Help Me Please!

02 Focus 2.0L SE. Car has 110,000 miles and just had a tune up. Brand new plugs/wires, new oil and filter change. Brand new air/fuel filter as well. I found two vacuum leaks and replaced all hoses. All was done to fix a stalling at idle problem. Car ran perfect for almost two months until now. Tried to take it out this morning, backed it out, hit the brake and it stalled. Fired it right back up and it ran well all day. On my way home there was a sudden loss in power. Radio shut off, lights came on dash, and speedometer dropped to zero, although the car was still running. It finally stalled when I came to complete stop. Started it right back up and continued on. Doing about 40mph when, all of a sudden, it felt like I hit something. Car lost all power to everything except engine. The engine was still on but barely. Now the speedometer is pegged at 150mph and will not move. Even when I shut the car off and turn it back on and drive, speedometer is still pegged. It runs fine the majority of the time until random power loss and stall upon stopping. I desperately need this car so any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

You might want to check about any recalls or service bulletins about this particular vehicle. There were some Focus's that had problems with the DPFE sensor. The stalling and loss of power symptoms may be attributed to that. The rest sounds like an electrical short/issue. You can atleast remove the instrument cluster and make sure it is plugged in properly and getting constant power. Check to make sure the speedo needle is not rotated all the way around so that it is pinning itself against the stop and not allowing it to return to the normal position. I've had this on a Buick when I lost power a few times and the needle rotated around, so I had to manually move the needle back to the original position. And finally, being a 2002, scan for codes at most parts store for free.

I was told by someone to check out the vehicle speed sensor. . . With the symptoms the vehicle has does this sound like a reasonable place to look?

I was told by someone to check out the vehicle speed sensor. . . With the symptoms the vehicle has does this sound like a reasonable place to look?

Guessing can be quite costly. Go to Advance Auto or another parts store of the like and they will scan it for free. You need to do this step first. 1996 and newer vehicles are computer controlled. The list of causes can go on and on.

Well I just wanted to update everyone. . . I broke down and took the car to a shop. I arrived right at closing so I had to wait until the morning. When they tried to start it up in the morning it was dead. They tried to jump it but it was still completely dead. The technician said he gave the positive battery cable a tug and it snapped. Replaced the cable and the car has been running great ever since! He also scanned the speed sensor and said it was operating well. Unfortunately the speedometer never recovered and is still stuck at 150mph. It is an aftermarket cluster that came with the car when I bought it. The temp guage has never worked so I have broken down again and decided to buy a used factory cluster. I am going to attempt to replace the cluster myself and was wondering what is involved. I am guessing it is pretty simple. (Pull old cluster, unplug. Plug in new cluster and install.)? Also, in the Focus, does the cluster store the mileage for the odometer or the computer in the car? Thank You in advance.

Glad it was an easy fix. You can get a cheap used cluster at any 'U Pull it' junkyards. You will have to remove it, but you can 'practice' and not worry about destroying your own first. I don't believe the mileage is stored in the cluster. IIRC the mileage is stored by the BCM body control module, a separate entity in the car electronics.

I figured the cluster would be pretty easy. I was acually able to find one at a salvage yard for $40. I figured I would probably not be able to find it much cheaper than that so I grabbed it. Unfortunately, I pulled into home tonight and the car shut off. Running real rough again upon idle. I guess it is back to the drawing board.

May as well check the neg/black battery cable since the Pos/red one was bad. Start grabbing wires, w/car off, and seeing if everything feels complete and whole. Then drive to Advance Auto and have it scanned again.

Well the cluster is now installed. . . One problem down! Two questions left though. Apparently the odometer reading is stored in the cluster. The car had over 110,000 miles when I started but it now has 64,500 showing on the ticker. I am guessing there is no way I can get the correct mileage to show, correct? Also the new cluster upon installation now has the "ABS" light on and the "Brake" Light on. Does the cluster store the "ABS" codes? Will I be able to clear those codes amd have the lights off?

Odometer, some are different than others.

The 'brake' light, might have been on before if previous cluster lights didn't work. Or coincidentally and just came on. Does the brake pedal fade when depressed? If brake light is on, there might be a line leak or faulty master cylinder or wheel cylinder or caliper etc, lots of things. Park on a dry spot and pump brake pedal, check for wet spots on the ground or under vehicle.

The ABS light, never heard of codes being stored by cluster. So another issue could have arisen with the ABS usually something like an ABS sensor on the wheel. Not real difficult to fix. Getting codes is the first step and that will need to be scanned.

Good luck.

Well maybe I will just put the old cluster back in so I don't have to deal with the brake problem. :) My next step will be getting the ABS codes. It is nice to have a functioning gas and temp gauge again though.