Ford Focus

That's interesting Armandii, I'll let my daughter know but I think the fuel pump has already been checked out along with several other parts.

 

I see a common problem here, the word FORD

 

They may have but don't count on it. Ten years ago I would probably have said that they don't know what they're doing, now they probably have my sympathy.
I have a similar issue with the remote locking on a Merc at the moment. I let Mercs check it and they narrowed it down to three of the four things that I had narrowed it down. I've now replaced all the suspect parts, spent over a grand and twenty hours on it and no progress.

Probably a different engine and fuel system on that though.

Bad diagnosis! The common problem is modern car.
I must admit that I would not own a Ford now owing to their parts prices matching those of Japanese cars. I have no idea how they make them up.

 

Now I have had quite a few Fords since my first car in 1968 Anglia 105E....Capri....Sierra... and now Focus C max . All very reliable cars and all petrol . Never had a diesel yet.

Anglia 105E , same colours as mine was!

 

Now is not the time to start. Modern petrols are significantly more reliable and generally cheaper to service than modern diesels.

 

I've been hearing lots from differant people that they have now sold there newish cars/pickups/4x4's/tractors/lorrys etc and gone back to old vehicles because of all the computer stuff going wrong

 

I had one of those STs a while back. My one was fine and never gave a problem. For clarity did you get the 5 cylinder 2.5 or the 4 cylinder 2.0 ?

What you are describing is typical of when an oxygen (Sometimes called an 02 Sensor) is failing.
You have two oxygen sensors on your car. One in front or before the cat (Catalytic converter) and one after. The one in front is the Pre cat and the one behind is the post cat.
What they read is the fuel mixture before the gasses go into the cat and after they pass through. This is too ensure that the cat is doing its job of cleaning the gasses that pass trough it.
If there is a disparity between what the post cat sensor expects or requires it to be then you may get the EML light (Engine management light) show on the instrument cluster .

If this happens and its ignored the engine can go into "Limp mode" This is the engines ECU cutting the power so damage is not done.

To establish what is going on and which sensor is playing up you car needs to be connected to a decent code reader. This will show up a fault code and tell us exactly what is going on.

Some of the more comprehensive readers will test the sensors in turn and display exactly what efficiency they are running at. This is part of the live Data my mate Longk mentions above. There is more to live data but it can get complicated.

A really decent reader/scanner like my Autel MD802 All systems can view and record live data and store it on-board the tool and can print it off so it can be shown to the garage.

I feel it essential you get this done and by someone who knows the score. Sadly many so called technicians miss so much their readers/scanners are telling them !

Once this is established you replace the faulty sensor. But it is often the case that both sensors will be required. It just happens like that.

On an engine with such low miles a sensor failure is unusual UNLESS your journeys are very short.

What can happen is the engine hardly ever reaches full working temperature and this can mean a rich mixture confusing the pre and post cat sensors. These sensors have a set of parameters that they should reach and work within . If journeys are short this often cannot happen so up pops a fault code.

If I lived closer to you I could run the tests free of charge as I have a professional quality code reader/scanner but we are miles apart.

Unfortunately these Catalytic converters , Oxygen sensors . DPFs and all the other gubbins that goes along with them are requirements now and here to stay. Manufacturers dont want to fit these blooming things they have to ! It will only get worse. Mmm
My old ST.

 

Or, sadly, just about any other sensor. MAF and Map sensors are the most common sensor failure and generally do similar things. Coolant sensors can really mess the running bad. Throttle position and EGR position sensors are without pattern in their effect.
I think my point is that I never assume anything now.

At least a fault code allows us to narrow down the data streams that we want to look at. If only they were used more (as you say) to point the techie in the right direction rather than as the definitive answer.

 

I bought my first Ford in 1976 and apart from one Vauxhall, which I owned for a year, I've had 9 Fords since, this is,( as I told Ford customer services), the most unreliable I have ever owned.

I've got the 2.0L Turbo version @Charlie996, I think the EU banned the 2.5 Volvo engine version, due to emissions.
I had a Mondeo st 220 before, but got fed up paying £500 a year road tax, due to emissions.
It was probably one of the best cars I have owned, never let me down in 6 yrs.

Anyway, I started the toy motor up this morning and it rang bells, got an engine malfunction message, ignored it, as you do.
Then found out it was running lumpy.
So shut it down and restarted, then it was OK

So, is there something wrong with this piece of junk, or not?

 

Yup!
Not sure about the Ford dealer kit but on my Mercedes Star equipment it gives me a fault log containing some useful data about how many times, when, if it is current etc.

 

Ok, so what you are suggesting/saying is that the Ford dealers might not have the right equipment to find the fault?

 

No, just that I have no idea what features the Ford equipment has to aid diagnosis.

 

Well they can take the engine out of mine any day.

Just as long as they put back one that works.