Car stalling, crawling and air filter box disconnected

[ought]

Hello,

Could anybody advise please?

This morning, taking my daughter to school, my Ford Galaxy 2.0 Diesel (2015) stalled going through some width restrictions barriers. I restarted it, it went forward half a metre, I did it again, and a queue built up behind me. A few more restarts, a couple of toots, and I manged to get through and slowly crawl up hill. I just about managed to get to the school as it was downhill.

Coming home it again stalled once, but I found as long as I was very careful with the clutch and used a lot of gas I could keep the car moving in first gear, even up hill but ever so slowly. I had to almost floor it to go at 11 miles an hour.

If I tried second gear the car would move much slower, threaten to stall, and require a lot more gas, so I stayed in first.

By the time I got home I had a warning saying "Engine Service Now".

So when I got home I looked under the bonnet and and it seems a pipe connecting to the air filter box has come disconnected.

Could this be the source of the problem (it seems obvious, but maybe it isn't)? And if so might it have done any damage?



There is plenty of petrol in the car and it worked perfectly last night.

Thanks all!

[Mr Happy]

That's most likely your problem, the piece on the airbox it connects to is the air flow meter, so in its current state, the brain doesn't know how much air is coming into the engine, so it can't figure out how much fuel to inject, leading to rough running, stalling, everything you describe pretty much!

[SwankBaton]

Unmetered air is entering the inlet after the sensor (likely the plug on the air box in your pic). Sensors job is to tell the ECU how much air is coming in.
Many a boy racer has experienced this after putting a cone-filter on in place of the air box :-)

reconnect it should be fine.

edit - beaten to it by Mr Happy

[Little Pete]

Yes that will be the source of the problem and no, it won’t have done any damage.
Edit- beaten twice! Must type faster.

[ought]

Thank you all!

Very reassuring (especially to have had the same reply 3 times). I will just have to take all those speed bumps a little more gently, even if they do amuse my girls!

Edited by ought on Friday 16th October 12:01

[SwankBaton]

should be some form of clip normally, if the OEM clip is plastic maybe its perished ?
Tie wrap would help if you dont want to spend any money.
Jubliee clip if you dont mind £1

[thewarlock]

ought said:

Hello,

Could anybody advise please?

This morning, taking my daughter to school, my Ford Galaxy 2.0 Diesel...

There is plenty of petrol in the car and it worked perfectly last night.

Thanks all!

Typo I presume?

[ought]

Yes, sort of. Am I the only one that confusingly calls both petrol and diesel petrol?

Well spotted!

[paintman]

As long as you don't confuse the two at the pumps.....