

One thing that concerns me a bit is, I've red on other forums, that because of lack of maintenance, old oil can clog up the oil passages in the cylinder head, and though there are still oil getting to the sprockets it's not with high enough pressure. But I hope it won't come to that, that I haveto get a new cylinder head.

[man10101]

On 1/24/2020 at 8:12 PM, Joneeboy said:

Hi,

In relation to dash display not shutting down, can you please tell me who or what is bberman? 

Hi

I had the same problem with time on radio and dash lcd display not shutting off for ages after id locked my car (2005 mk2 focus)

What fixed mine is simply putting the steering lock on!

Now both time and dash display turns off in under a minute

Hope this works for you if youve still got this problem

[ChaserHUN]

Hey!
The timing belt, vct-sprockets, vct solenoids, water pump, thermostate has been replaced on my Ford Focus 2 TI-VCT. Before I had a check engine light coming up that the timing on the intake side is not right. Now the check engine doesn't light up, but the car doesn't accelerate as before. The engine is idling fine, no weird noises or anything. But at full gas even my dads 40 year old lada accelerates better. Also reacing 100km/h speed in 4th gear and then putting it in 5th gear the speed doesn't go up more than 110km/h with about 3200rpms. What can cause this if the the timing is now right with the engine?

[davidoneman]

Hi my engine has just started making a ticking noise then i got a oil light come on and off, ive changed oil and filter and still same im thinking possible strainer blockage restricting oil , is there any way to check without having to remove sump. Many thanks

[Gaffer22]

Hi got a red cog light on a 55 focus 16 tdci if i unplug maf light goes out min i plug bk in limp mode but no codes changed maf sensor map sensor still ni gd 

[Tdci-Peter]

14 hours ago, Gaffer22 said:

limp mode but no codes

That says to me that the code reader is not up to the job. Try a Ford specific system like Forscan. Also make sure you read the codes as soon as possible, ideally while the light is on. If the light is on and it goes into a reduced power mode, there absolutely will be codes somewhere in it.

Removing the MAF does odd things to these cars, it interacts with the DPF system for a start, the ECU does not seem to be able to cope with multiple errors at all well. So removing the MAF may just hide whatever is the real fault. Also removing the MAF should make the engine light (MIL) come on, with MAF related codes.

[Mike Faherty]

Hi Everyone, 

I'm new to this so I'll get straight to my problem, I've a 2010 focus estate 1.6 tdci with a battery drain of 0.6 amps when the car is 'asleep'. OBD code is showing P068b, I've pulled every fuse,one by one,while multimeter was connected,but none showed any decent drop in current.All suggestions welcome and many thanks in advance.

[Tdci-Peter]

On 4/15/2020 at 11:19 PM, Mike Faherty said:

OBD code is showing P068b, I've pulled every fuse,one by one,while multimeter was connected,but none showed any decent drop in current

P068b: ECM/PCM Power Relay De-Energized Performance – Too Late.

The most direct cause of this would be the Engine management relay (R6 in the FJB, aka engine bay fusebox) being stuck on, by welded contacts quite possibly. This relay supplies most of the power to the ECU and all the engine sensors & actuators. It is controlled by the ECU so that it can maintain full power after the ignition is turned off, to do various tests & shutdown operations. On my car it stays on for about 5 sec after ignition off, there is a distinct click as it goes off and things like the EGR & Turbo power down.

This relay sends power to the ECU & engine via 4 fuses, F33, F34, F35, F36, all in the FJB. F9, also in the FJB, supplies battery power to this relay.

If not the relay, then the next most probable thing would be a wiring loom fault. The DTC will be triggered by power being present on one of the power lines from the relay after the ECU has tried to turn the relay off.

 

[rob_ellerby]

Hi all hope everyone is keeping safe? I have a 2007 mk2 focus i am having an issue with acceleration, getting loads of revs no movement, but then everything catches up and kind of works normally. i have run full diagnostics twice and the only thing that came up was an old battery code from a recent alternator change. ive also replaced the coil pack and ignition leads, its been serviced, oil, filters, plugs etc. im inclined to think its the output speed sensor, but having trouble locating it. can anybody help please ? Thank you in advance

[Ford girl]

Hi 

Just gone to service my 2005 mk2 2lt gear and the key will not open the bonnet, we have had it open a number of times but today it will not work, you hear it pulled on the cable when you turn the key but nothing, does anyone know how to open the bonnet if the key will not work

Thank you in advance 

Kelly

[Gymfocused]

19 hours ago, Ford girl said:

Hi 

Just gone to service my 2005 mk2 2lt gear and the key will not open the bonnet, we have had it open a number of times but today it will not work, you hear it pulled on the cable when you turn the key but nothing, does anyone know how to open the bonnet if the key will not work

Thank you in advance 

Kelly

Have you tried pushing down on it at the same time?

[Tdci-Peter]

On 6/14/2020 at 12:51 PM, Ford girl said:

how to open the bonnet if the key will not work

You could have a look through this thread:

Some of the photos have been partly spoiled by that wretched photobucket rubbish. And it is quite long with lots of discussion. There are at least two sorts of linkage, the bowden cable and the solid bar. The bowden cable type is the most common. There are also several different failure modes, so some of the tricks only work on one type of failure. But it is a very common problem on this model of car.