can anyone help, I have a smax 56 plate 2.0tdci titanium 6 speed and occasionally it will not start it will fire then stop after about 8 attempts it will start any clues and is it an easy fix, will not use local foird dealer as they are useless, please help

whats the voltage on the battery through the onboard diagnostic showing?

not sure, but took the battery out yesterday and checked levels and charged for 5hrs as all this wet weather heater going wipers going headlights on, mrs doing school run and me using in the eve thought I would do that seems to be better, thanks if not that any ideas

cheers jai

It is the DMF. A very common issue. A very expensive fix.

Most owners just live with it.

how do you know if you have a dmf fitted?

will etis you the info.

reason why i ask occasionally(once every month or so) my engine will just stop without warning.

If you have a TDCi you have a DMF.

yes i do,many thanks for the reply.

what is a dmf not a mechanic so don't know what these are I know what a ecu is and what a/c is but not dmf, sorry to sound dim

cheers jai

DMF = Dual Mass Flywheel - it is the clutch on the Smax.

just a foot note to this post - I'm no mechanic, but I had a similar situation to what you describe above recently and when I got to the bottom of it, the cause was actually a heavily clogged fuel filter. Its a b*tch to bleed when you replace it if you do it yourself, but it cost me £19 to get my 58 plate 1.8 Titanium back and running....

recently serviced so all filters and fluids changed, what I have found is if I boot it just before switching off i.e put my foot down in second gear to about 3000rpm then park the car let it tick for about 30 seconds it starts fine, could it be the egr valve needing to be cleaned?

No, it's your DMF.

sorry to sound thick, but how can the dmf cause this problem, it is like there is a air lock in the fuel system then after about 8 attempts or a couple of mins it starts fine,

over the years of abuse, the DMF starts to disintigrate into metal filings, which are drawn into the starter motor, the filings then prevent the starter motor from kicking the car to life easily.

I also have a 56 plate 2.0tdci, which had exactly the same issue 3years ago. I replaced the starter motor and the difference in starter cranking speed was immediately noticeable. Not a sniff of trouble since. Starter was £140 from ford and 30mins to fit.