Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power

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Mon 15 Jul 2013 10:38
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power - DC7904

I have recently bought a focus 1.8 TDCi on an '03 plate, the car would only only start with easy start and then run rough with a loss in power. I changed the fuel filter (was full of dirty fuel and bits but not metal particals), air filter (distorted beyond recognition) and the flexi pipe on the exhaust (it has a big hole in) and still nothing changed. I had times when it would run ok for a mile or so and then suddenly lose power an limp everywhere again. During this time there were no warning lights on the dash which i found odd, then a week ago the car suddenly started to stall every few miles. The glow plug light came on and the car just cut out, it started up on easystart straight away so i drove it home. Since then the car didn't even have enough power to get off of my driveway.

I decided to remove the injectors and have them tested, they all failed and i forked out for them to be refurbed which cost over £500. I fitted them back into the car in the same sequence they came out and primed them with diesel before connecting them back up. The car started straight away without the need of easystart and i got my hopes up thinking the problem solved, then i got in the car and reved it, it still has no power at all and struggles to rev above 3k. All the time billowing white smoke out of the back???

I know the tubo isn't seized as i have checked this, so i am at a loss of what to check before I send it in to the garage. Has anyone any ideas or experienced these problems before? Any help or advise would be much appreciated.

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Mon 15 Jul 2013 13:48
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power - BenG

Is it white or blue smoke? Can be hard to tell sometimes.

White smoke that makes your eye sting suggests unburned fuel, so I guess I'd be looking at a fuel injection problem. Have you had the fault codes read, then reset and re-read to see what the current faults are?

White 'smoke' could also be steam created by head gasket failure (or, more cheaply, failure of the internal sealing in the the oil cooler associated with the oil filter). Any water loss, oil 'mayonnaise' in the header tank or water on the dipstick?

The injectors have to be individually coded to the engine. Sometimes the injector codings are 'lost' causing running problems. Ford dealer could check/code but best to get the fault codes read first?

There were problems with fuel pump internals breaking up on early TDCI models, so the pump becomes unable to generate enough fuel pressure to the injectors, and wear particles are created which enter the fuel system. I'd have assumed your car would have passed this problem by now though if it was going to occur...

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Mon 15 Jul 2013 14:18
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power - DC7904

It's definitley white, there is plety of deisel getting through to the injectors (altough i have no way oof testing this).It ticks over fine but when the accelorator is pressed it goes haywire and seems to be unable to rev smoothly.

The car is going in to have the diagnostics done but the eml doesn't come on now so not sure what it will pull up. Head gasket is fine as is the compression. I had the same idea about th injectors been wrong but they have gone back in the same way they came out and i would have thought it would at least drive if they were mixed up?

I'll have to see what the diagnostics pull up, hoping it's going to be a sensor but the problem seems more extreme.

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Sat 23 Apr 2022 06:47
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power - Givan Ionut
My 2007 1.8tdci focus have the same problem, what was the problem? You solved?
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Sat 23 Apr 2022 09:35
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Running problems - white smoke and no power - Xileno

They have not logged in since the original post so I doubt we will find out. A '03 Focus has probably met its maker by now, unless treated well rust usually gets them.

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