[davey]

I have to say, thanks for that, a lot of information there.

I watched the bit of the video about the temperature of the cat and how its hotter after, then before. I was confused by this to be honest as i thought all of the thousands of explosions going on that the manifold would be the absolute hottest.. maybe that is the case with my car actually? The manifold and the cat are a one piece unit. Whether or not that’s true for mt car actually, I can kind of understand how it would be hotter after the cat where the filtration of the different parts of combustion are hotter – or something along those lines, i think.

That’s a good thought actually, the upstream lambda. I did take it out once to see if i could clean it etc, and the threads in the manifold itself seemed to be stripped however the sensor is held in sufficiently IMHO. The car itself runs lovely, better then most of its age actually and especially with 131k approaching 132k miles.

Obviously I cannot say how the car has been driven in the past, but since i have had it i have driven quite carefully and never “raced about” so to speak. I bought and used the car initially for travel to college which was 30 miles each way, per day. This was mostly motorway so i think that would cover the “Italian tuneup” as you put it haha.

Thanks alot for your reply, very detailed and a lot of things to consider.

Out of interest, this is the cat/manifold for my vehicle, unfortunately it’s upside down.

[davey]

I have to say, thanks for that, a lot of information there.

I watched the bit of the video about the temperature of the cat and how its hotter after, then before. I was confused by this to be honest as i thought all of the thousands of explosions going on that the manifold would be the absolute hottest.. maybe that is the case with my car actually? The manifold and the cat are a one piece unit. Whether or not that’s true for mt car actually, I can kind of understand how it would be hotter after the cat where the filtration of the different parts of combustion are hotter – or something along those lines, i think.

That’s a good thought actually, the upstream lambda. I did take it out once to see if i could clean it etc, and the threads in the manifold itself seemed to be stripped however the sensor is held in sufficiently IMHO. The car itself runs lovely, better then most of its age actually and especially with 131k approaching 132k miles.

Obviously I cannot say how the car has been driven in the past, but since i have had it i have driven quite carefully and never “raced about” so to speak. I bought and used the car initially for travel to college which was 30 miles each way, per day. This was mostly motorway so i think that would cover the “Italian tuneup” as you put it haha.

Thanks alot for your reply, very detailed and a lot of things to consider.

Out of interest, this is the cat/manifold for my vehicle, unfortunately it’s upside down.

[davey]

Yeah that’s what the scanner told me, bank 1 sensor 2. Would the heater problem on the o2 sensor cause a low/rough idle and a very bad starting?

After searching the “obd-codes” website, the only known codes which correspond with a bad start and poor idle aren’t showing up on the scanner. I honestly am not sure if I can hit the nail on the head with this!

Another thing actually, when i was going through some of the live data it was saying that my throttle absolute position was 22% when it wasnt even open, and only got 91% when fully pressed. There is no mats or pedal stops, it is jut the floor and a thin layer of manufacturer fitted carpet. I do think this is down to the fact these ford TPS sensors are very inaccurate.

[davey]

Yeah that’s what the scanner told me, bank 1 sensor 2. Would the heater problem on the o2 sensor cause a low/rough idle and a very bad starting?

After searching the “obd-codes” website, the only known codes which correspond with a bad start and poor idle aren’t showing up on the scanner. I honestly am not sure if I can hit the nail on the head with this!

Another thing actually, when i was going through some of the live data it was saying that my throttle absolute position was 22% when it wasnt even open, and only got 91% when fully pressed. There is no mats or pedal stops, it is jut the floor and a thin layer of manufacturer fitted carpet. I do think this is down to the fact these ford TPS sensors are very inaccurate.

[davey]

Hi guys, I talked to the seller who i bought the scanner from on eBay and he upgraded me to a much better version and said the original scanner has a very rare bandwidth issue with some vehicles.

New scanner plugged in, it pulled P0141. Not entirely sure that has anything to do with the way it runs, or am i wrong? The MIL was not on when it found the code. I do have a perfectly working spare o2 sensor to try, so i will try this later today.

[davey]

Hi guys, I talked to the seller who i bought the scanner from on eBay and he upgraded me to a much better version and said the original scanner has a very rare bandwidth issue with some vehicles.

New scanner plugged in, it pulled P0141. Not entirely sure that has anything to do with the way it runs, or am i wrong? The MIL was not on when it found the code. I do have a perfectly working spare o2 sensor to try, so i will try this later today.

[davey]

I just want to thank everyone for putting up with me and my vehicle problems, and for offering great advice which has been hugely appreciated.

I bought a new code scanner as mentioned before, it turned up today and i have had nothing but trouble with it communicating with the ECU. I select Ford from the manufacturer list, then ‘new scan’. I then select “read DTCs” and it just reboots itself back to the main manufacturer selection menu. I have another basic 2 line reader, which reads “N/A” … so it’s obviously a car fault not a scanner fault (both scanners work perfectly with my other vehicle, which is a year older!)

I have done some research and it appears on Autodata there is a common fault with all petrol models of this vehicle.

