Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!!

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Wed 18 Aug 2021 12:33
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

Drove all the way to Wales from Brighton, then travelled within Wales.The car worked fine. The following morning, it wouldn't start. The breakdown service we use could find no faults when the recovery person put his diagnostic equipment on the engine. He checked the car over and was perplexed. He said it was probably the EGR Valve.

The car engine turned over but wouldn't start.

The car was towed to our mechanic. He looked at at and said it wasn't the EGR Valve. He ran a computer diagnostic test, a diesel injector leakage test, fuel pressure removal, cleaning and refitting, he changed the fuel filter and added liquid moly diesel purge fuel system cleaner.

The car started and ran fine. A few days later it stopped again.

My wife found a youtube video where someone warms up a car engine with a hairdryer and a little fan heater and the engine started. She tried it and the car immediately started. It was fine for a few days, then one morning it wouldn't start again. We had parked it away our driveway so we had the car towed back to our mechanic. He changed the Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor. He kept the car at the garage to over night and tried the engine the next morningto prove it would work when the engine is cold. It worked fine.

Three days later, in the morning, it wouldn't start again (it started for about 10 seconds then died). My wife did the hairdryer trick again and it immedialtely started. She took it to her friend's husband, a mechanic, he put his diagnostic equipment on it and said there's fault with the battery and that is why it sometimes won't start.

We told our mechanic and he said he checked the battery and it was fine. He now thinks the car issue could be with the instrument clusters - ECU's/PCM's (engine control module/power control module.

This morning the car wouldn't (again, it started for about 10 seconds then died). So we were back to the hairdryer trick again which worked a treat.

Can someone please help.I don't want to start the car with a hairdryer for the rest of it's days.

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Wed 18 Aug 2021 12:49
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Andrew-T

Where do you have to point the hairdryer, or do you just wave it like a magic wand ? :-)

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Wed 18 Aug 2021 13:08
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

through the side of the manifold cover

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Wed 18 Aug 2021 16:54
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - elekie&a/c doctor
I think the hairdryer trick only works on Cortinas . I really can’t see how it affects starting on this car . Don’t think it will be the immobiliser, you get no crank and the security light in the dash pod flickers quickly and a message engine systems fault . When did it last have a fuel filter replaced. ?
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Wed 18 Aug 2021 23:42
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman
I think the hairdryer trick only works on Cortinas . I really can’t see how it affects starting on this car . Don’t think it will be the immobiliser, you get no crank and the security light in the dash pod flickers quickly and a message engine systems fault . When did it last have a fuel filter replaced. ?

My mechanic replaced the fuel filter last week.

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Thu 19 Aug 2021 09:48
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Andrew-T

through the side of the manifold cover

Try the same trick with the hairdryer, but don't switch it on. That will show whether this treatment is a lot of hot air ... :-)

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Thu 19 Aug 2021 15:36
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

through the side of the manifold cover

Try the same trick with the hairdryer, but don't switch it on. That will show whether this treatment is a lot of hot air ... :-)

Tried it again this morning - it didn't work. Like someone else on here said,probably a coincidence it worked before. Sadly, may have to get rid of the car unless we can find a good auto electrician. Even then could be like finding a needle in a haystack.

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Fri 20 Aug 2021 11:45
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - John F

Dodgy fuel pump on its last legs? What's the mileage?

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Fri 20 Aug 2021 19:43
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

Dodgy fuel pump on its last legs? What's the mileage?

It's done over 140k

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Fri 20 Aug 2021 13:40
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Railroad.

I know this seems like a nightmare to you but essentially if a diesel engine fails to start there will only be one or more of four reasons why.

1. A lack of clean and oxygenated air

2. Poor compression.

3. Loss of fuel delivery.

4. A restricted or blocked exhaust.

This might seem simplistic, but your problem will definitely be one of these four. Simple checks can be made to eliminate one at a time.

Give the engine a tiny puff of Easy Start, and I mean a tiny puff. Does it fire and run anything like normal? If it does you've eliminated 1, 2 & 4. You're left with 3 which by what you describe sounds like the most likely. If it is a fuel problem you'll have to look at it in more detail.

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Fri 20 Aug 2021 19:47
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

I know this seems like a nightmare to you but essentially if a diesel engine fails to start there will only be one or more of four reasons why.

1. A lack of clean and oxygenated air

2. Poor compression.

3. Loss of fuel delivery.

4. A restricted or blocked exhaust.

This might seem simplistic, but your problem will definitely be one of these four. Simple checks can be made to eliminate one at a time.

Give the engine a tiny puff of Easy Start, and I mean a tiny puff. Does it fire and run anything like normal? If it does you've eliminated 1, 2 & 4. You're left with 3 which by what you describe sounds like the most likely. If it is a fuel problem you'll have to look at it in more detail.

We contacted an auto electrician. Straight away, he asked us to check for rodent droppings. He said he'd had to fix loads of cars with rodent problems this year. We checked and found some. So there could be a fifth reason the car won't start - a rodent has dislodged a wire or worse still, chewed through one.

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Fri 20 Aug 2021 20:15
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Bolt

a rodent has dislodged a wire or worse still, chewed through one.

Common round our way during last year and early this year, some had chewed through brake pipes- master cylinder reservoir- and most ecu cables including under dash cables

Surprising how much damage they can do...and expensive!

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Sat 21 Aug 2021 09:38
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Railroad.

We contacted an auto electrician. Straight away, he asked us to check for rodent droppings. He said he'd had to fix loads of cars with rodent problems this year. We checked and found some. So there could be a fifth reason the car won't start - a rodent has dislodged a wire or worse still, chewed through one.

That won't be a fifth reason. It'll be part of reason three, a fuel delivery problem. If a rodent has chewed through wiring, which has happened before, then you may have a fault with the supply to the fuel injectors or control of them, or any other part of the engine management system.

Having said that, I'm assuming the engine always cranks when you turn the key. Or doesn't it?

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Sat 21 Aug 2021 18:16
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Ecofordman

We contacted an auto electrician. Straight away, he asked us to check for rodent droppings. He said he'd had to fix loads of cars with rodent problems this year. We checked and found some. So there could be a fifth reason the car won't start - a rodent has dislodged a wire or worse still, chewed through one.

That won't be a fifth reason. It'll be part of reason three, a fuel delivery problem. If a rodent has chewed through wiring, which has happened before, then you may have a fault with the supply to the fuel injectors or control of them, or any other part of the engine management system.

Having said that, I'm assuming the engine always cranks when you turn the key. Or doesn't it?

Yes, the engine always cranks just fine.It just doesn't fire. An auto electrician is our last hope. We need a car for work and soon. It would be such a shame if we have to scrap it. It's such a nice car.

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Sat 21 Aug 2021 18:34
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - elekie&a/c doctor
May be an idea to check the wiring to the engine Ecu . Unfortunately not easy to access . Sits in plastic box ,forward of the left front wheel, behind the bumper.
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Sat 21 Aug 2021 18:44
Ford focus econotec diesel 2008 - Car chooses when to start - Help!! - Andrew-T
May be an idea to check the wiring to the engine Ecu . Unfortunately not easy to access . Sits in plastic box ,forward of the left front wheel, behind the bumper.

What a daft place to put it ....

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