Ford :: 2004 Focus Hatchback - Intermittent Stalling At Start
Jan 25, 2013
My 2004 Ford Focus Hatchback has 152,000 miles on it. At the end of last year the engine started dying/stalling as soon as I started it - I would have to keep my foot on the gas to keep the engine going. I took it to the dealer and they put in a WHOLE NEW THROTTLE BODY. They also told me I needed a new battery and updated the car's software. Total $700. About a week to 10 days later, the car started doing the dying out after starting thing again - intermittently - didn't matter if the engine was hot or cold, fuel high or low, weather rainy, cold or clear and warm.
This morning I worked for 20 minutes to keep the engine going, made sure the engine was warm, and it STILL stalled out. I called in for a tow, called the dealer and said I'd be coming in, went back out to the car ... and it started right up without stalling. Drove it to the dealer and they've now told me they can't find anything at all wrong with the car. They are keeping it overnight to see if they can duplicate the stalling tomorrow morning. Any thoughts? The new throttle body cost me about $500 in December. (Don't know if it matters, but the defroster fan was super loud this morning, but once the engine was able to idle, the loudness disappeared ...). It's been a great car, but maybe it's time to start looking.
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My daughter's automatic DOHC SE Focus had suddenly been stalling, becoming harder to start and not maintaining a steady idle. I took it to our semi-trusted repair shop and was told it needed an EGR valve, plugs, coil, and ignition wires. $580! These all seemed like repairs I could do and so I have worked through all of these. I replaced the EGR valve and that seemed to make the problem actually worse. (so I put the old one back in) I put in new plugs and that improved the idle a small amount. Then I put in the new coil and that seemed to steady the idle a bit more. But here is what I have discovered through my many test drives after making these incremental repairs: The car starts now from cold very well and runs great for the first 20 minutes or so but...when it gets hot after 15 minutes or so of 50 mph driving, the idle drops and the engine wants to cut off. At low revs it seems to stumble and lose power. I think this is what my daughter was experiencing originally and none of my early test drives were long enough to surface the original problem. I have read that the Idle Control Valve might be a culprit in this sort of behavior.
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my 2000 focus se, 2.0L SPI, with 82k began to recently run rough at idle then progressed to stalling at longer lengths of idle. The condition starts once the engine warms after 2-5 minutes. I 1st tried gas treatment. I replaced the ignition coil as suggested in the other threads, but it has not improved the problem. I had the fuel pump recall-replaced 2 years ago. I would guess that a bad fuel pump would exhibit loss of power at all engine speeds? Before I proceed to replace plug wires and plugs.
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My car stalls when I come to a stop but only in warmer weather (50 degrees or higher) and only after I have driven the car for 20 minutes or so then come to a stop. There is no check engine light on, no high temperature warning. I can start it back up (not a battery problem) easily, but as soon as I take my foot off the gas to put it in drive, it stalls. However, when I've let the engine cool, it's drivable again (until I come to a stop again).
I have taken it in to the repair shop after it has done this twice. Their computer check shows everything working fine and there ar no errors. Of course, by that time, then engine has cooled and they can't reproduce the stalling. I am dreading the upcoming warm weather because it's just a matter of time before I am stranded again. I don't know what to do if I can't get a diagnosis and repair!
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Why my 03 focus zx5 will stall in reverse. I have had the tranny serviced. I can drive it and then let it sit for about an hour and then try to reverse in it and it dies. I have change the mac, tps, iac sensors. I am at a loss for why this is happening. I also changed the pvc hose that runs from the back of the motor to the pvc valve.
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Occasionally my 2004 Ford Focus will not start. I put in the keys and turn them. The lights and radio fire up and there is a click, but the engine won't turn over. To resolve this, I remove the key, open the hood, loosen the battery cable on the positive terminal, wiggle the cable around, and then tighten it back down. I then go back in the car and turn the key. The engine starts. Is there a bad connection somewhere? Should I replace the battery cable?
