Ford Fusion (2002 - 2008) - 04 1.4tdci - unreliable starter..any ideas ?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:06
04 1.4tdci - unreliable starter..any ideas ? - clairecon141
i bought a ford fusion 1.4 tdci on friday and all was ok until it refused to start. the aa came pumped the diesel pump and the car roared into life. the aa man advised that there was air in the line and to run the car. did this and all was again ok until when driving on the motorway, the aec fail warning came on and the car gave up.

the aa came out again, couldn't see what was wrong but that there was still air bubbles. the car was towed home but started first time when i got home.

the aec fail light has never cam on again but the car doesn't always start. Sometimes pumping the fuel pump gets it going. the pump is now never hard.

the other thing is that when the car doesn't start i wiggled an electrical connection attached to the fuel lines, maybe the fuel cut off sensor, and the car burst into life.
now every time the car refuses to start, a quick wiggle and it starts again or starts when it feels like it without me touching the wiring. I went to ford and they wanted £134 for the fuel cut-off wiring loom and i have tried to source a used 1 but have had no luck

the electrical connection was removed though and cleaned but the car started without it so not sure what to do and don't want garage trying everything and costing a fortune.

Edited by Pugugly on 22/01/2010 at 10:11

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Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:08
help needed - oldnotbold
What year is the car, and did you buy it privately or from a dealer?
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Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:10
help needed - clairecon141
its a 53 plate and it was bought from auction.

thanks
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Fri 22 Jan 2010 16:18
help needed - clairecon141
.
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Sat 23 Jan 2010 20:51
help needed - Bigdaveg
I presume this is the same person who's also posted on the ford forum web site ?.

To be honest cars like the Ford Fusion, especially the 1.4 tdci with only £35 tax per year and 50+ mpg, are'nt something I'd expect to see at auction, mainly because they are so desirable for those looking for an excellent cheap (buy & run) car, regardless of age.

I looked on auto trader, exchange and mart, fish4 cars , ebay and at least 2 others and could find very few tdci fusions for sale (while trying to find mine), which poses the question: why would such a desirable car end up at auction ?, could it have a serious defect (I bought an Morris Ital from auction once, and it was a complete and utter shed, it would'nt idle or run properly). If i were you and I presume you paid under £3k I'd take it in and get it seen too asap, and hope that it does'nt cost to much to fix.
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Fri 22 Jan 2010 17:56
04 1.4tdci - unreliable starter..any ideas ? - tmmitzzie
its a long shot but if you have the previous owner's details you could try contacting them to ask if they know what the problem is - (if they have had it previously looked at and know what is wrong this might have been the reason that they got shot of the car!). You could also visit genuine ford garages and ask the mechanics if they had heard of this problem, they should know.
good luck.
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Fri 22 Jan 2010 19:43
04 1.4tdci - unreliable starter..any ideas ? - sandy56
It may be cheapest to take it to Ford who may be able to quickly identify the problem , OR
independent diesel specialist.
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Sat 30 Jan 2010 15:09
04 1.4tdci - unreliable starter..any ideas ? - tmmitzzie
have you had any luck with this problem? I quite fancy buying a diesel Fusion and would appreciate knowing what the remedy is, just in case it happens!
cheers
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