What's causing my 2005 Ford Mondeo diesel to lose power?

I own a Ford Mondeo Zetec 2005 TDCI (130). I have had the car for a year with no problems at all, until now. The car starts fine and runs ok in first, second and third, but when you go to fourth or fifth and press the accelerator, the car starts to jerk and seems to be holding back. The wife tends to run the car until there is not much diesel in the tank. Could some particles at the bottom of the fuel tank be dragged through the fuel system and block the fuel filter and injectors?

Asked on 21 July 2010 by Simon Welsh

Answered by Alan Ross
There are many faults that could cause the engine to run rough at low RPM. For me to list them and you to check them all would be impractical. However, there are a number of areas that you should check.

Check that your fuel filters are not blocked or dirty. Make sure the air flow meter is ok and that your Air filter is serviceable. Check to see what colour smoke (if any) is coming from the engine: black smoke means faulty injectors, dirty air cleaner or a faulty turbo. White smoke means the engine/pump timing is out, or there's water/petrol in the fuel. Blue smoke indicates worn cylinders, faulty injector pump/lift pump, or that the engine is over full with oil.
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