Focus - Loss of acceleration

Optimus Prime

Hi all, was wondering if you had any ideas on this.

Got a 2015 focus just before christmas and have a small issue with it.

5 times now (ive counted) while driving, for a split second its like the acceleration goes when i have my foot on the peddle. im usually driving down the M7 when it happens so going about 100 or so.

Its hard to explain, its not like when you lift the foot off the accelerator, its more like a sudden loss of acceleration, feels like the car jerks a bit if you get me. Not sure what it is. I get no warning lights or anything about it.

Ive also noticed when im starting off in 1st gear there is a whining noise sometimes when driving off, a separate issue i guess.

any ideas what could be causing that? should i go back to the garage i got it from? its under warranty.

Thanks a lot

If its diesel, then the loss of acceleration is eerily similar to my own focus, before one of the fuel injectors failed on me.

Optimus Prime

Hi, yes it is Diesel, first time it happened i thought i tapped the break or something but its happened five times now since November.

NickNickleby

Is it more like a 'blip' as you're driving, like someone had hit the brake pedal and let it go in a fraction of a second?

If so, and if petrol, then it sounds like an ongoing problem on our 2006 focus 1.6.

Its the ignition. (in our case). First time I fixed it be replacing the coil pack. Soon after it went again, and that's when I discovered its not the coil pack itself, its the little 3 pin plug that connects into it.

If you can get someone to plug in a diagnostic device - you're looking for a 'low voltage error' in the readout. Cant remember the exact wording.

Anyway, unplug the plug, clean the contacts IN THE COILPACK, then reconnect. Good to go, till the next time.

****sorry, see now that its a diesel**********

HTH

awec

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smeal

I had a petrol car (an 04 Astra) that misfired continuously on and off for over a year. Does it feel like for a teeny, tiny, split second that the engine has cut out while driving? I had it at 3 different mechanics including an Opel dealer and the problem was explained to about a dozen other theorists! It had everything put in- EGRs, spark plugs, coil packs, new wires, had the petrol cleaned out, ignition parts and even a completely new brain which cured the problem for about 3 months but then it came back again. It mostly used to happen on the return length of a journey i.e. I'd drive into town, park up for half an hour, drive back and it would misfire.

Nobody ever got to the bottom of it. I always believed it was an electrical fault but the mechanics said it wasn't. The diagnostic tests used to pull up the exact same code every time (I can't remember the code now but it was something related to camshaft sensors which were replaced together with all wires and other parts leading to it) and it just put me off driving the car completely so I had to get rid of it.

awec

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smeal

awec wrote: »

This is close to my experience.

I would drive mine during the week and it would be fine. I'd drive it down to Limerick on a Friday and it would be fine.

Sunday evening, Limerick to Dublin and it would start playing up about half way home.

Yeah very, very strange. Mine also ended up virtually undriveable. It could misfire maybe 15-20 times on the drive home from work (about 8km). Its quite an unnerving feeling when it happens too.

Optimus Prime

Thanks guys , at the minute it’s only happening once every few weeks. It does feel like power is cut for a split second but the radio/lights etc never go off just the acceleration.

I thought I was imagining it at first and because it happens so far apart. But it happened again on Saturday. It must be related to long drives , I work In Dublin and live in Athy. It’s never happened on short journeys only on th drive from Dublin to Athy. But not every time either !

If it is your injectors, it could be only, a matter of time before they give up. It might be worth your while to get them checked during your next service.
I'd recommend being very vigilant on where you are getting your diesel. Stick with Topaz and the same station if possible. (Picked Topaz because I haven't had trouble since I stayed with them.)

awec

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awec

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Optimus Prime

Ok cool. Now I’m not sure where I stand with this. I bought the car from a ford garage in November. I haven’t mentioned this issue to them yet since the first two times I figured it was coincidence, then it was Christmas. It’s a five year warranty from 2015 so do I go back to the garage and explain this to them ? I assume they are obliged to fix it?

awec

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mullingar

I'd check the fuel pressure sensor.

If this stops seeing a high pressure, the ecu will stop pulsing the injectors and cause a total loss in power. It's the momentum of the car that keeps the engine spinning until the ecu sees the fuel pressure is back.

