2000 petrol Focus failed emissions

km79

hi all
wife's car went for NCT today. had hoped to keep it till august due to the loans etc etc but it failed the nct today
few bits and pieces but main one is emissions
these are the results

oil temp 83
low idle
CO 1.2% (above .5 fail)
HC 1288ppm n\a

high idle
lambda .99 pass
CO .84% (above .3% fail)
HC 269 ppm ( above 200 ppm fail )

will be calling to our mechanic next Tuesday but any info on parts needed\ estimates etc appreciated as time is of the essence due to insurance beinh up soon too so it's decision time !

just as a footnote the car was really chugging badly in December so we had a part replaced ( can't remember what it was offhand maybe a coil ) which helped it
and lately it has been burning oil worse than usual and petrol

jimgoose

Hmm. That could be anything from another coil-related misfire to a bad MAF sensor. The increase in oil consumption, if significant, would worry me. I assume your mechanic will be performing a compression test. You could be looking at anything from a ten-dollar sensor, to a new cat, to some head-work with only the above information to go on.

km79

jimgoose wrote: »

Hmm. That could be anything from another coil-related misfire to a bad MAF sensor. The increase in oil consumption, if significant, would worry me. I assume your mechanic will be performing a compression test. You could be looking at anything from a ten-dollar sensor, to a new cat, to some head-work with only the above information to go on.

it has always burnt a lot of oil to be honest but the missus said there was a slight change in petrol consumption
thanks for reply

jimgoose

km79 wrote: »

it has always burnt a lot of oil to be honest but the missus said there was a slight change in petrol consumption
thanks for reply

Right, that's better - an old Ford that didn't burn oil would worry me even more. The increased fuel consumption doesn't surprise me, according to those emissions figures it's running a tad too rich. It's probably a sensor, coil-related misfire or, possibly, the cat, although in the last case I would expect the Lambda value at the tailpipe to be higher.

km79

jimgoose wrote: »

Right, that's better - an old Ford that didn't burn oil would worry me even more. The increased fuel consumption doesn't surprise me, according to those emissions figures it's running a tad too rich. It's probably a sensor, coil-related misfire or, possibly, the cat, although in the last case I would expect the Lambda value at the tailpipe to be higher.

It still idles very roughly so I've a feeling the misfire issue has not been fully rectified
Hopefully that's it '

km79

jimgoose wrote: »

Right, that's better - an old Ford that didn't burn oil would worry me even more. The increased fuel consumption doesn't surprise me, according to those emissions figures it's running a tad too rich. It's probably a sensor, coil-related misfire or, possibly, the cat, although in the last case I would expect the Lambda value at the tailpipe to be higher.

Is there a test that can pinpoint the exact cause or will it be a case of trying one and then retest and hope for the best?
As I said we are changing car Anyway but ideally not for 4 months

km79

Actually got talking to the mechanic after that
He advised us to change the car now rather than putting the money it would take into it
So I've one last question
What do I do with the old car ? Would I look for a scrapyard to buy it ? Timing belt and water pump only went in 10 months ago !

jimgoose

km79 wrote: »

Is there a test that can pinpoint the exact cause or will it be a case of trying one and then retest and hope for the best?
As I said we are changing car Anyway but ideally not for 4 months

Diagnostic scan, and old-fashioned component-level debug. I would disagree with your man, but I'm not a mechanic.

km79

jimgoose wrote: »

Diagnostic scan, and old-fashioned component-level debug. I would disagree with your man, but I'm not a mechanic.

how much does a scan cost ?
the problem is along with the emissions it needs a rear shock, steering rod, 2 tyre valves, tracking and the rear door handle needs a spring or new handle !
somif it was just the emissions we could work on that alone and get it through
but to spend all the money on the above and still not be sure whether it needs a new cat is too risky when we are changing in a matter of months anyway
still seems a shame!e to scrap a fine car

jca

It's a 16 year old focus get rid of it. A look on the bangernomics thread here will land you a decent car for less bucks than what it would cost to fix your own.

Gael23

A diagnostic test costs around €50 but its 16 years old so not really worth spending a penny on.

canhefixit

in fariness the repairs needed are not that big and wont cost that much tbh, if you ask around im sure someone could scan it for you for nothing, if you even put up here were you are im sure someone would be happy to help

punisher5112

The 1.4 is prone to blowing seals.

Had something similar and wasn't worth fixing the car was a pile of sh1t as it hadn't been looked after.

Op it needs a going over so get a Indy mechanic to check it over.

CarFan100

I would try to solve the emissions first before spending money on the other repairs

That's if you decide it's worth spending money

cml387

punisher5112 wrote: »

The 1.4 is prone to blowing seals.

About the penguin whose car broke down on a hot day. he took it to a mechanic who said it might be a while.
So the penguin went off and, being away from his Antarctic home, felt hot and bought an ice cream.

He headed back to the garage and the mechanic said "Looks like you've blown a seal"

"No no" said the penguin "It's just ice cream".




Sorry, back to the focus.

km79

Thanks for all the help and advice
We are buying a replacement car
Sad to see it go
A great servant !

galwaytt

km79 wrote: »

Is there a test that can pinpoint the exact cause or will it be a case of trying one and then retest and hope for the best?
As I said we are changing car Anyway but ideally not for 4 months

What are you changing to, new ?? If so you'd get 3k-4k for it as a trade rather than fix it....several scrappage schemes on the go atmo.

km79

galwaytt wrote: »

What are you changing to, new ?? If so you'd get 3k-4k for it as a trade rather than fix it....several scrappage schemes on the go atmo.

No can't afford that sadly
2010 golf

punisher5112

km79 wrote: »

No can't afford that sadly
2010 golf

GTi or r??? please be r :P