Hello all,
Am currently having a great deal of headache from my 2000 Ford Focus. I moved to Switzerland from the USA 6 months ago and brought the car along with me.
About one month ago when my wife started the car, it would not idle - meaning without gas it would stall right away. The ford mechanics here changed two parts (soupape de ralenti and senseur d'air - exaust recirculation sensor and O2 valve as far as I understood with my limited french). The car then ran for about 50 miles without problems, but then the following problem surfaced:
The check engine light comes on and the car idles very roughly. After two more trips back to the garage in the last week, the computer diagnosis is always FUEL MIXTURE TOO POOR. The first visit the garage reset the onboard computer, yet the problem resurfaced after about 10 miles driving. They then replaced the O2 sensor, yet after 10 miles or so the same issue. The troubling issue is that they told me this morning they don't know what the problem is, and their only solution is to change piece by piece until it runs without problem again. Maybe this would normally be acceptable, but car service in Switzerland is VERY expensive! So the question is, has anyone experienced a similar problem with this model? Could this have something to do with the fuel pump issue posted on this page? Any advise at all would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks!
Kai