Focus 1.6 TDCI won't start!!!

Dia1988

Hi all,

I had to change the copper seal in injector 4.
In replacing the seal I was extra careful in handling the injector and making sure not to touch the top of the needle part.

Put new seal in and put in injector.
Went to Start the car, it was cranking for a while then I checked under bonnet.
Noticed that diesel had seeped out of the fuel line connecting to the injector and tightened the screw.

Went to start the car again, the engine started for a while then cut out.
Checked under bonnet again and made sure no leaking fuel or loose connections.

Now the engine just cranks but it won't start!

While replacing seal on injector I also put an EGR blanking plate on to blank out the EGR as the car was smokey and a fault code was popping up on the dash that was EGR related. This shouldn't have anything to do with starting problems.

No fault codes on dash.

Any opinions or advice of how to start or diagnose this?

beanie10

if the diesel was depressurised in any way you will have to tow start it. theae cars are abosolute pigs to start after diesel falls back to tank. could take a few hundred metres to start it.

Dia1988

beanie10 wrote: »

if the diesel was depressurised in any way you will have to tow start it. theae cars are abosolute pigs to start after diesel falls back to tank. could take a few hundred metres to start it.

Thanks for reply!

There is diesel going through the pipe going to the injector however if it's nor the right pressure I don't know. Also, the drain off diesel pupe at the top of the injector had diesel through, as I pulled off this and checked to see thete was diesel. But now, as the engine is only cranking there is no diesel in the drain off pipe.

Just wondering, hopefully not the case here, if one of the 4 fuel injectors were faulty/no working would the engine still be able to start?
Also, any easy way to test if the injector needle is spraying diesel correctly rather than pouring diesel or none at all?

I'm going to try and tow-start it tomorrow, as it did seem to want to start in the garage when I had it in gear and tried to start.

Thanks again for the advice!

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

One injector wouldnt knock it off.. it would just misfire in that case


I say its airlocked alright. When was the diesel filter last changed ?

Either way get yourself a can of easy start and give it a go !

GTDolanator

is there not some sort of a primer pump or bleed screw for this situation?

dr.fuzzenstein

I have the 1.8 so I don't know how similar they are, but if I change the fuel filter in mine, I have to disconnect the fuel return line from the pump and suck diesel through that way. Otherwise there is no way it will start.

Row

Once an injector is opened then most of the diesel will leak back to tank and as beanie10 said you will need to bleed the system either with an online pump or pull start.
These dont have an on line primer which do make them difficult to start once the get airlocked.

dr.fuzzenstein

Row wrote: »

Once an injector is opened then most of the diesel will leak back to tank and as beanie10 said you will need to bleed the system either with an online pump or pull start.
These dont have an on line primer which do make them difficult to start once the get airlocked.

No I said it needs to be primed with a pump,Beanie said to tow-start it over several miles.

dr.fuzzenstein

That is unless it has a pump in the tank.

edit:
I think that's only earlier Focuseseses

Mycroft H

There's a primer bulb on the top of the block. Its black about the size of a box of fags and you squeeze it a few times. You'll hear the diesel sloshing about the primer bulb after you squeeze it a few times.

Should be on the focus, its on the Pug and Citroen versions of that engine

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Mycroft H wrote: »

There's a primer bulb on the top of the block. Its black about the size of a box of fags and you squeeze it a few times. You'll hear the diesel sloshing about the primer bulb after you squeeze it a few times.

Should be on the focus, its on the Pug and Citroen versions of that engine

Not in these fords..... hence i said easy start can

Mycroft H

That's daft. No way at all to bleed them?

Dia1988

Hi All

Thanks for the very helpful replies!

No, theres no primer pump that I can see.
How likely will the can of easy start work to start it?

I've never had to use this before, so where do I spray it?

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Dia1988 wrote: »

Hi All

Thanks for the very helpful replies!

No, theres no primer pump that I can see.
How likely will the can of easy start work to start it?

I've never had to use this before, so where do I spray it?

Easy start will definitly work and straight into the air intake after the air filter while someone is cranking it

Row

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

No I said it needs to be primed with a pump,Beanie said to tow-start it over several miles.

The op has the 1.6 tdci not the 1.8 tdci engine.


I wouldnt be a fan of easy start as it could do more harm than good.

Row

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

No I said it needs to be primed with a pump,Beanie said to tow-start it over several miles.

The op has the 1.6 tdci not the 1.8 tdci engine.


I wouldnt be a fan of easy start as it could do more harm than good.

dr.fuzzenstein

Row wrote: »

The op has the 1.6 tdci not the 1.8 tdci engine.


