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Stalling Problem 2002 Ford Focus 56000 Miles


GREENFREAKENFOCUS
03-25-2005, 02:18 PM
I GOT A 2002 FORD FOCUS SE WITH 56000 MILES IT JUST STARTED SPUTERING AT LOW RPMs. I THOUGH I HAD BAD FUEL ADDED STP FUEL CLEANER TO THE GAS TANK AND PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC THE CODE WAS CYLINDER 3 WAS MISFIREING. HE GAVE THE CAR A TUNE UP (NEW PLATINUM PLUG, CABLES, AIR FILTER, FUEL FILTER ETC...). I PICKED UP THE CAR AND WAS FINE THE FOLLOWING DAY SAME PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND SAME CODE CYLINDER 3 MISFIREING. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE INTERMITEN. THE MECHANIC IS REPLACING THE IGNITION COIL TODAY. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL FIX IT. HAS ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM OR SOMETHING SIMILAR??? I HAVE BEEN READING ON LINE THAT FORD FOCUSES HAVE A LOT OF STALLING PROBLEMS. ANY RECOMENDADTION. i WILL PICK UP THE CAR TODAY 3/25/2005. I WILL KEEP YOU GUYS INFORMED TO SEE IF PROBLEM IS FIXED.


JULIO

Mustangman25
03-25-2005, 03:28 PM
Please do write what happens after he replaces the coil...I've had sputtering and stalling problems on my 00 Focus with about 67K miles, and replaced the wires and plugs which didn't do much...I read on another forum that someone had the same problem, and they changed out their ignition coil which solved the whole thing. If you say the same thing, I'll take it that a new coil solving the problem wasn't just a one shot deal, and that it actually does work. I found an OEM parts store online that has it for $55, so if that and less then an hour of my time is all it takes to fix it, then I'll go ahead with it. Thanks!

GREENFREAKENFOCUS
03-26-2005, 06:54 PM
Picked Up The Car From The Mechanic With The New Ignition Coil And The Stalling Problem Went Away.

Mustangman25
03-26-2005, 10:27 PM
Great news...I'll have to order a new coil now. Thanks for your help!

vintweed
04-03-2005, 11:55 PM
Tell your tech you want the ECU flash upgraded to the '04 spec code. That should of been done as part of his diagnosis/repair as far as I'm concerned...
My '02 sometimes stalled when pushing in the clutch from high speed/coasting to a stop...
The '04 flash fixed this, and other issues as well

Mustangman25
04-04-2005, 03:19 PM
I don't know how much that would do...this isn't just a stall, but a very very rough idle. I've read on numerous other sites that a new coil will solve the whole problem, so I would consider that to be a pretty good solution...cheaper too.

focus379
07-10-2005, 04:32 PM
Are you guys still having problems with stalling or did the new ignition coil solve everything? My 2002 Ford Focus has a rough idle (sometimes stalls) and resists acceleration within the first few minutes after starting the car. The Ford dealer said he didn't know what was causing it and has never heard of the problem before. He fixed something about the air bypass filter/system, but that did not solve the problem AND it cost me $180. Is this similar to the problems you guys had???

Mustangman25
07-10-2005, 04:34 PM
Yes...still experiencing rough idle from time to time. The coil and plug/wire replacement certainly helped, as did a new fuel pump under the Ford recall.

focus379
07-10-2005, 04:43 PM
Has your car stopped idling? See my notes at the end of this thread.

focus379
07-10-2005, 04:44 PM
I've also noticed that if I shift the car to neutral from reverse or drive, it seems to "reset" itself. I can feel it knock itself out of the rough idle and the problem seems to go away. Sometimes I have to do it 2-3 times, but it makes the rough idle stop. Any suggestions? What does the lack of acceleration mean?

The car only does it when I'm starting it cold or for the first time in a few hours.

Mustangman25
07-10-2005, 05:58 PM
Hmm...the other times I've heard of this problem, it's only after the car has warmed up. I've noticed as well that shifting it into neutral definitely helps some, but doesn't totally solve the problem. I would try some of the things mentioned in this thread, (coil, wires, plugs, fuel pump) starting with the cheap stuff first, to see if they make any difference at all.

bkwfocus
10-03-2005, 08:04 PM
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, any other helpful suggesions?

