MK1 Focus tick over

[kwaka]

Hi people has just brought my daughter a focus 1800 zetec engine, the problem i have is the tick over is very uneven and about to stall!
But driving along is ok.Plugs and leads all ok.

[dazfocus18]

i hav the same car it happens 2 me all the time. wen i got the car there was no mods on it and it was working ok but then i got a power flow on it so now it salls. has it got any mods

[kwaka]

No it is all standard,but another thing i have noted is that not only is the tick over bad but when you change gear the revs do not seem to drop fast enough for when change so you get that rummm when you change.

[wrightman90]

Spray some wd40 on your throttle body- that should solve the sticky throttle. Stalling and speedo problems are recognized faults at ford, so they will pay for the part if needed, but not labour.

[dazfocus18]

same here wen i stop the revs go up to 2-3000 then stops there 4 3secs then gos bk down but i hav a power flow so not the same as u

[kwaka]

wrightman90 said:

Spray some wd40 on your throttle body- that should solve the sticky throttle. Stalling and speedo problems are recognized faults at ford, so they will pay for the part if needed, but not labour.

Even for a car that is year 2000 ?

[Allyc85]

kwaka said:

Hi people has just brought my daughter a focus 1800 zetec engine, the problem i have is the tick over is very uneven and about to stall!
But driving along is ok.Plugs and leads all ok.

That will be caused by a sticking idle control valve which can be found in behind the inlet manifold. Over time it gets full up with gunk and will stick causing the above symptoms. It can be cleaned out with carb cleaner or you can get a new one from Ford for around £90.

[kwaka]

Allyc85 said:

kwaka said:

Hi people has just brought my daughter a focus 1800 zetec engine, the problem i have is the tick over is very uneven and about to stall!
But driving along is ok.Plugs and leads all ok.

That will be caused by a sticking idle control valve which can be found in behind the inlet manifold. Over time it gets full up with gunk and will stick causing the above symptoms. It can be cleaned out with carb cleaner or you can get a new one from Ford for around £90.

Thanks for that i will give it a look.Ta

[Kitchski]

Theres a rubber breather that runs from the inlet to the catch-tank, which manages to strangle itself under vacuum. This means the idle valve can't get a good supply of air and doesn't work properly.

It could also be the idle valve, or the speedo sensor; the engine is designed to fast idle while the car is rolling to a standstill...if the speedo sensor plays up, the revs get irratic although this is the rarest of the three.

I'd check all the breathers thoroughly, thats what we sell the most of at work.

[t84]

dazfocus18 said:

same here wen i stop the revs go up to 2-3000 then stops there 4 3secs then gos bk down but i hav a power flow so not the same as u

Mine does this if you dip the clutch when rolling

[wrightman90]

kwaka said:

wrightman90 said:

Spray some wd40 on your throttle body- that should solve the sticky throttle. Stalling and speedo problems are recognized faults at ford, so they will pay for the part if needed, but not labour.

Even for a car that is year 2000 ?

Yes it was a recognized fault covered on bbc watchdog

[Zad]

It is probably worth mentioning here that, according to this month's Car Mechanic magazine, Ford have dropped the price of Mk 1 Focus instrument clusters to £50 from £250. So don't even think of going to a scrappies for a replacement!

[Monkeybizzle]

Hi all, I know this is an old forum, but I have a similar problem. When I start the engine cold it keeps stalling unless I can keep the revs up. So every time I come to a junction, red light or I have to slow right down, the revs obviously drop and it cuts out, whereas before it would meep itself idling at about 800rpm. As you can imagine this is very dangerous, especially if im going around corners and it cuts out as i then lose the power steering.
It seems to get better once it warms up, but still won't keep itself going! Any ideas or solutions would be massively appreciated as I need to get it sorted on the weekend.

[Mobytoss]

Both the above poster's problem and the original poster's problems would usually be down to the throttle plate and/or body, and the Idle Air Control valve needing a clean due to carbon buildups. If neither of these sort it, then I'd think there may be a vacuum leak in one of the hoses, but more likely to be throttle/IAC valve dirt