Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting

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Thu 22 Aug 2013 20:02
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - lilley

The car has done 40,000 miles from new in our ownership. The clutch and DMF are the original ones. The car is used for mainly short journeys.

During the hot weather in July the engine when starting made unusual, loud noises and writhed about until actually running. This would occur each time the engine was started during each day. Then come the cooler weather in early August the engine started normally, quietly and no flailing about (coincidence?). At this point I took the car to my independent who made some checks and pronounced that 'it was not the clutch or DMF, which were fine, bring it back when it is making the noise'.

The hot weather recommenced on Tuesday and so did the effects. Hot weather and still a concern on Wednesday. Went to independent who heard the noise and saw the engine jumping about. This time it was a different employee but they thought that it was the DMF disintegrating. Quoted £650 for the replacement of clutch, DMF and slave!

The starter engages and disengages cleanly. The gears change smoothly. The clutch does not slip.

Before I spend £650 abortively can anybody throw any light on the situation please?

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Sun 25 Aug 2013 09:20
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - lilley

Can anybody throw any light on it please?

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Sun 25 Aug 2013 09:26
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - Peter.N.

It sounds far more like an engine misfire to me, does it smoke when its running rough? I have two PSA vehicles at around 200,000 miles still with there original clutch/DMF, depends on how its been driven of course but I would say DMF is unlikely. Take it to a diesel specialist, they usually know what they are doing and are cheaper than a garage.

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Wed 28 Aug 2013 13:54
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - BenG
The DMF is known to make a clanking noise when on the way out, when trying to start the engine. I believe there would also be a pulsing sensation through the clutch pedal at the same time.

You could also check the engine mounts aren't worn out as these would allow the engine to move around excessively. Could be worse when warm as the rubber parts would be more flexible.

Does the engine run smoothly (and cleanly) once started or is it just making a noise / moving around while cranking on the starter motor?
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Thu 29 Aug 2013 09:00
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - lilley

You would never know there is anything wrong when the engine is running on either a hot or a cooler day. At this time and for about a week the starting has been normal as well, but then it is somewhat cooler.

When starting there has been no abnormal sensation through the depressed clutch pedal.

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Tue 3 Sep 2013 13:08
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - BenG

My 2003 Focus TDCI was reluctant to start when I first got it and a during a visit to the local dealer they updated the ECU software which made the car start more quickly. Might be worth finding out if your car has the later map. Would not cost much to get it installed if not as it's just a plug-in job.

I also remember some threads back on the FFOC (Focus owner's club) some years ago regarding DMF failures which reckoned that a weak starter motor would result in low cranking speed which could damage the DMF (incidentally, this engine is fitted with a programmed stall feature intended to deliberately stop the engine if the engine speed becomes too low, to protect the DMF). Could be worth getting the starter checked out to see if the cranking speed is within acceptable limits.

I would also not rule out a worn DMF, despite your low mileage, as you say the car has been used for mostly short trips, which would create more wear and tear on the DMF. They are known to fail from around 60k miles normally but yours would have seen more stop-start driving and could have worn faster as a result.

Other thing that is known to cause running issues is the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, which can clog up with carbon and make the car run badly. Removal and cleaning or replacement is the solution. Maybe get your garage to check the degree of contamination inside the valve?

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Tue 3 Sep 2013 13:21
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi 2002 - Lumpy Starting - skidpan

I cannot see how the problem can be caused by the DMF. It would not be so temperature sensitive, if it was the engine would do this everytime the engine bay heated up after starting the car.

I would be looking at a sensor that is sending a spurious reading that only gets the wrong message when a certain condition is met due to high temperatures.

The wifes Ceed starts beautifully every morning but on the days during this summer when its been over 20 degrees before the first start the idle speed has been lower and slightly uneven, soon goes, we don't panic. My best guess is the higher than normal temp confuses the start up map somehow and the car does not get the correct mixture enrichment. Simple cure is to start it before it gets warm outside.

Take the car to a diesel specialist and let them have a look.

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