Long version of the problem: I've been having these problems intermittently for almost a year now. After the first or second time I had the car towed to a local shop. They couldn't figure out what the problem was because the car was starting just fine at the shop. The mechanic said that some of the cables might have shifted around in the towing process. So I tossed an adjustable wrench in the glove box in preparation for the next time. The next day, it happened again. Through some quick trial and error, I narrowed down the problem to be the positive battery cable (or something that's connected to it).
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I have a 2008 Ford Focus - 4 Door Sedan SE 60300 miles.
I've gone to 3 mechanics now and no one can seem to figure out whats wrong with my car. Here's whats happening:
About 1 1/2 years ago I took my car to get an oil change at Jiffy Lube (Yeah never again). When I left, my car was idling funny... Silly me didn't take it right back and have them tell me what was wrong.. so I let it go, well about a month later it started idling even weirder. Basically it feels like my car is shaking when it gets under 1000 RPM and I notice my RPM dial start falling and bouncing back, acting like its going to stall, but never does. I notice a loss of power when this is happening (on speed up and just accelerating in general). All of this is random, I can't seem to put a pattern to it as to when it happens. One day I'll start it up and everything is perfect... Then I'll shut it off and restart it later, and it starts vibrating and puttering again... No signals as to if its hot/cold or wet/dry, no environmental variables seem to cause it to happen anymore than others. And there is no check engine light on, everything "looks" normal.
What I've had done to it so far is:
Air filter changed / reseated
3 oil changes (keep getting told it will work)
Throttle cleaned
Computer reset for idle sensor data rebuilding
Now I'm told that I need new engine mounts, and that could be the reason for the vibration. I'm thinking that the vibration caused the mounts to wear out, more so than the mounts being the cause. Mainly because I don't see how bad mounts could cause loss in power/bad idling.
What could be wrong?!? Really bugging me and don't want to keep throwing money at it for phantom solutions. Seems like mechanics I go to can't figure it out unless there is a check engine light on with some diagnosis code to tell them exactly whats wrong.
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I have a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 (2D Hatchback) that has been randomly stalling since we bought it. There is no engine light, the dealership couldn't get it to stall and just gave it back. Another garage got it to stall and thought it might be the "idle-oxygen sensor" (not sure if I'm remembering the name correctly), but that didn't stop it from stalling either.
My wife is ready to dump it, but even spending a couple thousand a year on repairs is less than the grand total of a year's payments on a new car, insurance, etc. But it would be nice to fix it.
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I purchased a 2001 Ford Focus 7/17 from a Ford dealer. While my daughter was driving, at a left turn, the engine light came on, the car stalled, and the steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. A friend did a computer scan and said the code came back that 2 sensors, the crank shaft and cam shaft sensors, needed replaced. So we had them replaced.
About 4 days later, while driving home from school, on a right turn, the car broke down again on my daughter. She said the symptoms were the same, engine light came on, car stalled, the steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. So we had it towed to a local Ford service department. They said the ignition coils needed replaced and the valve cover gasket would eventually need replaced (per the mechanic, this wasn't directly related to the issue but a small leakage was found). So we let the Ford mechanic replace the coils and the valve gasket cover. They ran several tests and put 20 additional miles on the car without failures or issues, scans came up clean.
So while driving to school this morning, on a u-turn, my daughter experienced the issue again....car stalled, engine light came on, steering wheel and gas pedal locked up. After sitting a few minutes, the car started up so she drove it home and hitched a ride from dad to get to school.
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I've replaced the fuel pump, relay, drive module, and the filter. The fuel pump still refuses to switch on when I go to start the vehicle.
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I noticed a pulsating feeling when I applied the brakes in my 2001 Ford Focus. I figure that it might be warped rotors, but after driving the car for a while, it seems to have dissipated. The car was sitting around for a few weeks. I read that it could just be rust buildup, but I feel that would require more than a few weeks of sitting around. Is there any way to check for myself, short of taking off the rotor?
