MK1 focus sluggish starting

[ozshea]

hi there, i have a 1.6 petrol mk1 focus saloon and when i start it in the morning it will turn over 8 or 9 times before it starts, if i then turn it off and restart it it will start on the first turn but if i leave it switched off for a few mins it needs a few turns to fire up again, i also think its using more petrol, any ideas what the prob could be and would it be a self fix or would i need to garage it to find out whats causing it....?


thanks in advance....OZ

[cactikid]

how long ago was it serviced,like new plugs,also check no build up of water under plug leads as some models have that problem,is your battery good and giving it a good swing over or getting lazy?may also be a lazy fuel pump pressure which would be noticed in spluttering on high revs.

[oldford]

Measure fuel usage a bit more exact.
Is the exhaust leak free?

[ozshea]

yes i serviced it recently myself, plugs, air filter, oil and oil filter, it dosent splutter on high revs, battery seems fine, its reading just over 12V when its sitting there and over 14V when its running, i wouldnt be able to give an exact measurement of fuel consumption but going by my rough calculations i reckon its not doing much more than 25MPG.

hope this helps and thanks again....OZ

sorry yes the exhaust is leak free.

[cactikid]

maybe see if any fault codes are stored.

[ozshea]

would it have to be plugged into a diagnostic machine, its not giving me any lights on the dash to indicate a fault

[Liteace]

would it have to be plugged into a diagnostic machine, its not giving me any lights on the dash to indicate a fault

Yes its best to get it plugged in, then live data can be checked to see when the fault is

[ozshea]

ok i'll get a mate of mine to plug it into a diagnostic and see what fault its showing, he works in advance pitstop but i dont think he knows much about diagnostics apart from plugging it in, would it just show a code that i could get him to write down and then i could post it here to see what the fault would be...?

thanks again its much appreciated....OZ

[Liteace]

ok i'll get a mate of mine to plug it into a diagnostic and see what fault its showing, he works in advance pitstop but i dont think he knows much about diagnostics apart from plugging it in, would it just show a code that i could get him to write down and then i could post it here to see what the fault would be...?

thanks again its much appreciated....OZ


All depends on what he's going to plug into it but even a cheap scanner will pull the codes, and yes post them here and we'll see what we can find

[BRAVO6]

Check the crankshaft sensor. I've had a couple of these where the flywheel is rubbing the sensor. Remove it and check for any signs of damage.

[ozshea]

is this behind the timing belt cover and if so where is it located, the light aint the greatest at the minute but id like to have a quick look so i can have a go at it tomoro...

[BRAVO6]

As far as I remember it's at the clutch end, front of engine. Goes in from engine side facing towards gearbox. One 6mm allen or Torx bolt to remove .

[Ashraf6119]

Hi

It could be Engine low Compression.......... how old is this vehicle and how many miles has it done so far...............

Also can you hear any sound from intake manifold when its idling.........