fitzy73 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Hi folks. My Mk3 1.6 Zetec is cutting out in traffic (or at low speed). It seems completely random ie. I can be in heavy traffic for 20 mins and it's fine, and then it'll cut out 3 times in 5 mins, then fine again. Or it can run just fine and only cut out once, or be a complete pig and cut out lots of times. There doesn't seem to be any consistent reason why. The only thing that is consistent is that it cuts out at less than 1,000 RPM. I've replaced the battery, so that is ruled out. A friend reckons it might be the coil pack, but my Dad in law (who I bought the car from, and who told me of the issue) reckoned it might be fuel related. Obviously I'm going to bring it to a garage but if its a simple fix I might try it myself. I'm not that handy with cars but I'll give reasonable amateur repairs a go. On a separate point can anyone recommend a body shop in south east London / North to MId Kent that would do a few minor paint and body pieces that I inherited? . Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WES180 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Has anyone checked to see if any fault codes are stored to point you in the right direction? It can be very expensive guessing at what it could be. My 2012 Focus can show up any codes (DTC's) by pressing the right hand central button on the steering wheel at the same time as the power start button without the clutch pressed. This puts it into test mode then you can scroll up and down through the menu. I think its the left button on newer models. You can also pick up a code reader from £10 on eBay. It could just be a sensor thats faulty. Are you running a standard air filter or the likes of a K&N? The performance filters are coated in a light oil which can be sucked through the inlet coating any sensors along the way causing running issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted November 24, 2016 Author Share Posted November 24, 2016 5 minutes ago, WES180 said: Has anyone checked to see if any fault codes are stored to point you in the right direction? It can be very expensive guessing at what it could be. My 2012 Focus can show up any codes (DTC's) by pressing the right hand central button on the steering wheel at the same time as the power start button without the clutch pressed. This puts it into test mode then you can scroll up and down through the menu. I think its the left button on newer models. You can also pick up a code reader from £10 on ebay. It could just be a sensor thats faulty. Are you running a standard air filter or the likes of a K&N? The performance filters are coated in a light oil which can be sucked through the inlet coating any sensors along the way causing running issues. Thanks - it's a key start, but I might look up how to get the codes on it. I believe it's a standard air filer - it was services before I took it. I know the guy how serviced it and I can't imagine him putting anything but a standard filer into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WES180 Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 If you press and hold the OK button on the steering wheel then turn the key to ignition 2 then it should go into test mode. A hand held code reader will be a good investment for you and can be used on many different cars via the OBD2 port. Modern cars are so complex you cant really do many repairs without one or you risk playing the guessing game. If you dont have one a neighbour or a friend probably will have. Thats what i would be doing first anyway. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201694811268 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 19 hours ago, WES180 said: 19 hours ago, WES180 said: If you press and hold the OK button on the steering wheel then turn the key to ignition 2 then it should go into test mode. A hand held code reader will be a good investment for you and can be used on many different cars via the OBD2 port. Modern cars are so complex you cant really do many repairs without one or you risk playing the guessing game. If you dont have one a neighbour or a friend probably will have. Thats what i would be doing first anyway. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201694811268 I managed to go into the test mode, but no errors were shown. I've ordered the code reader you suggested, thanks. It's a really random problem though and driving me spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted November 26, 2016 Author Share Posted November 26, 2016 OK I've run the scanner and there are no DTCs there. Can I leave the scanner plugged in while I drive? I'll be doing a heavy traffic run next week (Blackwall tunnel in rush hour) and I know its going to be a nightmare so it would be good to capture any codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan_Tango Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 31 minutes ago, fitzy73 said: OK I've run the scanner and there are no DTCs there. Can I leave the scanner plugged in while I drive? I'll be doing a heavy traffic run next week (Blackwall tunnel in rush hour) and I know its going to be a nightmare so it would be good to capture any codes. Yes you can that's what I've done in the past just make sure the wire doesn't get in your way too much, also petrol or diesel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted November 26, 2016 Author Share Posted November 26, 2016 Petrol. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Just a quick update on this. It's still cutting out. I was getting concerned it was my driving (!) but 'er indoors has driven it a few times and it does exactly the same thing. So far I've run the code reader in numerous occasions, through light and heavy traffic, and no codes have shown up. I used some injector cleaner, with no results. Today I took it to my local mechanic, who ran it though his diagnostic kit and nothing showed up. He thought there may be an air leak, but upon looking the air pipes were fine. He was completely at a loss as to what was causing the car to cut out. His only suggestion was to bring it to a Ford garage for further investigation or to get the engine remapped. Before I am rodgered senseless by Ford, does anyone have any other suggestions and does anyone think a remap might work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incontro Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Have absolutely no idea why your mechanic thinks a remap will magically fix this problem. Plus, it's absolutely not worth the risk & cost in getting a small NA petrol engine remapped, for 2-5 BHP gain. It could be fuel related, or maybe even ignition/immobilizer related? Who knows. Someone else on here might have a clue, otherwise Ford might be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexp999 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I think the local mechanic means having Ford stick the latest ECU map on there. Not remap it in the traditional sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thanks .. So a rodgering it is then. Damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick85 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Wat year is it has it an idle speed control valve on manifold Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 2011 (mk3) - 1.6 ecoboost. No idea on the idle speed control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzy73 Posted February 27, 2017 Author Share Posted February 27, 2017 As a lot of threads never get finished when the problem is fixed, I thought I would provide an update. I took the car to my local Ford garage, and as expected nothing showed up on the diagnostics. The offered to hold onto the car for the weekend, and one of the mechanics drove it home for the weekend. He confirmed on Monday that I wasn't mad - the engine did indeed cut out on idle. The only think he could find was that the engine management system had a few updates, so they applied those. It's like driving a different car now. It's only now I realise how high the car was idling when in traffic. It's quite as a mouse now, and I've had zero cut outs since the update. The power seems a little down when in high gears, but I can take that trade off versus restarting 20 times going though the Blackwall tunnel. So for anyone with an early Mk3 that has idling problems it may well be worth getting an engine management update. Finally, thanks to all those who responded and helped 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dans34 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 happy to hear that it all worked out in the end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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