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I have a 2000 Ford Focus automatic dohc 157K. About two years ago, it started making a noise that has gotten progressively worse. It is very hard to describe. It sounds like an intermittent flopping noise that you would expect from a bad tire. What makes is strange, is that the sound is not consistent with the rotation of the wheels. It does however increase and decrease with speed, but again it's inconsistent with the wheel rotation. It does not roar, or whine like a bearing, and there is not popping noise you usually get with a bad CV joint.
It seems to subside when I turn to the right and become a little more pronounced when I turn to the left. I have new tires, a new axle and wheel bearing on the right (passenger) side of the car. The repair shop checked all of the bushings and bearings, and cannot hear the noise when it is on a lift. I also just changed the sway bar links and all the engine mounts. You can feel the floorboard bumping along with the sound, but it does not telegraph through the steering wheel. There is no shimmy or vibration.
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My current truck is an early 99 F250, 7.3L diesel, CC 4x4(manual shift transaxle) auto transmission. It is basically stock, with the exception of a hutch/harpoon and a new fuel pump over the winter, an AIS intake. I have a magnaflow exhaust kit in the garage along with bellowed up pipes but have not installed them yet.
Here is my issue. Several times over the last 2 years, the truck will pull a load, or long trip, and with complete randomness, the engine will feel like it has shut off, there is usually a jerk or two, and the truck "restarts" itself and continues on like nothing happened. Last year we drove 1.5 hrs from home with the boat in tow, driving up Snoqualmie pass, and it died completely, no restart. We had to be towed home. It started right up at the shop, so no real clue of what happened.
When this happened, I had the fuel system checked for pressure and replaced the engine fuel filter, and all was good. I also had the Cam position sensor replaced/updated to the new grey sensor. Shortly after, I had the minor jerk/stall occur again, so I replaced the fuel pump and did the hutch/harpoon mod to ensure there wasn't an intermittent fuel pressure loss and that the in tank filters were not clogged.
Last weekend, i pulled my boat to Oregon, and the same "hiccup" happened as I was about 1.5 hrs into my trip. it was fine after that the rest of the 4 hr trip. We also drove back the same route and had no problems.
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2004 F250 Powerstroke Diesel 6.0L ... 90,xxx miles
Symptoms : Within the past 10,000 miles the truck has begun exhibiting the following problems, sometimes in conjunction with one another and sometimes just independently of one another:Stalling on the road at low speed / low engine RPM.
Throttle pedal becomes completely unresponsive. Stabbing the throttle pedal repeatedly sometimes causes it to return to operation. Sometimes the engine must be shut off and re-started to return throttle pedal to operation.
Rough, surging, stumbling idle at rest. Will crank but not fire occasionally. Problem has become worse as of late. Repeated attempts at starting the engine usually result in success after much, much retrying.
Work Done : Local Ford Diesel technician replaced the EBP sensor, replaced the EGR valve and re-flashed computer with latest software -- all under warranty. Problems still persist.
Peculiarities : We have tried driving the truck with the EGR valve disconnected and with it connected, both at the technician's request.
With the EGR valve disconnected the truck usually starts fine but still stalls out at low RPM / low speed. Fuel economy is also cut by nearly 50% with the EGR valve disconnected. Really couldn't afford to keep driving the truck like this.
Technician speculated that if the truck continued to die with the EGR valve unplugged, it meant that the computer or fuel pump might be bad. ????
It also seems that the stalling problem manifests after the truck has been driven at highway speeds (65-70mph) for at least a period of 20-30 minutes. Stalling usually happens as soon as we make an exit off of the highway and begin to slow down to make exit. As in foot off the throttle pedal. Engine RPM drops then stumbles then stalls.
I wonder if this is a problem with the HPOP or ICP system.
