1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart.

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Sat 26 May 2012 15:59
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - Olifocus

I have a 1999 Ford Focus TDDi (diesel estate) with 171,000 on the clock.

I was driving on the motorway this morning and suddenly lost all power and the engine stopped. I called the AA (my membership lapsed 3 weeks ago so I had to re-join and pay a surcharge - it cost me a fortune) and they couldn't fix it on the roadside but said it was a suspected fuel pump problem and towed me home.

I had low fuel level (just under quarter full) but the gauge has always been very reliable and no warning light came on. I suspected I'd run out of fuel because of the hill - and that's what it felt like when the engine cut out, but much morre sudden.

On the hard shoulder the mechanic put a large can of diesel in my tank (expensive too) but engine still would not start. Then he sprayed something from an aerosol can (presumably fuel) into something just in front of the fusebox while I started the ignition. The engine started but ran on very low revs (despite me trying to rev hard) and only while he was spraying - it cut out as soon as he stopped spraying. The mechanic said fuel seemed to be getting through and couldn't explain the problem other than 'suspect fuel pump'.

The car's been extremely reliable and run very smoothly until today. Any ideas what the problem might be? Fuel pump broken? Fuel lines blocked? Injection?

And any ideas how much parts (new/secondhand) and/or labour should be to have fixed in an independent garage or Ford garage?

Thanks for any help offered.

Cheers. Oli.

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Mon 28 May 2012 10:39
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - BenG
Could be the cam
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Mon 28 May 2012 10:41
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - BenG
Could be the
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Mon 28 May 2012 10:41
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - BenG
Could be the cam position sensor - a grey plug on the cam cover - easy to see with the plastic engine cover removed.

Mine failed and the engine stopped suddenly & wouldn't re-start, but I had the TDCI engine so not totally sure about the TDDI.

The sensor only costs about £30. Best to get your fault codes read to check if that's the problem.
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Tue 29 May 2012 00:04
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - Olifocus

Thanks BenG.

I had a new cambelt fitted 5 months ago. No problems before or since the new cambelt - until now. Could this be related?

Cheers

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Tue 29 May 2012 11:15
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - dieselnut

Sounds like it is fuel related as the engine ran on easystart. Belive this is 'old school' IDI engine probably with just a single fuel pump inside the engine mounted distributer type injection pump. Any air leak between the tank & pump will draw in air rather than fuel. Switch on the ignition then operate the fuel hand primer pump until it goes hard, then try to start.

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Tue 29 May 2012 11:26
1999 Ford Focus TDDi estate - Engine cut out on motorway. Will not restart. - bathtub tom

I had the fuel pump fail on one of these engines shortly after a cambelt replacement.

I wondered if an impact driver was used on the valve drive train whilst the belt was on, that could've put a shock load on the pump resulting in its subsequent failure.

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