[lynette142]

hello new to this so not sure if should have added to other cutting out notice. I have a Focus (1998) and intermittently since last November it has cut out always when I'm slowing dow for a junction/traffic lights. Its usually not long after I've started the engine but NOT when the engine is cold ie driven into town nipped in the shop come out and when move off again cuts out. for some odd reason it cuts out twice or three times in a row, so junction, lights, then roundabout in relatively quick succession each time I have to restart the engine and it always does start again but after that i continue on my journey unhindered. then maybe go a couple of weeks before it happens again. I've had fuel pump blockaged checked and some 'managment software updated' but niether have cleared the problem - any ideas folks?

[haggis@home]

it may be the idle control valve , some times if you are doing short trips it can get clogged up with soot . this can cause the valve to miss read and cause stalling . its very difficult to say with out actually being with the car and i would suggest you dealer inspects it . it also could be meany other things , but from what you have said it sounds like it may be that .

hope that helps :)

[ring.frank]

hi Lynette
have the exact same problem with my oo focus 1.4 Have it booked in friday to be looked at using diagnostic computer its quite dangerous when it cuts out as the steering goes heavy all of a sudden. anyway let you know how i get on I dont have too much faith in it being sorted quickly though

[Focusowner]

Hi I have had the exact problem for the past 16 months with my focus. It was cutting out when I slowed down at junctions and I had my car looked at and it had logged no errors. I then bought a vehicle speed sensor from ford for £21 and my borfriend fitted it for me and this has solved the problem. Since then (a couple of months ago) my car has not cut out once!!! PROBLEM SOLVED!!

[focus_huw]

Focus cuts out when slowing down

Like most people in here my petrol 1.8 Focus sometimes cuts out when slowing down and I'm always expecting to get hit from behind when it happens at roundabouts. So whats the consensus here - does changing the vehicle speed sensor work?

Sorry just noticed theres more of us enjoying the Focus experience
http://forum.rac.co.uk/showthread.php?t=478

[Focusowner]

Engine cutting out

Hi there, I had the vehicle speed sensor changed and this solved the problem for me. It only cost £21 for the sensor so it is worth trying. I had the problem for 16 months from when I had bought my car. I told the garage, where I bought it from about my problem and they told me it was the way I was driving it!! Cheeky.

[monkey1309]

I've been having exactly the same issue, but it's only happened to me in the summer months when I've had my air con switched on! I haven't had any replies to my thread though...I wonder if mine could be the same problem, if so what would that have to do with the speed sensor? I'm confused. It's obviously a big probelm with focus, it 's very scary though, especially the steering going off...I dread it happening when I'm going round an island or something:eek:

[ranjd]

Originally Posted by monkey1309

I've been having exactly the same issue, but it's only happened to me in the summer months when I've had my air con switched on! I haven't had any replies to my thread though...I wonder if mine could be the same problem, if so what would that have to do with the speed sensor? I'm confused. It's obviously a big probelm with focus, it 's very scary though, especially the steering going off...I dread it happening when I'm going round an island or something:eek:

Hi Guys, erm ford owner, or anyone else. Do you know the actual part name and the part number so i can order it from ford.

Thanks

[Delvin]

Focus FFV cutting out

Was very interested to read the cutting-out problems people are having with the Ford Focus. I have a Focus FFV 1.8 (flexifuel - can take petrol or bio ethanol ) and it's just gone back into the dealer garage today for the 4th time for the same cutting out problem. Last time they kept it for 3 weeks and replaced a part and initially it seemed to be fine and then I filled it with bio fuel and it cut out 5 times that day, including on a busy city centre bridge when I was changing lanes.

It's less than 1 year old and has been cutting out on and off since I bought it but initially I thought it was just a matter of getting used to it, having driven VW for years. Wish I'd stuck to VW. Most of my driving involves short trips morning and evening from home to my daughter's school and then on to work, less than 2 miles. The fault is intermittent and some days it's fine, and other days, it will cut out several times when I'm slowed down in traffic or taking off from being stationery in traffic or from the lights. Also cuts out when I reverse out of a parking.

The Ford dealer I bought it off has been helpful etc but the computer isn't showing a fault and they've driven it and it's never cut out.

This time, I wrote formally to the dealer and said I wanted car returned to the manufacturer and I want a replacement so Ford instructed the dealer to take it back to make sure it's the same problem again and not a new problem. An attempt to stall I assume. Apparently an "independent expert" is going to look at it tomorrow. The garage has limited experience of the FFV (they've only sold 2) so that's created problems but from the messages posted here, it seems it's a Focus problem whereas I was blaming the problem on the bio fuel.

Has anyone any experience or success with having a car replaced by the manufacturer?

[Steven]

I have had this problem as well recently. Diagnostic didn't reveal any faults and all hoses appear fine. I got the mechanic to clean ou the idle valve and as of today it hasn't stalled once - hope I'm not speaking too soon.

[gramchurn]

Ford Focus stumbling

I sometimes see that my speedometer goes dead and then wakes up again at random. i've also noticed that my engine stumbles sometimes...could the two things be related somehow or is the speedometer thing a sensor problem and the stumbling an engine problem?:confused:

[magicred]

i have a t reg turbo diesel.recently my focus has started to cut out for no reason.very scary sometimes.i spotted this forum,does anybody have any concrete answers yet of the problem?

regards magicred

[ADAM1]

did your boyfriend have trouble fitting it? I tried taking the retaining pin out and it broke off! it seems corroded inside just like to know where i can go from here?

