Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems

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Wed 15 Feb 2012 15:02
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - wrightstuff

I have been having a problem starting the engine of my diesel Focus for a few months now which is getting progressively worse. On cranking the engine it turns over rapidly but does not start. On occasion I have kept the key turned and 50% of the time it will eventually start but takes a long time. Once started it runs fine and feels as smooth and powerful as the day I bought it over four years ago. There has been no increase in fuel consumption either.There is not set pattern to when this happens it can be with a cold or warm engine or when it hasn't been used for 24hrs or just been on a long run.

My local garge has looked at it on the last two services (they say!) and said they cannot find any faults and have said 'it is just one of those things' which will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The car has had a full service every 12 months/12.5k with fuel, oil, air filters changed each time even though the fuel and air filter does not need changing each time! Fuel treatment has also been added at each service.

I hope someone can suggest a possible cause as I feel it will let me down at some point soon if this issue is not resolved. My concern over pressing the garage to find the fault is that they will have it in for ages, change a part they think might be the cause and then give me a big bill with the fault still present!

Thanks in anticipation,

Dave.

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Wed 15 Feb 2012 15:33
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - ChannelZ

Air in the fuel filter. Common problem, probably exacerbated by excessive fuel filter replacements.

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Wed 15 Feb 2012 15:46
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - wrightstuff

Thanks for the reply. Is that from experience of a problem you have had? If there is any trapped air I would have thought it would be expelled over time once running? I know the fuel filter only needs changing every two years but the garage recommended it to be changed annually in case of a bad fuel fill up? Probably a selling job!

Is there an easy(ish) way to bleed any trapped air out of this? One of my old Transits had a plastic screw on the bottom where you could let out some diesel.

Cheers, Dave

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Wed 15 Feb 2012 21:07
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - ChannelZ

I had the same problem in an Astra, the seal on the filter was leaking, so was drawing air in intermittantly, gave the same issues.

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Thu 16 Feb 2012 07:53
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - wrightstuff

So it does sound like it could be either a leak on the fuel filter or air trapped from the last change.

I can check the filter housing & seal but can anyone offer any suggestions on how to bleed the fuel filter of air please?

Thanks

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Thu 16 Feb 2012 12:04
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - ChannelZ

Point is, the long cranking is bleeding the air out. If the filter is leaking, then more air is getting in. You need to get the system checked for leaks.

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Thu 12 Apr 2012 12:11
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - JFS

I have had exactly the same problems. As yet no solution. 1) Car would not start in morning, turned over but would not fire. RAC called found air in fuel pipe but even with bleeding could not start car. Towed to Garage (loacl man). Car sat out outside for 3 hours when he came to look at it, started no problem. Ran car in garage over next day no faults. Three weeks later 2) Same thing. Called local man who put car on tow. During tow they tried to jump start the car and it fired. Again could not find a fault. last thursday 3) Same thing. RAC called could not draw fuel up from fuel tank on the inlet side of filter. Towed to Main Ford Dealer, Gloucester. They reported yesterday. Plugged in diaognostics and only fault was battery (not surprising as I had been trying to get it to start!). Bled system and car was fine. Only comment was "Bleed valve may not have been as tight as it should have been" and "flap valve in the fuel linkage might have stuck albeit it was OK now". The only conditions that are the same in each case were that the car was stood overnight and the air temperature was 0 degrees or less but those conditions had existed on many other days over the period.

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Thu 12 Apr 2012 23:44
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - MikeTorque

I encountered this problem with a Focus 2.0 TDCi.

No DTC value is registered.
Battery is around 12.1v when left standing for a while.

On occasions when turning the ignition to start the engine all I heard for a couple of seconds was a metallic sound (sounds like spoons rattling together) but the engine does not turn. On other occasions the engine starts for about 1 second and the rev counter shows around 800 rpm and then the engine stops.

It sounds like it could be corrupt engine management software. The fix is to install new engine management software, if the issue reoccurs a few weeks/months later then the circuit board where the memory resides needs changing.

In addition to the intermittent starting problem it's worth checking if you also get a heavier steering loading, it feels heavier than Sport mode.

When the new software has been installed the steering will revert to whichever setting is selected (i.e. Comfort, Standard, Sport) and all the above issues disappear.

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Tue 4 Aug 2015 08:53
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 1.5 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - antony hollingsworth

I have the exact same problem with my 15 plate 1.5 focus Titanium Diesel.

At times and its very random when it decides to do this press the start button and it either just cranks but won't catch on or press the start button and it cranks and displays a call service error message on the screen. Last time no error message.

Get out lock the car up get back in and it will start however if you don't lock the car etc it will just crank until the battery goes flat.

Booked into dealers once again to have a a look last time they just checked the messages on the screen and cleared all the service warnings etc.

Done it 4 times from new ( April 2015 ) will report back if they find the fault.

Turned to google to see if anyone else had experienced this problem and if so what the cure is. Seems the dealers just scratch their heads so I thought some research and help maybe needed to point them in the right direction.

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Wed 9 Jul 2014 13:21
Ford Focus 5Dr Hatchback 2.0 Ltr TDCI - Starting Problems - KevinSwan

I have had similar problems with my 2l tdci and it was the negative connection running to the body of the car. It was oxidised and needed some sand paper to clean the connection.

Try that before buying anything.

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