Fao: Rick and other technical bods

[stinka]

Attempted fuel filter change on mrs focus cmax tdci 1.6

Straightforward obviously ... Until I looked to bleed it, no bloody bleed pump

So I started cranking it in 10 sec bursts and priming it, cracked injectors tried all sorts until battery was dead

Now here's where the problem started, obviously i'll just keep cranking and fuel will appear in the end so with this in mind I pulled up my truck, connected jump leads and set about cranking it some more

I was careful to not overheat the starter (tbh in the past I've had starter motors smoking and stinking trying to start them but the starter wasn't even smelling yet) so here's the problem, the car just stopped cranking like it was flat again, although I had the jump leads connected to my running truck for a half hour ...

Then I had to call it a day as with 1 car left I had to go get the kids from school

So to be clear my problem is that the focus wouldn't turn over anymore

2 possibilities that I can think of :

1: I'd drained my truck battery (even tho running) to the extent it no longer had the power to spin over the focus ? Could this happen whilst running ?

2: I've killed the starter? Been under it, looks fine, no melted wires/trunking and no smell

So what do u think could be the cause of it not turning over anymore ?

Ps: truck was left running then I went to get kids so amps would have been right up again by time I got to school, not tried since as its dark/raining

 

[stinka]

Also checked Cambelt hadn't broke, it's fine, engine turns free by hand

 

[puddle hoppers inc.]

on previous fuel filter changes i have done i fill the filter first with veg oil or diesel and then fix on pipework, the one time i didnt do this i had trouble starting it,flat battery type trouble. hope this helps. its messy but works.

 

[puddle hoppers inc.]

on previous fuel filter changes i have done i fill the filter first with veg oil or diesel and then fix on pipework, the one time i didnt do this i had trouble starting it,flat battery type trouble. hope this helps. its messy but works.

sorry didnt read ur post fully, sorry.

 

[danielj]

I'm no technical bod I'm afraid but any chance a fuse or relay has blown? Could you start it under tow-don't know if its wise to do that or not but it was the only way a friend could start a Pajero one time after fuel filter change and about an hour of priming, sucking pipes and draining batteries. Also saw a Saab do something like you mention once but it was some kind of ECU shut down due to work being done on electrical circuits but it started on a run and everything worked fine again afterwards.

 

[solarman216]

Starter is goofed or you have done a lead, put a volt meter engine to neg on battery, try starter watching meter (set on low volts DC) if you get a reading several volts or more, you have lost your neg connection to engine, if near 0 then either the pos lead is bad, test similar or starter gone, Rick

 

[solarman216]

Assuming of course that the ignition switch is sending power to the starter solenoid, Rick

 

[makeitfit]

I seem to recall some sort of special technique reqd on the diesel focus.
Do a quick google as I'm out :thumbs

 

[rustic]

From another site....


hi guys.....how easy is it to change a fuel filter on a mk2 2.0TDCI Focus saloon? and where the hell is it located?

Found this post on another Focus website (see below) and it seems quite complicated....should i leave it to the pros?


I did my first ever diesel fuel filter change the other day and learned about all the problems the hard way.

I expect this will apply to the other diesels but not sure.

Firstly the Max does not have a fuel pump in the tank or a manual priming pump to get air out of the system. Old diesels used to have a priming pump but this seems to have been discarded to same costs.

In the box with the filter are a number of plugs. These (I now realise!!) are useful.

Start by having a plug ready and remove the outlet pipe from the filter and immediately fit the plug before any fuel leaks out of the pipe.
Them do the same with the inlet pipe.