Mustangman25
10-03-2005, 08:09 PM
There are a bunch of threads on this...a common cause is parts of the EGR system, especially the DPFE sensor. Plugs and wires will help, could be a vacuum leak, or a multitude of things.

lethomas15701
10-06-2005, 10:28 AM
I have no idea if I have the same situation as everyone else here. Recently, I have been experiencing problems with my 2001 Ford Focus SE where if I take it to run errands, it will start fine initially and then I will turn the car off run an errand and go back to start the car and it won't start. If you sit and wait, anywhere from 20 minutes to 5 hours, it will eventually start. If it doesn't start you can run it but you have to do the two foot driving method, one foot on the gas at all times. I took it to a Ford Dealership and they replaced the entire Fuel System. The day after I got it back, I had an errand to run and it happened again. I took it back to the same dealership and they kept my car for a week, testing it and claim they could not get it to happen. Since I got it back, it has happened to me several times. I called the dealership and the only thing they could suggest is to replace the coil, plugs and wires because that "might" be the problem. I hate to put more money into fixing something that might fix it, no guarantee. I have obviously replaced the entire fuel system for no reason already. Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated...

Mustangman25
10-06-2005, 11:34 AM
Replaced the entire fuel system??? I think that that dealer was taking you for a bit of a ride there...the emissions system, specifically the EGR system, as well as a possible vaccum leak could be the problem. You may want to have your dealer look at that, and possibly a different dealer...I wouldn't trust one who tried to rip me off like that.

eckertd
11-14-2006, 11:03 AM
Sorry to resurrect this thread. My 2001 Focus SE (5spd - 89K) has similar problems to lethomas15701 (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/member.php?u=387977). Occasionally it's VERY hard to start. When this happens, it'll stall unless you keep the rpms up over 1000. No check engine light, no codes thrown. Also, when it's acting up, you can really feel it bog down when you ease up on the gas while in gear. Capital City Ford (Trenton, NJ) had it all last week trying to reproduce without success. It started up again today. This time the symptoms manifest with the service manager in the car ("See? I ain't crazy!"). It's already had the fuel delivery module recall performed (stalled in long-sweeping right-hand turns witn <1/3 tank of fuel).

eckertd
11-15-2006, 02:26 PM
They replaced the "Idle Air Control Valve" and it seems to have cleared up. According to the service manager, malfucntions of this part (sticking mostly) do not throw error codes. Hopefully we got it nailed this time!

eckertd
11-16-2006, 09:55 AM
Good news. The new IAC valve seems to have done the trick! Whew!

4dgrl
04-19-2007, 11:19 AM
Just wanted to say thank you to Mustangman. I have been having this problem for almost a year and tried different things because the "test" on the fuel pump were fine. Called my dealer and my car is on the list for a new fuel delivery modual. Which of course they will not guarentee to fix my problem, but it sure beats paying a couple of hundred for a new fuel pump first. I'll let you know if this fixes the problem. Seems after reading the last thread I may need the AIC as well because the r turns were the first sign of problems.

chefallison
05-29-2008, 03:04 PM
This is probably outdated, but I've had the same issues that affected 2001-2003 owners and want to offer my solution:

I have a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4-SE, which I bought brand new. At 52000 miles it started having stalling, dying, and hesistation issues. It would happen about 10 minutes after I started driving the car and got worse as I drove.

After leaving the car with Don Davis Ford in Arlington for 3 days, they called and said they could not reproduce the problems and didn't know what to do next. They suggested it was bad gas and that I run the car up and down the interstate to use up the gas and put higher octane in it to see if that would resolve the problem. It was even suggested that they pull the fuse to turn off the check engine light because their computer diagnosis couldn't register the complaint. Their "bill" came to $430, which i refused to pay because they didn't really do anything to the car (the odometer showed they drove it less than 3 miles).

The same day I picked up my car I took it to Gordon Permann's Auto Repair, a op"mom & pop" sh in Fort Worth recommended by my roommate. They diagnosed and fixed the problem in less than 2 hours, an hour of which was test driving the car on the interstate and on back roads. My cost: $89. The coil and gas were fine.

Problem: The intake runner control was stuck open (code 4), the connectors for the intake runners weren't connecting properly (bad connection), and the wiring loom clips were broken. They put a new wiring harness set on and cleaned the connectors. They also ran a full diagnostic on the car and this was the only issue the analysis returned.

Hope this info helps someone!

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