Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK!

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Mon 4 Oct 2010 01:08
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - studarl

Ok so I have had problems with my 06 plate Focus diesel for a while now.

After several mysterious limps home on longish journeys, and each time the garage not finding anything that they thought was a problem, something weird happened.

I broke down. One night after getting to within 5 miles of my house, my car was losing power and starting to go into limp home mode. Having been entirely frustrated I just decided "hey I'm close to home what the hell" and just kept sticking my foot down. After a 5 minute fight my car was having none of it and just kept getting slower and slower.

Eventually the engine cut out completely, power steering went.... the lot! So I just about heaved it up onto the hard shoulder, called the tow truck and waited patiently. So after an hour the tow truck showed up, and he actually just about managed to get the car started again. So I drove to the nearest garage, leaving my car there for them to look at the next day. On the drive back to my house he mentioned that he recently picked up a lady passat owner with much the same problem.

He then gave me the best piece of advice I have seen yet, KEEP YOUR FUEL TOPPED UP. Since then I have been religiously topping up when my fuel gets to about a 1/3 of a tank if I am going on a motorway longer than 30 minutes. I have had no problems with loss of power since then.

I had a final test of this today, I was travelling from Bournemouth to Portsmouth and was on around 1/4 of a tank... so for once I thought I would risk it. I got as far as Southampton and the car started losing power. I immediately turned off the motorway found the nearest fuel station and filled up. I then drove to Portsmouth and then back to Bournemouth with absolutely no problems, not even the odd fuel blip.

So there you have it folks, if you have a problem with a diesel Focus going into limp home mode on motorway journeys, maybe its worth taking note of how much fuel you have on board, and if it happens when its continually below 1/3, try keeping your tank topped up and see if it solves the problem.

Stuart

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Mon 4 Oct 2010 09:05
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - Collos25

Could be the gauge is faulty or weak fuel pump you still have a problem it will not go away

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Mon 4 Oct 2010 23:02
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - Railroad.

Many modern diesel cars have a feature which will reduce engine power when the fuel in the tank drops below a certain level. This is designed to alert the driver to the fact his fuel is low and to top it up before expensive damage occurs to the high pressure fuel pump. A bit over-zealous perhaps, but you must remember that modern diesel fuel pumps are built to very high tolerences, and they are lubricated by the fuel itself. Common rail diesel systems such as the TDCi must achieve a pressure of 10,000kpa (1,000bar or 14,500psi) in the common fuel rail before the engine will be allowed to start.

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Tue 2 Nov 2010 11:12
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - StanTheMan78

Sorry but to me this is plain crap. I always leave my clio dCi right down to when the light goes on and stays on, then refill. And it's still a common rail with 1350 bars injection pressure. If it is indeed related to the fuel level going low, I would inspect the fuel tank and see if it is full of debris which might be clogging fuel delivery pipes - and eventually clog the diesel filter.

My father has a mk 1 1.8 TDCi from new and the list of faults in a mere 25,000 miles has been flabbergasting...loss of power which after two years fighting with my local and only Ford dealer turned out to be a broken wire from the MAF sensor to the accelerator pedal (PCM), - problem returned after a few months even though wire was replaced - DMF failure (thank God it was just a month before the warranty expired), water pump, auxiliary drive belt and idler failure, fuel gauge which overshoots and stops on half when turning off whenever the fuel tank is over half-full, gear selector nut falling loose, clunking noise from RHS front suspension (probably a wishbone bush or shock)... Whenever I hear someone rave about how reliable these vars are my stomach retorts in disgust.

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Wed 3 Nov 2010 00:22
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - bananaman

We've got a 2004 Focus C-Max 2.0 TDCi. My wife warned me not to buy it. Reliability has been wretched. Just a few of the faults we have experienced - complete engine management failure (in garage for 6 weeks!), air con, alternator, electric windows, clock on radio, reversing lights, fuel sender unit replacement.

It got so bad that the company providing breakdown cover cancelled our membership because it broke down so often.

I am currently waiting for the engine to blow up as it tries to shake itself apart at idle and the engine management warning light sometimes comes on ....

Shame really that it is such a comfortable, powerful and nice handling car ....

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Wed 3 Nov 2010 09:40
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - injection doc
well done stuart. i would still sugest the tank needs checking or the calibration of the gauge.
Stan the man who thinks reduced engine power on a low fuel tank is CARP is talking balderdash. Many new cars have this facility now and my Jaguar used to switch the aircon off when the fuel was in the red and when it got too low it would reduce to 3 cylinders! and it also warns you in the handbook that this is indeed designed in to save fuel and get you to a station
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Wed 3 Nov 2010 10:03
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - Collos25

A six cylinder car reduces to three cylinders when low on fuel I don't believe it.

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Wed 3 Nov 2010 16:12
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - injection doc

Andy, 4 cyl Diesel and it states it in the handbook that it will do exactly that! its weird the first time till you know why

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Mon 11 Feb 2019 10:30
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - Stealthy Monk

Turn hard right in a focus tdci with less than half a tank and boom - limp home baby.
I have this car (for ten years) and this is the cause, stick fuel in to solve the issue.
This never used to be an issue for me - I used to always drive until the light comes on, but now, when it's lowish on fuel, a hard right sends it into limp mode - annoying.

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Mon 11 Feb 2019 23:00
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - 3uga

I had this model and to me ford is kind of like aids. I run from those cars.
Anyway, I to experinced your problem but was actualy due to a fuel filter. These cars get a tiny fuel filter with high filtration and can get chloged up realy fast. Simple condensation that could apear in your tank could be enouch to block it full or partialy. The car cas no fuel pump in the tank so once the fuel filter is primed and instaled any restriction or air caught in the fuel pipe could leave you stranded or with less fuel suply than requested.

To my opinion the mechanic is full o crap and should go somewhere else with that unicorn story. The ideea behind keeping your tank full is that posible impurities and debree in the tank, wich have acumulated over time, could get sucked into the fuel sistem as you ar using the las of the remaining fuel.
Debree and impurities, if there any, get sucked in the fuel sistem and traped by fuel filter. Debree is moving in the tank because your fuel is like a martinii in a shaker, so anything on the bottom of the tank just doesent stay there.
Keepting your tank full of diesel is the stupides way that you cand ruin a car over time. It is not recomended because you dont replace the majority of the diesel you just top it up. Diesel cand grow bacteria and algee and the more you have in the tank, the wore it is. If you're a person that uses less than a tank in 2 monts, you're better off just keeping the tank to minimun and anding 10 litres or so every time you get a fuel light.

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Tue 12 Feb 2019 06:32
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi - Focus TDCi LIMP HOME MODE SOLVED....I THINK! - dadbif
Rubbish!!!!
If your car has a DPF additive is injected every time you open your filler flap, doing as you suggest will deplete the additive in a short period of time, and contribute to early DPF failure, only fill your tank when it is almost empty, note I say almost, not running on fumes. Your additive will then last longer and so will your DPF.
Honest John gave this advice years ago, I have followed it and have had no problems.
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