If you have the engine running, pull lightly on the connector to this sensor to see if it's a wiring issue. It's located at the back of the engine under the fuel filter. Might be no harm to replace this sensor to rule it out

Optimus Prime

Hi, just an update on this seeking some advice.

So my car displayed an amber "check engine\service" or something going to work about a week after the original post. the car was bouncing a bit in low gears. no noises etc.

Had to get it towed to the garage. they change a fuel filter and that fixed this issue and said i was sorted. (they didnt look at the grinding sound in first or reverse at the time, which happens on inclines especially)

Anyways, the random split second loss of power on acceleration happened again, so i brought it back to get looked at again along with the grinding noise.

Im told i need a new clutch to fixed the grinding and that this will also fix the loss of acceleration.

Im thinking I seem to be having a lot of issues with a car under warranty with 48k on the clock. I only bought the car 4 months ago and these issues are there since day 1.

Ill have had it in the garage 3 times.

im wondering where do i stand regarding all this if its not fixed this, am i entitled to get a different car of same value or my money back if the car is still in warranty? or do i not not have a leg to stand on with that and just have to let them keep fixing it?

Im worried that ill be in and out constantly getting the issue looked at and i feel i shouldnt have to be with a car i just spent a good bit of money on from a garage. id expect this a few years down the road, not in the first months after i buy a car.

Id prefer to let the lads fix it, but i just want to know where i stand because i cant help but feel here ive been sold a car with a load of issues.

Thanks!

Vamp369

I have a 2010 Focus 1.6 TDCI. Had similar loss of acceleration incidents. After a few visits to the garage the end result was the EGR was causing problems. I had the EGR cleaned but eventually the problems would return. Basically the valve in the EGR would occasionally stick open or closed. I got the EGR replaced and all was well.

It's an engine that needs to be driven on motorways. Town driving doesn't do it any good. Deposits build up on the EGR causing problems.

Shedy

Try taking off the Accelerator pedal and spray it with WD40. Had the same problem and that corrected it until I replaced the Pedal. Not a Focus tho..

dense

Don't the accelerator pedals themselves cause problems on some Fords? Specifically I'm aware of a few on Transits that caused problems.

The electronics in the pedal itself.

Optimus Prime

Thanks for the suggestions guys, ill say it to the garage if its not sorted. does anyone know, if this goes on for weeks and they cant sort it, should i ask for my money back ?? or will i just be told to take a walk!

dense

Optimus Prime wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions guys, ill say it to the garage if its not sorted. does anyone know, if this goes on for weeks and they cant sort it, should i ask for my money back ?? or will i just be told to take a walk!

You could ask I suppose. Keep dated notes of problems regardless.

How much did you pay for it and was a warranty discussed?

Others can advise you better on that than me, the goods should be fit for purpose but theres normal wear and tear to consider also.

dense

Shedy wrote: »

Try taking off the Accelerator pedal and spray it with WD40. Had the same problem and that corrected it until I replaced the Pedal. Not a Focus tho..

AFAIK There's a potentiometer in them and they get manky from dirt etc.

Any decent garage should have tried that already though.

Optimus Prime

dense wrote: »

You could ask I suppose. Keep dated notes of problems regardless.

How much did you pay for it and was a warranty discussed?

Others can advise you better on that than me, the goods should be fit for purpose but theres normal wear and tear to consider also.

15k and traded in my old car. I bought it from a ford garage and its in warranty until 2020, i only bought it a couple of months ago.

dense

Optimus Prime wrote: »

15k and traded in my old car. I bought it from a ford garage and its in warranty until 2020, i only bought it a couple of months ago.

I'd be expecting pretty prompt service at that.

It used to be the case in some Ford dealerships that the technology regarding computer fuel pump learns, pressure diagnoses etc. was way ahead of the lads expected to fix the stuff when it went wrong.

I know from experience. Stuff could come out worse than it went in to be fixed.
Hopefully it has improved or the fix is easy.

whizbang

Would a simple Obd logging show up the issue? Particularly when driving on motorway, there should be some obvious changes happening.

Plug an Elm reader, with Android phone logging as much relevant data as possible. Drive as normal, but as soon as a hiccup happens, stop the car and save the logs.
You can even dump the results into Excel, and plot charts from there, which makes it very easy to see what happened.
Just be aware the timeline is not always correct. For instance you might see fuel trim jump just before airflow, but it may in reality be the other way around.