Ford Focus 08 chugging

murball

Hi Folks.

My 08 Ford focus (1.6d) is chugging pretty constantly for almost a year now.
Initially I brought it to a garage. They said I had bought contaminated diesel. They changed the fuel filter and fuel lines and the car ran fine for a month or so. Then the chugging started again. I got the fuel filter replaced again, and a mechanic put in a second hand ERG valve for me. This only gave some brief respite and the chugging started again. The car actually cut out 2 days ago so I brought it to a Ford garage.
They are changing the Fuel Filter AGAIN (the last one was generic, not Ford) and said if it persists they might change the ERG valve (as the last one was second hand).
Has anyone come across this problem before? I find it hard to believe that it can be a fuel filter problem as I have had 3 within 12 months..
Any insight greatly appreciated as the bills are racking up!

dieselbug

Due to the fact of getting some respite on both occasions when the fuel filter was changed it does sound like a fuel starvation, pressure problem, maybe air being drawn in to the fuel.

Without some meaningful testing it's hard to say. I'm sure the garages have checked for fault codes which would be a good starting point, possibly some related to fuel pressure may be stored. Did they give you any info on this?

There are plenty of good independent garages around to sort this out without the need to bring it to the main dealer.
If you give your location someone will give you a recommendation.

murball

dieselbug wrote: »

Due to the fact of getting some respite on both occasions when the fuel filter was changed it does sound like a fuel starvation, pressure problem, maybe air being drawn in to the fuel.

Without some meaningful testing it's hard to say. I'm sure the garages have checked for fault codes which would be a good starting point, possibly some related to fuel pressure may be stored. Did they give you any info on this?

There are plenty of good independent garages around to sort this out without the need to bring it to the main dealer.
If you give your location someone will give you a recommendation.

Thanks for the advice dieselbug. Unfortunately out of necessity I had my car towed to the nearest Ford garage. They have changed the fuel filter and surprise surprise, the issue isn't resolved. They are now going to look at the fuel injectors I believe. Thanks again for your advice, I will post when they get back to me this evening and share what they found.

Plug

I have seen injectors leaking on these, get them tested.

murball

So I got the car back yesterday. They said that there was a pressure issue showing up on the diagnostics. They said they carried out a PCM update, and that this resolved the issue. They brought it for a long test drive and it was fine. I drove for about an hour last night and had no issues... Fingers crossed this is it resolved for good. Thanks again for the advice, is this something you have come across before?

murball

dieselbug wrote: »

Due to the fact of getting some respite on both occasions when the fuel filter was changed it does sound like a fuel starvation, pressure problem, maybe air being drawn in to the fuel.

Without some meaningful testing it's hard to say. I'm sure the garages have checked for fault codes which would be a good starting point, possibly some related to fuel pressure may be stored. Did they give you any info on this?

There are plenty of good independent garages around to sort this out without the need to bring it to the main dealer.
If you give your location someone will give you a recommendation.

So after a week of solid driving the problem started again. Not as intense as before but definitely still there and pretty bad. The garage were really unhelpful, not offering any discount, after I insisted it was not the fuel filter and they changed it anyway. I brought it to my local garage.. They are looking at it now, but so far stumped.. Any other ideas?! What surprises me is that the problem didn't show up on the Ford garage's diagnostics.. I have done some reading, and seen people mention coils, and injectors.. Any thoughts on this? Its doing my head it at this stage.. Any advice is again greatly appreciated

dieselbug

"What surprises me is that the problem didn't show up on the Ford garage's diagnostics"

But it did, as you wrote on your earlier post.

"They said that there was a pressure issue showing up on the diagnostics"

A diagnostic scanner (even the main dealer one) will not magically tell you what is causing the problem but will point you in the right direction (usually)

If there's a pressure issue there are many possibilities that can all be eliminated with some testing, the necessary tools and the knowledge of how the system works. First thing to establish is fuel supply, is the high pressure system being supplied adequately? If it's not, it can't maintain the very high pressure required on modern diesel systems.

It may be a job for a good diesel specialist. I suggested earlier to give a rough location and someone may be able to make a recommendation.

murball

dieselbug wrote: »

"What surprises me is that the problem didn't show up on the Ford garage's diagnostics"

But it did, as you wrote on your earlier post.

"They said that there was a pressure issue showing up on the diagnostics"

A diagnostic scanner (even the main dealer one) will not magically tell you what is causing the problem but will point you in the right direction (usually)

If there's a pressure issue there are many possibilities that can all be eliminated with some testing, the necessary tools and the knowledge of how the system works. First thing to establish is fuel supply, is the high pressure system being supplied adequately? If it's not, it can't maintain the very high pressure required on modern diesel systems.

It may be a job for a good diesel specialist. I suggested earlier to give a rough location and someone may be able to make a recommendation.

My embarrassing lack of mechanical knowledge is showing itself. The car is in Ennis at the moment, do you know anywhere around there?
The garage it is at at the moment have taken no steps as it is, but the mechanic drove it, and thought it might be an electrical issue, as there is no pattern as to when the chugging starts/stops.. This contradicts the last diagnosis though...

Bpmull

Do you normally keep your car full of diesel. I know it might sound stupid but these engine in the focus have no fuel lift pump. I had one that would just cut out when the fuel got low. But I know a few owners where there ones would just run rough and chug splutter when the fuel got low. When I say low I mean quarter of a tank not the light on stage. Obviously if it happens when your car is full of diesel then it has nothing to do with it but I think it's worth mentioning.

murball

Bpmull wrote: »

Do you normally keep your car full of diesel. I know it might sound stupid but these engine in the focus have no fuel lift pump. I had one that would just cut out when the fuel got low. But I know a few owners where there ones would just run rough and chug splutter when the fuel got low. When I say low I mean quarter of a tank not the light on stage. Obviously if it happens when your car is full of diesel then it has nothing to do with it but I think it's worth mentioning.

Hmm..that's interesting. I cant think whether or not it does it when the tank is semi-full.. I never let the diesel go too low, but then again, I only top it up with €10-€20 at a time so its never that full either. I have a feeling it still happens when the car is full, but I will check that out

Bpmull

murball wrote: »

Hmm..that's interesting. I cant think whether or not it does it when the tank is semi-full.. I never let the diesel go too low, but then again, I only top it up with €10-€20 at a time so its never that full either. I have a feeling it still happens when the car is full, but I will check that out

Well it's worth brimming it with diesel and see if it still does it. If it doesn't do it just fill the car when it gets to 1/2 a tank. Chances are it's not this that's causing it but it's certainly worth seeing it for the sake of filling the tank. The lack of a lift pump really tend to mess them up when they get low on diesel. You shouldn't really let it under 1/4 of tank. There was actually a thread on here a few months ago about someone with the same year car engine as your and it would chug when it got to around 250km range until it got topped up with diesel. It's a bit of a long shot but worth a try considering the particular car you have.

murball

With the hassle I have gone through anything is worth a shot. Thanks!

almostover

murball wrote: »

My embarrassing lack of mechanical knowledge is showing itself. The car is in Ennis at the moment, do you know anywhere around there?
The garage it is at at the moment have taken no steps as it is, but the mechanic drove it, and thought it might be an electrical issue, as there is no pattern as to when the chugging starts/stops.. This contradicts the last diagnosis though...

There is a crowd in Cashel in Tipp who specialise in diesel injection. Father travelled up to them before when the injector pump in his hilux packed up. They are experts on this kind of stuff. Diesel Injection Services is the company name.