Open the filter housing and take out the old filter. Fit new seal. Soak the new filter in some fresh clean diesel in a tin, jar , whatever you have to hand. Top up the filter bowl to a little below the bottom of the threads.
Fit new filter into the filter housing top. Surround the filter bowl with rags and lower the filter & lid into the bowl, screw on and tighten. Some diesel will be forced out and soak into the rag.
Refit the inlet pipe, then the outlet without losing any fuel.
With luck the engine will restart and run OK let it idle until all the air bubble you can see running along the pipe have gone.
Breathe a sign of relief!
If the pipe between the filter and the engine gets too much air in it, the engine will not run.
The way i fixed this was to untangle the pipe from its normal route until I could hold it vertically and the air rose to the top.
Then with a clean pump type oil can filled with clean diesel, I refilled the pipe with diesel until it was full and then fitted the cap. Next i re-routed the pipe correctly and re-connected it to the filter. After several attempts at this, I got all the air out and the engine running reliably but it was a real pig of a job.
Next time I will be much more aware of the issue and take more care.

I have also kept the plugs just in case the next filter pack does not have any in

Hope this might help someone not fall into the traps I did as well help them out of the hole of they do.

 

[solarman216]

What, a palava, all for the sake of the lack of a priming bulb, cost about £5, stinka if I was you I would purchase one from a citroen xzantia it is an in line rubber priming bulb with check valves, Rick

 

[stinka]

Starter is goofed or you have done a lead, put a volt meter engine to neg on battery, try starter watching meter (set on low volts DC) if you get a reading several volts or more, you have lost your neg connection to engine, if near 0 then either the pos lead is bad, test similar or starter gone, Rick

Cheers mate, please could you simplify this explanation for me, I think I get your drift but still a tad unsure

Thanks

 

[stinka]

What, a palava, all for the sake of the lack of a priming bulb, cost about £5, stinka if I was you I would purchase one from a citroen xzantia it is an in line rubber priming bulb with check valves, Rick

Honestly its a total joke, I just can't believe why ford would leave a pumping bulb off the line

******* shit car we've had it 3 years and its been nothing but trouble, was very cheap tho lol

I'll never buy a ford again

 

[rustic]

For systems with air, another way is to start the engine on WD40
Squirt into the air intake after the filter, whilst cranking.
Engine will run, and the increased revs will pull out the air from the fuel line.

This is what an RAC man did to a company vectra of mine.
He flattened 3 batteries trying to start it, but one squirt of WD 40 and off it went.

Was ok then..

The problem is that the fuel line return, let air in, and the diesel drained all the way back to the tank. I got this sorted and never had the problem again.:thumbs

 

[solarman216]

Sorry mate, I tend to think as I go along the lines of my own experience, forgetting that others may not understand, so a better method will be to use a set of jump leads, put the black lead to a good engine point and to the neg of battery, try starter, if it spins then confirms bad earth lead, if not then use the red lead starter main connector to pos on the battery try starter, if it spins = bad main lead if not then starter gone as long as you have power to the solenoid when ignition switch turned, Rick

 

[stinka]

Sorry mate, I tend to think as I go along the lines of my own experience, forgetting that others may not understand, so a better method will be to use a set of jump leads, put the black lead to a good engine point and to the neg of battery, try starter, if it spins then confirms bad earth lead, if not then use the red lead starter main connector to pos on the battery try starter, if it spins = bad main lead if not then starter gone as long as you have power to the solenoid when ignition switch turned, Rick

Got ya mate

So I will need another set of jump leads as well to do this, as battery is dead on focus ?

Unless I swap battery of truck, but I think its too big to fit in focus battery tray

 

[solarman216]

hook up your T2 to the focus and run engine half hour will put plenty in to start, Rick

 

[stinka]

Do they charge well on idle then mate ?

I always thought there was next to fk all output from alternator

 

[solarman216]

if you hook up a flat battery to a fully charged one on a running motor even at idle, the flat battery (given good jump lead connections) will pull the running motors battery down to a voltage that will push the alternator to into giving 20 or 30 amps at that rate half an hour will give the flat battery a good charge, more than enough to spin the engine over for a few mins, Rick

 

[stinka]

Interesting to know, cheers mate

 

[geoffdown]

Do they charge well on idle then mate ?

I always thought there was next to fk all output from alternator

alternator will charge at idle its the old dynamo that need to be reved to charge just be carefully with jumping or disconnecting battery with modern cars as u could spike the ecu and turn ur ecu in to a expensive paper weight