Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Jackie36

just did the MOT Test yesterday and got the Emissions test failure for my Car

The below readings of the emission test:

First Idle Test:

Engine Speed: 2800 rpm

CO: 1.87 FAIL

HC: 589 FAIL

Lambda: 0.954 PASS

Second Fast Idle Test:

Engine Speed: 2850 rpm

CO: 7.24 FAIL

HC: 879 FAIL

Lambda: 0.781

Natural Idle Test:

CO: 0.13 PASS

The Gararge informed that the engine need to be diagnosed with an Engine specialist or with the dealer. I am not sure if its worth spending on the engine if the costs could be high.

Please can anyone advise the possible causes of the emission failure and the cost effective way to resolve it.

Thanks

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Chris M

I'm no expert on what those readings may be telling, but as a starting point, has the car been serviced recently? Does it need a new air filter, new plugs (assuming it's petrol)? Is the car used for short journeys only? An italian tune-up i.e. taking it for a decent 30+ mile run where you get the revs up can help to clear it out.

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Jackie36

Yes, the car was serviced recently at Halfords. Yes, the car is generally used for short journeys. I dont think the airfilter and plugs were replaced.

I gave it a ride for 10 miles before MOT, but it has not cleared the MOT !

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - elekie&a/c doctor

If it has only failed on emissions,then it is probably worth fixing.Can you afford to buy another car?If not,then a fix will be cheaper.

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Railroad.
Personally I would invest a few quid on a bottle of Cataclean, tip it in the fuel tank and rag it up the road. Then present it for a re-test.
Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - hardway

I'm with Railroad on this one,

First time I used Cataclean I was sceptical.

Snake oil thinks me!

So I had diagnostics pluged in and set to read live data,

And before my eyes the o2 reading voltage and switching speed improved dramatically!!!

And I could detect a change in engine note.

So much that it sailed the gas test next try.

Though I would advise pouring it into the tank when the fuel level is low

And making sure the plugs and filter are serviced.

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - old-school-tech

The Lambda readings on 2nd fast idle would be the main problem, Replace the lambda sensor (before cat) and as long as it hasn't already burnt the cat out youll be fine.

as a guide the lambda readings should be 1.00...this is equal to 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel, in other words perfect burning ratio for unleaded fuel.

If the readings go higher than 1.00 that means the mixure is too lean, a reading under 1.00 means too rich, there is a tolerance since its virtually impossible to maintain a perfect reading, for MOT purposes this tolerance is 0.97 to 1.03, but if it fails this level it will give you a 2nd chance depending on the age of your car with a wider tolerance level.

anything over or below this would suggest a problem, many factors can affect the Lambda readings, temp sensor, MAF sensor, faulty injector etc, but 9 times out of 10 the lambda sensor is the culprit, for those vehicles with 2 sensors..the one before the CAT (sensor 1) is the main sensor that reads the oxygen levels, the sensor after the CAT purely monitors how well the CAT is performing

because your lambda readings are so low (too rich) this in turn is causing your CO to be too high.

The HC will always fail if there is too much fuel, HC is hydro-carbons, which is basically unburnt fuel, this is also an indication that your fuel level is too rich, but high HC levels can also mean poor combustion.

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Railroad.
Whilst given with the very best of intention I'm not so certain that all of the above advice is accurate. Firstly rather than just replace the pre-cat O2 sensor and hope it fixes the problem I would test it to make sure it's reporting correctly. If it is then changing it will make no difference. A scantool is what is needed to measure O2 sensor output voltage and also fuel trim, which is the ECM's mixture correction function. Short Term Fuel Trim is the ECM's immediate response to the information provided by the the pre-cat O2 sensor (B1S1). Long Term Fuel Trim is the ECM's correction response to STFT. Both figures should ideally be hovering around the 0% mark. A positive percentage means that the ECM is adding fuel in response to a lean running condition. A negative percentage means that the ECM is taking fuel away in response to a rich running condition.

O2 sensor voltage should switch between 0.1v (lean) and 0.9v (rich). The ideal point known as the stoichiometric is 4.5v. The ECM needs to run the engine rich and lean so that to produce carbon monoxide and oxygen which enable the catalyst to work. The catalyst would not work if the engine ran at 14.7:1 A/F ratio all the time. A low O2 sensor voltage indicates a lean mixture, since the sensor recognises a small difference between oxygen inside the exhaust from that of outside. A high O2 sensor voltage indicates a rich mixture since the sensor recognises a large difference. This is because rich mixtures consume more oxygen than a lean mixture.

The question now is whether or not your sensor is reporting accurately or not. If it's operating voltage range is between 0.1v and 0.9v, and and is switching well between high and low then your sensor is perfectly good. If it doesn't reach the ideal high or low then your sensor could be faulty, or the engine could be running too rich or too lean depending on the sensor voltage. You can test the sensor by temporarily forcing the engine to run artificially rich or lean and checking to see if the sensor voltage range changes. If it does then the sensor is working properly and your problem is an engine running issue. At the same time you will see a change in STFT and then consequently LTFT as the ECM makes adjustments.
As stated above the HC reading indicates unburned fuel, and is measured in parts per million (PPM). Rich mixtures burn more completely than lean ones, and so a high HC reading may well indicate a lean condition.

On a Focus a common problem is split vacuum pipes beneath the inlet manifold. This would create a vacuum leak and lead to lean running. The ECM would recognise this by a predominantly low B1S1 voltage, and the STFT would show a +%. In response to that the LTFT would show a +%, which would then cause the STFT to return to show a percentage hovering around the 0% mark. The LTFT would be left showing a +%. If yours is then this is where I would concentrate your efforts.
Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - old-school-tech

you are of course quite correct in saying the fault should be properly diagnosed before throwing parts at it, In the absence of diagnostic equipment which is what the OP was suggesting then the Lambda sensor would be the most likely culprit.

:)

Ford Focus - MOT Test Failure- Ford Focus 2002 - Railroad.
On another note though too many lambda sensors are replaced in response to a scantool showing a fault code that relates to it, and more often than not it does not cure the fault since there was nothing wrong with the sensor in the first place. Wear which occurs over time and use conspires against the ECM which is trying to run the engine and maintain emissions. Information reported to the ECM may not be what the ECM wants to hear but is nevertheless accurate, but yet it always seems to be the sensor that takes the blame. Far too many garages and technicians these days have neither the time nor the knowledge to successfully diagnose faults. A suitable scantool is essential on a modern car, and so is a good understanding of how to use it.