I wouldnt be a fan of easy start as it could do more harm than good.

It sounds like the same kind of issue, I.e. air in the system and needs to be primed.
On mine there is a bleed nozzle on the fuel filter and a fuel return line from the high pressure pump.
This being a Ford, I am willing to bet a sensible amount it is a similar setup.
We already know it doesn't have a primer bulb and I totally agree, easy start is a daft idea.

Mad4simmental

Dia1988 wrote: »

Hi All

Thanks for the very helpful replies!

No, theres no primer pump that I can see.
How likely will the can of easy start work to start it?

I've never had to use this before, so where do I spray it?

Do not use easy start. As said above this will probably do more harm than good. It will start and run for a few seconds on the easy start, this will not fix your problem.

This is a 1.6hdi Peugeot engine. Turn on the ignition and turn it off agen about 10/15 times. Leave ignition on untill you hear the pump cut out and go agen.

If this failed to work you may have another problim.

Dia1988

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice.

Happy to report back that I let it free wheel down a hill yesterday while cranking/starting the engine while in 1st/2nd gear and it started immediately.

The Engine malfunction light (red light) went on in the dash so I switched of the engine immediately, plugged in my code reader and no code showed uo. I then started the engine up again and it started first thing, I took it for a 3 mile drive and no engine light cameon or no issue. The needle stays constant at idle and accelerates with no smoke. Hopefully it'll say this way! ����

I did NOT use the can of easy start spray, although if free wheeling or towing did not work, I would have, but that would have been the last resort!


So, thanks again for the advice, just lucky that I live on top of a steep hill ��

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Dia1988 wrote: »

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice.

Happy to report back that I let it free wheel down a hill yesterday while cranking/starting the engine while in 1st/2nd gear and it started immediately.

The Engine malfunction light (red light) went on in the dash so I switched of the engine immediately, plugged in my code reader and no code showed uo. I then started the engine up again and it started first thing, I took it for a 3 mile drive and no engine light cameon or no issue. The needle stays constant at idle and accelerates with no smoke. Hopefully it'll say this way! ����

I did NOT use the can of easy start spray, although if free wheeling or towing did not work, I would have, but that would have been the last resort!


So, thanks again for the advice, just lucky that I live on top of a steep hill ��

glad it worked, when did you last change the diesel filter ?

btw, for all the easy start haters, no primer and no hill. what do you do then ? the only alternative i see is getting it towed to a garage and them sucking the fuel lines with air tools and then plenty of cranking.

or, use the easy start and be done with it.

martinr5232

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

glad it worked, when did you last change the diesel filter ?

btw, for all the easy start haters, no primer and no hill. what do you do then ? the only alternative i see is getting it towed to a garage and them sucking the fuel lines with air tools and then plenty of cranking.

or, use the easy start and be done with it.

Or if you are doing your own servicing buy a fuel primer.

Mad4simmental

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

glad it worked, when did you last change the diesel filter ?

btw, for all the easy start haters, no primer and no hill. what do you do then ? the only alternative i see is getting it towed to a garage and them sucking the fuel lines with air tools and then plenty of cranking.

or, use the easy start and be done with it.

There is always a primer of sum sort. Most Peugeot & Vw have electric pumps in whitch you turn on & off the ignition a good few times & crank. If this failed you repeat. You may need the jump leads with sum.

Easy start is for old tractors on a cold morning, don't use it on a good car.

martinr5232

Mad4simmental wrote: »

There is always a primer of sum sort. Most Peugeot & Vw have electric pumps in whitch you turn on & off the ignition a good few times & crank. If this failed you repeat. You may need the jump leads with sum.

Easy start is for old tractors on a cold morning, don't use it on a good car.

No fuel primer on any ford apart from the new transit.

Mad4simmental

martinr5232 wrote: »

No fuel primer on any ford apart from the new transit.

€5 will get you a hand pump to suck it from the fuel return

dr.fuzzenstein

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

glad it worked, when did you last change the diesel filter ?

btw, for all the easy start haters, no primer and no hill. what do you do then ? the only alternative i see is getting it towed to a garage and them sucking the fuel lines with air tools and then plenty of cranking.

or, use the easy start and be done with it.

I use an oil vacuum pump, the one you use for sucking oil out if the engine for an oil change, attach to bleed nipple at fuel filter, pump till its sucking through diesel, then attach to fuel return line going out of pump and the same.
After that noodling it for a bit and, hey presto, it starts.
Everything else is complete tomfoolery and just plain wrong.
These pumps have a thousand uses, from bleeding fuel systems, brakes, change the oil, the one thing I never use it for, draining sills, they are great at sucking.;)