It says under Electrical, Engine management, and Starting/charging:

Ford Focus 98-04
All models with petrol engine

Problem
-Failure to start
-burnt odour from electronic control module (ECM)

Cause
– Faulty ignition coil causing failure of electronic control module (ECM)

Remedy
-carry out mechanical, electrical, and component checks (as required)
-if no faults found replace electronic control module (ECM)
-replace ignition coil

I believe I have done all of the checks/repairs known commonly to these engines (1400cc zetec-se 16v)such as oil crankcase breather valve/vacuum hose replacement, Idle Air Control Valve, and vacuum leak checks (i sprayed carb cleaner which found a leaking brake serve hose on the manifold, which i sealed properly and no difference was made other then a slight hissing sound had gone).

Is there anything else i can do before i “throw” a new ECU at it? Like i say i can’t get a communication via either scan tool to read the MIL, and i believe i have carried out any checks i think were relevant to this problem.

[davey]

I just want to thank everyone for putting up with me and my vehicle problems, and for offering great advice which has been hugely appreciated.

I bought a new code scanner as mentioned before, it turned up today and i have had nothing but trouble with it communicating with the ECU. I select Ford from the manufacturer list, then ‘new scan’. I then select “read DTCs” and it just reboots itself back to the main manufacturer selection menu. I have another basic 2 line reader, which reads “N/A” … so it’s obviously a car fault not a scanner fault (both scanners work perfectly with my other vehicle, which is a year older!)

I have done some research and it appears on Autodata there is a common fault with all petrol models of this vehicle.

It says under Electrical, Engine management, and Starting/charging:

Ford Focus 98-04
All models with petrol engine

Problem
-Failure to start
-burnt odour from electronic control module (ECM)

Cause
– Faulty ignition coil causing failure of electronic control module (ECM)

Remedy
-carry out mechanical, electrical, and component checks (as required)
-if no faults found replace electronic control module (ECM)
-replace ignition coil

I believe I have done all of the checks/repairs known commonly to these engines (1400cc zetec-se 16v)such as oil crankcase breather valve/vacuum hose replacement, Idle Air Control Valve, and vacuum leak checks (i sprayed carb cleaner which found a leaking brake serve hose on the manifold, which i sealed properly and no difference was made other then a slight hissing sound had gone).

Is there anything else i can do before i “throw” a new ECU at it? Like i say i can’t get a communication via either scan tool to read the MIL, and i believe i have carried out any checks i think were relevant to this problem.

[davey]

Will do. It looks like it will be arriving sometime next week, Monday hopefully. I have done research on this site – http://www.obd-codes.com/ and have found that my symptoms match that of a over advanced, or over retarded engine pointing towards the inevitable re-timing of the engine.

The OBD code which explains my symptoms down to a tee is P0021/P0022. I hope this new scanner displays either of these codes! The symptoms listed are “hard starting” and “poor idle”.

Of course i’m going to take no action until i can read the code that the car is trying to tell me. I guess my hand scanner just isnt that clever.

[davey]

Will do. It looks like it will be arriving sometime next week, Monday hopefully. I have done research on this site – http://www.obd-codes.com/ and have found that my symptoms match that of a over advanced, or over retarded engine pointing towards the inevitable re-timing of the engine.

The OBD code which explains my symptoms down to a tee is P0021/P0022. I hope this new scanner displays either of these codes! The symptoms listed are “hard starting” and “poor idle”.

Of course i’m going to take no action until i can read the code that the car is trying to tell me. I guess my hand scanner just isnt that clever.

[davey]

I have litterally just bought on eBay a scanner which is capable of reading live data, so I can finally dig deeper into this issue. Unfortunatly there is no lifetime warranty on anything vehicle related over here. The vehicle drives nice it just doesnt start or idle nice

as soon as the new scanner arrives, which specific types od data do I want to be watching?

[davey]

I have litterally just bought on eBay a scanner which is capable of reading live data, so I can finally dig deeper into this issue. Unfortunatly there is no lifetime warranty on anything vehicle related over here. The vehicle drives nice it just doesnt start or idle nice

as soon as the new scanner arrives, which specific types od data do I want to be watching?

[davey]

It really is, i was hoping to clean out the MAF and see an improvement however when i found there wasnt one i was rather puzzled!

I have searched for vacuum leaks, and replaced a few hoses that are common failures on these engines.

This morning I recorded a video of start up and general idle. Hopefully it will be a better basis on which to offer diagnosis?

http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/daveyt-n/media/DSCF3834_zpse784aa21.mp4.html

[davey]

It really is, i was hoping to clean out the MAF and see an improvement however when i found there wasnt one i was rather puzzled!

I have searched for vacuum leaks, and replaced a few hoses that are common failures on these engines.

This morning I recorded a video of start up and general idle. Hopefully it will be a better basis on which to offer diagnosis?

http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/daveyt-n/media/DSCF3834_zpse784aa21.mp4.html

[davey]

The EML does come on occasionally, but it just says “N/A” on my scanner, and unfortunately i dont have a scanner capable of live data.
Also, this vehicle doesnt have a mass air flow sensor fitted.
The 4th plug was normal, if not a slight bit whiter then the rest and as i say the exhuast system cat onwards is brand new so i would have thought not, however it is going back to where the exhaust was fitted next week.

[Author]

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