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Ford 2.0 TDCI random power issue.
Irony - 12/8/14 at 08:33 AM

Hi,

I have a Cmax with a 2.0 TDCI. Recently serviced and recently MOT'd. However every so often it is down on power. Literally no power and you just can't go anywhere. This happens at start or very near start when starting from cold. After a minute or two of patiently sitting by the kerb it seems to right itself and then drives normally. The car literally goes like stink normally. Ford Stealer wants £55 for a simple diagnostic and with a new baby I just don't have the cash to throw at it.

Any ideas?

dinosaurjuice - 12/8/14 at 08:56 AM

does the engine light come on?

Irony - 12/8/14 at 09:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dinosaurjuice
does the engine light come on?


Nope, no engine lights at all. I have a feeling its kicking into 'limp home mode'.

steve m - 12/8/14 at 09:22 AM

My mondeo 2.0 TDCI does this about once a month, and its the regen of the DPF

my "symptoms" also include a diesel smell in the cabin and the radiator fan switched on and as you say down on power and a rough feel to the driving

My car is mostly used for smallish journeys, ie up to 20 mins, so imagine it gets clogged up
the cure is to drive for about 20 miles at high revs 3k or over, and the fault clears

Steve

Irony - 12/8/14 at 09:31 AM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m
My mondeo 2.0 TDCI does this about once a month, and its the regen of the DPF

my "symptoms" also include a diesel smell in the cabin and the radiator fan switched on and as you say down on power and a rough feel to the driving

My car is mostly used for smallish journeys, ie up to 20 mins, so imagine it gets clogged up
the cure is to drive for about 20 miles at high revs 3k or over, and the fault clears

Steve


Excuse my ignorance, what is 'regen of the DPF'? My cures itself after a few minutes and is accompanied by increased exhaust gases.

steve m - 12/8/14 at 09:38 AM

have a read of this, and it explains it much better than I can,
and your CMAX does have one !!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filter

dinosaurjuice - 12/8/14 at 09:41 AM

don't confuse the c-max engine with the 2000-2007 mondeo engine - totally different.

if its a 2006 or earlier cmax it probably wont have a DPF.

When you drive it in this 'limp mode' is it building boost at all?

Irony - 12/8/14 at 09:48 AM

quote:
Originally posted by dinosaurjuice
don't confuse the c-max engine with the 2000-2007 mondeo engine - totally different.

if its a 2006 or earlier cmax it probably wont have a DPF.

When you drive it in this 'limp mode' is it building boost at all?


Its earlier than 2006. Its a 2004-5 I think. It's the wifes car tbh. There is no boost building when the car is performing it's 'trick'. It is more or less undriveable. Probably won't go over 20mph. It revs really hesitantly as if it is being electronically restricted somehow. Then all of a sudden the effect clears and its happy has anything.

Jamesc - 12/8/14 at 09:58 AM

I had a similar problem on a 2004 C-Max, turned out to be a poor electrical connection to the Air Flow Meter. Removed, cleaned and replaced - problem solved! Might be worth a look.

Irony - 12/8/14 at 10:03 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Jamesc
I had a similar problem on a 2004 C-Max, turned out to be a poor electrical connection to the Air Flow Meter. Removed, cleaned and replaced - problem solved! Might be worth a look.


According to the documentation i received with the car the MAF sensor has been replaced. When I got the car the engine light came on and ford diagnosed it as a MAF sensor issue. They 'sorted' it under warranty so I don't know what they did. Probably just cleared the error knowing the morals of Evans Halshaw. This means its had previous MAF sensor issues so you may be right.

Is removing, cleaning and replacing the MAF sensor a doable job for a beginner?

Jamesc - 12/8/14 at 10:15 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Irony
quote:
Originally posted by Jamesc
I had a similar problem on a 2004 C-Max, turned out to be a poor electrical connection to the Air Flow Meter. Removed, cleaned and replaced - problem solved! Might be worth a look.


According to the documentation i received with the car the MAF sensor has been replaced. When I got the car the engine light came on and ford diagnosed it as a MAF sensor issue. They 'sorted' it under warranty so I don't know what they did. Probably just cleared the error knowing the morals of Evans Halshaw. This means its had previous MAF sensor issues so you may be right.

Is removing, cleaning and replacing the MAF sensor a doable job for a beginner?


I'd say so. If I remember correctly, the MAF is easily accessible. It was just a dodgy contact that I experienced, the MAF itself was fine. I can't remember what type of MAF it uses, but some of them are quite fragile, so if you do remove it - treat the sensor with care!

As with your problem, it didn't put the light on, so definitely worth a look and nothing lost if it doesn't fix it.

loggyboy - 12/8/14 at 10:50 AM

EGR valve? My wife's Renault was sluggish and eventually ended up with emissions and engine warning light coming on. I removed the EGR to find it completely caked and seized by the gack that had built up. Some brake cleaner and scraping soon cleared it up and left the car feeling much better, a cheap ebay Bluetooth OBDII reader and a free app cleared the fault codes.