[timtimster]

how to change the speed sensor on a ford focus

Just to add my two pence worth to this thread. Just replaced my speed sensor and found it relatively easy to do it working from above. Mine’s a 1.6 (I think you may have to remove the air filter ducting on other models) Cheers to all the other posters who gave me enough info to diagnose and have a go myself.

The symptoms I had were:

Speedo needle dropping to 0 at least once each time I used it. The milometer showed 0000. it would then be fine a few mins later. No discernible drop in power or radio going quiet like others have reported. It never cut out on me and I only had the ---- thing once but I reckon it was only going to get worse. Also all the needles in the console do a full sweep each time I start up.

Here’s what I did:

Before you start make sure you’ve got some light down there and a good set of smallish mole (vise) grips and a hammer.

Lean on an old pillow or something placed over the rocker cover and manifold. You can see the speed sensor pointing straight up from the back of the gear box. There are two black pipes in a white plastic clip. Unclip them, they will flex out of the way a bit when your arm’s down there. There is also a more flexible tube and a piece of the wiring that I tied out of the way to the bulkhead.

I prepped it with WD40 a few times for a couple of days before starting. Spraying onto the end of the pin and into the recess around the bottom of the sensor itself. It was only when I was putting the new sensor in that I noticed that you can see the pin as it passes and goes into the cut out in the side of the sensor where it holds it in place ie. The WD can lubricate the part of the pin that is ‘inside’ the gearbox.

Here are some pictures of the sensor so you can get an idea what it looks like out of the gearbox:

http://www.napaonline.com/masterpage...e+Speed+Sensor


You should now have a bit of room to get at the speed sensor and unclip the connector. This is pretty fiddly and took a bit before I actually disconnected it. On the side of the connector nearest to the bulkhead there is a raised ‘bridge’ squeeze this to unclip or get a small screwdriver under it levering towards the bulkhead while you pull the connector up.

At this point you could try cleaning the three pins you can see in the sensor and the connections on the connector (with contact cleaner or I used brake cleaner and a cotton bud). A week or so ago I tried this and it stopped the symptoms up until a few days ago when the speedo dropped again, fingers crossed it might solve yours.

Anyway, to get the pin out:

WD40 it regularly as you complete this.

The pin has a piece of metal riveted to the end, which bends over and is supposed to stop the pin from coming out on its own (yeah, right!), bend it up a bit. Firstly I used a flat head screwdriver behind the metal and the plastic arm to try and lever the pin out of the hole a bit. I think it might have moved a bit before it snapped off allowing a bit more purchase with the mole grips.

There is a plastic ‘arm’ that comes out of the sensor with a hole at the end where the pin goes through. Try to keep the arm intact as it will help you lever the sensor out when the pin is removed.

I cut the hole bit at the end of the arm off with some cutters. This gives you a bit more room to get the grips on. I first tried to lever the pin out with the cutters like someone else mentioned but that didn’t work for me. I gripped the end of the pin with the moleys really tight, horizontally to the pin. There is just enough room to get a medium hammer down there and about 5 inches of swing. I tapped the pin and twisted it a bit after each tap. It came out after 6 or 7 swings.

To get the sensor itself out:

Use a flat head screwdriver under the ‘arm’ and lever up, hoping as you do that it doesn’t break in half! You have to lever fairly hard but not straining.

I read that it helps to remove the transmission oil filler cap to ease the vaccum effect. It looked a bit tricky to get to and you risk your oil spilling all over the floor as it’s the level hole as well. I didn’t bother.

Once you break the initial seal it should come out fairly easily. Be careful after you remove it completely as there is a big gaping hole in the top of your gearbox. You wouldn’t want anything falling in there. Get a rag and clean out the crud that builds up in the hole. Be careful to wipe up and out so it doesn’t go into the gearbox, then tuck a clean part into the hole.

It was a little bit bent when I got it out due, I think, to the levering so if you want to get it out and reuse it again then I’d think of some other way to remove it. I can’t see why you’d want to do that, mine cost £26.80 from Ford and they’re a sealed unit.

Oil the O rings on the new one and tap it back in to place. I used a length of wood to tap gently down and a thin screwdriver to judge where the hole is. Finally I greased the pin (if I ever wanted to get it out again) and tapped that gently home. Neither needed any force. I didn’t bother with a new pin with the clip on it as it was a tightish fit in there and I doubt it would come out on its own. Connect the plug, clip the pipes back and untie the bits and hopefully it sorted your problem. About 30 mins to do and £50 in labour saved. Double or triple that for a Ford dealer. Good luck.

It hasn’t sorted the needle sweep but I read somewhere that it could be either my battery needs charging or a new one. I’ll charge it and see if it that sorts it. If anyone’s got any ideas they’d be much appreciated. I’ve also got this annoying ‘thud’ when I turn the steering right from centre. See:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ATjdVu1Ff-Q

Also if anyone’s any ideas, be much appreciated.

[Yeti49]

Hi Timtimster,

Many thanks for your extremely comprehensive post. So useful to have someone's step-by-step guide to a job. So far I've only removed the connector and given it a squirt of Servisol plus a few de-matings/re-matings. If this doesn't work I guess it's time to get a new sensor and get the mole grips out!

[neds]

My Son's ford focus petrol 1.6 was cutting out when coming to a stop and idle. The mechanic said to start with the basics first and suggested a service. As the car was recently bought and we were told it had a service I thought it would not would not help plus the oil was pretty clean. Anyway I suggested as it was going in for him to check the spark plugs and change if required. Turns out the plugs were very worn and required replacing. Been driving the car now with no issues so hopefully this helps out someone else too.