Specifically I wonder if this is a cracked quick release fitting that allows oil pressure to fall after the engine heats up and oil viscosity thins out with the heat. Once the engine cools down sufficiently to thicken the oil, the HPOP finally gets enough oil pressure to allow the engine to fire up again.
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I have a 2004 Malibu Maxx hatchback. It has been a solid car since we rolled it out of the showroom. Recently, I noticed when I raise the adjustable driver's seat after my petite wife has driven the car, the seat tilts to the right. After a survey of the power seat mechanics I found a broken front rail. It appears as if the end of the rail where it connects to the hinge is being peeled back as if I were removing the wraper of a crayon. I have only found one other post on the internet. Is this is a common problem?
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I just got an used Echo, and it seems that the hatch light switch is a bit sensitive. However, I couldn't find it anywhere on the frame, or near the lock. I even have access to the docs and didn't see a reference of it.
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2006 F150 4.2 fuel issue? I get an intermitent no start condition and no obd codes. Then I discover that it really isn't intermittent, it only occurs after I have been running the engine. It will not start for at least 5-10 minutes after I have driven a few miles and shut the engine off. So if I wait 5-10 minutes then she starts and runs just fine. I played with this in the driveway to recreate this condition so I could determine if I had a spark or fuel issue (I have spark during no start). I found that 50% of the time I could start it right back up immediately after I shut the engine off. But if I shut it off right away again, then I got the no start condition again and have to wait another 5-10 minutes.
Now with cold engine I can start the motor over and over. To fix this I read forum after forum, which led me to decide that I had a fuel pump driver problem (module) located on back axle under spare tire. I replaced this and restarted the engine many times. The problem seemed to be gone but this only lasted about 30 minutes. Then it would not start at all and still no codes. I plugged my old module back in and the truck fired right up. So I decided I needed to (flash) pcm for new part but that changes nothing. Still no start with new module and runs with old module. I also replaced relay in fuse panel.
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2001 f350. 7.3 has 350k on the engine. Last week it cut out and stalled it was about 15 degrees and though.. fuel had jeld... it warmed up.. didn't happen again. Then two night ago.. happened 4 times in a row then it was fine. yesterday a dozen times at least. It stalls but restarts itself (roll starting i guess) the water in fuel ,CEL and wait to start lights come on and then go off. We started with fuel filter, have changed the cam position sensor (yes with ford part not part stores) and now have also changed the Injection pressure sensor (also with ford part) while it needed changed as it was leaking oil the truck is Still stalling.
My dad is a technician He hooked his computer to the truck.. nothing. He was able to get the truck to recreate the problem with the scanner hooked up. When it stalls if he holds the throttle down the truck stays at an idle and the CEL, wait to start and water in fuel lights are on. It decelerates and puts along as nice as you please with the fuel peddle to the floor! let off the accelerator, lights go off and it recognizes the throttle again. No codes at all. hes thinking its the pcm telling the icp to shut off fuel. What would cause it to do that?
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I have a 2006 6.0 F350 that has started stalling intermittently. Truck starts right up after a few minutes and otherwise runs great. I'm getting trouble code p2617 (crankshaft position sensor). Reading on some of these forums it sounds like it could be a whole array of things causing this. Would this sensor be a logical place to start or what, if anything, should I look at before getting any parts?
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I got a 08 F150 with a V6. It's making a very loud and annoying noise that sounds a lot like a bad steering pump, but it's coming from the water pump. I'll be cruising at about 2000 rpm and the noise will start all of a sudden. I step on the clutch and let the rpm drop to idle, and the noise tapers off as the rpm drops and then stops completely. I bring the rpm back up, and there's no noise. There is absolutely no play in the water pump bearing, no leakage from the weep hole, no overheating.
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I have found myself in a spot of bother with my 2007 Prius... I am getting am Immediate P3190 error, & engine only runs (OR cranks) for 10 secs before stalling with the error...
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