Hello

I have a Focus 20071.8tdci with 140k on clock but serviced well. Always had been good starter.

However 3mths ago and this morning it just would not get going. Chugged for 5 -20 seconds then died 

Could not accelerate  and if left idle barley would hit 1000prm before stopping 

After about 50 attempts (surprised battery  took this many attempts) it got going

Has only happened twice and quite a long interval in between

Any ideas what to do before going to garage 

Cheers 

 

11 hours ago, royed31 said:

However 3mths ago and this morning it just would not get going. Chugged for 5 -20 seconds then died 

No engine light on? Did it run ok once over its tantrum?

I have thought through the usual suspects like air in fuel lines, contaminated (eg water) fuel, clogged filter, EGR, Turbo, but nothing much fits. The time scales are wrong, or the effects would be in driving, not starting.

Could be a sticking control valve or actuator, possibly in the fuel pump (pressure regulator or flow regulator valves), or an intermittent electrical fault.

I would be (pleasantly!) surprised if a garage found anything, unless it happened to throw another tantrum while there.

It is worth investing a few quid in a diagnostic scanner. Even if no warning light is on, there may be a code which gives a clue. And the code may disappear before you can get it to a garage. A basic OBD2 scanner will reveal most engine related faults.