Focus problems - multiple, but perhaps linked?

[cjjb98]

Hi all,

I have a 2006 1.6diesel Focus estate which I've never thought particularly reliable since I got it around 2 years ago.

It's always had a problem with juddering and I don't seem to be able to fix the problem. Garages have done checks and found nothing wrong. Seems like there's so many things it could be that it'd cost me way too much to fix. Anyway, I can live with it, even though it can get very annoying.

More recently, the engine warning light comes on randomly. I'm not an unsafe car owner - I get a service every year (next one is coming up in August) and I do under-the-bonnet checks fairly regularly. I thought the light might be a glitch, as it comes and goes. More recently again, after driving, the engine fan stays on for a few minutes and is very loud. Then yesterday, I was driving home from an airport and noticed the temperature reading was going up and down - almost to the red mark, then straight down just below the middle of the gauge. It did that quite a lot.

Could the temperate gauge and engine light (both haven't happened at the same time) be glitches? I really don't have a lot of spare money, but if the consensus is that my car could be a death trap, I'll find a way to afford a garage. I'd personally love to get rid of the car but can't afford a replacement yet.

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Dee_82]

first things first get yourself a code reader

http://www.spanglefish.com/TunnelratElectronics/index.asp?pageid=516992

its a dead handy thing to have and will more than make up for the cost if you can narrow down the problems, you can purchase it there and follow the instructions to get it working.

you ill also need a program called Forscan, its free and you can get it from

http://forscan.org/download.html

It could be the thermostat

The Thermostate opens (and sends coolant to the radiator) at around 83c, if it didn't open then it would get very hot, potentially it might open up at a higher temp which then brings it down again, that's a guess though based on what you told me, a code reader might help narrow that down . 

Oh, one thing, its widely recommended to have the 1.6TDCIs oil change every 6k.  the engine is fine if looked after but can be a ticking bomb if not.  She needs lots of TLC and a couple of wee tweaks to help her, such as blanking off the EGR valve and "fixing" the DPF early (if you have one)

 

[cjjb98]

Dee_82, thank you so much! I'll be sure to buy that code reader. In fact, in light of Father's Day, I'll get my Dad one, too!

I'll book in for an oil change this week, too. Stupidly, I'd overlooked that possibility and I do think it's slightly past due for one. Perhaps that's the main cause of my problems.

Thank you for your great advice!

[james1089]

Sounds like a lazy thermostat to me, doing everything a couple of minutes later than it should do.

[Tdci-Peter]

A potential link between the fan, temperature gauge, & warning lghts is the Instrument Cluster (or dashboard, or IC). And it is prone to failure on Foci of this era, I had it fail, and loads of other people have.

The Forscan tool will check this out. If it shows lots of CAN bus or communication errors, then IC is suspect no.1.

In that case, See my pdf at:

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=38633

[Dee_82]

Possibly, the IC is an issue, esp on the mk2, the engine warning light doesn't come on for no reason but without knowing the codes its pretty much a stab in the dark.

Changing the thermostat is simple enough and is relatively cheap, if you've ever changed your coolant and have use a pair of pliers on some clips then you can do its yourself, IF its roots lie in the IC though then you can expect a more costly bill! Code reader will reveal all, first thing to do though is make a note of the codes, then clear them, you might have a lot of older codes that were not cleared, starting afresh will help limit the rubbish but keeping the list might help with other stuff.