Ford Focus TDCi poor starting

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Sun 31 Dec 2006 13:07
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - ffvrs
Hi all,

I've just purchased a 2nd owner Ford Focus TDCi Zetec (115bhp) which I'm very happy with on the whole.

One minor area of concern is with the way it starts from cold and warm.

Cold: Doesn't sound like its got much inertia turning the engine the key but does start first time.

Warm: Same sound as when warm but either turns then stops or turns and when it does start, sounds really rattly for a second then smooth out.

When the car is running it's fine, no power issues or odd sounds and fuel economy is spot on.

I would normally assume the battery was at fault in this situation but I have a friend who owns a Peugeot 1.9TD which sounds just as slow when turning over and he had a new battery.

Maybe there is a common fault on this type of car?

Battery is the original Ford unit that came with the car.

Comments appreciated.
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Sun 31 Dec 2006 14:09
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - quizman
My Focus TDCI is just the same. It feels as if the starter motor is loose and the battery is nearly flat. It has been like this from new, so the best thing is to ignore it.
I must say that Ford batteries are much better than they used to be, mine is 4 years old and still showing green. On my many Cortinas and Sierra they only lasted about 18 months. Does anyone know who makes Ford batteries please?
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Sun 31 Dec 2006 17:46
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - ffvrs
Thanks but it's something I can't really ignore as it can take 3-4 attempts to start when warm.

My previous Vauxhall diesel always kicked over first time with not trouble. There must be a problem with something.
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Mon 1 Jan 2007 08:46
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - jc2
The Ford battery on my Escort TD is still going well after seven years even tho' it currently only gets used about once a fortnight.Tho' a sealed type,it goes back before the red/ green indicators.My A/C still works as well.
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Mon 1 Jan 2007 22:53
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - Quinny100
Rattle on a warm start is often associated with a failing dual mass flywheel.
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Tue 2 Jan 2007 00:25
Ford Focus TDCi poor starting - Aprilia
On a Ford TDCI then take the starter motor off and give it a shake over a sheet of newspaper. If metal swarf drops out then the DMF is on its way out. My mate does a lot of DMF's on Fords and looking in the starter motor is the first stage of diagnostics.
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