Our 2002 30,000 mile just serviced tdci requires 2 attempts to start below about 5 degrees C. It stalls quite easily too. Ford garage says these are tdci characteristics! The glowplug light does not seem to stay on long enough, 3 secs, our tddi stays on at least 5. Anybody else have these problems?
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We have the same car and I would agree that occasionally it seems a little reluctant to start in cold weather. It sometimes takes 2 attempts to get it going; the first attempt it seems as though it has started, but it in fact dies. I have tried two methods of stopping this and both work; the first, and simplest, is to engage the key a fraction of a second longer (this seems odd compared to the petrol car which requires the slightest stir with the starter and it is away!). Alternatively, give it two bouts with the glowplugs, but that will have something of a negative impact on battery.
With regard the glowplugs, you have no problem there, they never light for more than two to three seconds. With regard the stalling, is this whilst starting (i.e. it fails to fire up), or when you attempt to drive off after it has started? If it is the latter I would expect there to be a problem if it happens quite frequently.
Has the car had this characteristic since new? If it has only appeared since the service, go and give Ford an ear-bending.
Regards
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Our car invariably requires 2 attempts to start below about 4 degrees C. Ford say these cars have a 'light' flywheel and require higher revs to avoid stalling as you pull away. We have a TDDI as well which always starts first time and does not stall.......Progress?
The service has neither made the situation worse nor cured it!
Regards.
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Interesting that you own both a tdci and a tddi. How do they compare, regarding performance, noise, economy?...reliability??
Would you recommend a tddi?
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Since you say the car invariably requires 2 attempts to start below 4 degrees celsius, could it be that your battery is a bit weak? It depends on how the car is used, our TDCi has 30,000 miles and the battery is fine, but yours may be different. Does it spin over at the correct speed but not quite catch or does it turn over slowly?
As for what Ford have told you about the 'light' flywheel, this is partly correct. As I understand it the car has a 'dual-mass' flywheel, which I think is designed to minimise vibration. However, I believe it is constructed partially out of a ceramic material, whcih would shatter below 700rpm. As such the engine management system is designed to shut-off the engine at these revs. We found the car to be notoriously bad for stalling when it was new, and it wasn't simply a change of driving style that was required. However, since the engine has become completely 'run-in' it has become more tractable and infinitely less likely to stall. I think this, combined with thick oil in the engine, may explain why it often stalls when cold?
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his nibs..... I agree the stalling is less likely now the car has some miles on it. The battery is fine and spins the engine rapidly and as it always starts second time I believe it is a function of the length of time the glow plugs operate. I actually converted my recreational pick-up from petrol to diesel some years ago and we built the glow plug controller ourselves with a variable timer relay. I would guess even a modern diesel needs 5 seconds on a cold day. I am in correspondence with Ford Techical Dept. but they have yet to tell me how a Focus diesel performs in a Scandinavian winter!
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The TDCI is smoother and quieter and has better acceleration. It also has a better gear box, or gearchange at least and with rear discs the handbrake works better. I find the TDDI more flexible and at 60,000 miles it is at least as economical at 54mpg. Cruising at 70? it would be hard to tell them apart. It has been completely reliable. I am inclined to change the TDCI and keep the TDDI!
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gfo - have you asked your Ford agent about putting the latest version of the ECU software on your TDCI? They won't always do this by default during a service, but provided your car is within warranty they should do this for free. Members of the Ford Focus Owners Club (www.ffoc.co.uk) have reported stalling problems and it would seem that Ford have responded by making changes to the software over time to rectify the stalling problem.
My TDCI starts first time every time, and will hardly ever stall. I made a point of getting the latest software update during my last service in May.
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