57 plate focus non starter after fuel filter change
 

hi all, in need of help, i have a 1.8 diesel focus 57 plate started to flash engine system fault, and started to run lumpy then cleared. changed fuel filter now will not start off key but will start with a push! tried pumping the air out through fuel lines still no start any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks michelle

Is it safe to assume it is a stick shift?
Are you able to get the starter to crank the engine?
From where I am,,,,, if it will run with a push , but not with the key , the only other thing I can think of at the moment is the safety switch that closes when the clutch pedal is depressed. Does this make any sense to you?

hi hanky thanks so much for reply and yes i get what ur saying (sort of) he said when he was towing yesterday he switch ignition off the back on and the car took off! if that makes sence? so sorry for sounding dumb but do u have any ideas wot to do?

When you turn the key to the start position with the clutch pedal all the way down what happens?

just turns over and over but dosent start

From what you describe it sounds like the key switch is not sending a signal down to a fuel control solenoid all the time. If you fiddle with the switch a few times then try to start it does it allow it to start?

thanks for ur help, a few mornings b4 the fuel filter change, it took ages to start but once started was fine all day, but since then hes tried all uve said and dtill nothing just turns over and over but wnt fire up

Was the temp outside cold on those mornings, and how about this time?

Not knowing where you are located, if the outside temp goes below a certain point, diesels require some form of engine heat in order to fire up.
Generally they use a glow plug type system to accomplish this. That system if not working completely could cause hard starting when cold.

yes it was

Now we're getting somewhere.
We are limited as to just how much we can do with letters and you may need to have someone check the glow plugs and glow plug relay.
We always start with the simple things like check all the fuses to make sure the one for engine heat/start is good.

excellent i will do that now thanks so much x

Let us know how u make out with this, thanx

good call need a washer for injector and glow plugs fingers crossed x

hi hanky just a quick question, done the glow plugs and washer now when the clutch is down the car will start! as u mentioned something about a cut off switch?

The only thing I can recall regarding any switch possibly was the clutch safety switch.
As you know the purpose of that switch is to prevent the vehicle from starting while in gear unless the clutch is disengaged , pedal all the way down.
Does that answer your question?

The light just came on upstairs (my brain?) It's been a long day!
Could you be thinking about the fuel shut down solenoid ?
Most diesels have a solenoid that either controls a linkage or a valve internally and that is how they shut down the fuel supply to the engine. They usually malfunction in the shut-off position preventing the engine from starting due to the lack of fuel.

hi hanky, thanks for that, its a bit of a nightmare to be honest! the car actually drives like a dream better than it ever did! thing is, the situation now is, sometimes it fires straight up, sometimes it wont start at all. it seems like a diesel prob somewhere along the line, the diesel light (low fuel) came on with a quarter of a tank of fuel! aaarrgghhh

Don't know how much help we can be, but the times it won't start , any special conditions like hot, cold, after parking a while,shortly after shutting down?
I presume you changed the fuel filter because of the hard starting when cold problem.
Could you have received some fuel with water in it? When you change the fuel filter do you have a chance to dump the contents and see what comes out? You can't miss water , it comes out in droplets. As you already know diesels are very sensitive to questionable fuel.
Just for kicks, can you observe the action of the fuel shutdown solenoid while someone turns the key on? It's a good thing to know which direction it goes when working correctly so that you can spot it right away when it may not be working .

sorry me again! u are correct in everything uve said so far! genius, however prob still there, in reply to ur question, yes he has done the fuel filter sgain and no water, however the fuel filter is draining for some reason, if i run the car for 10 miles or so its all running fine, but turn engine off and its a non starter looking at it the diesel is not getting to the filter, or it is but its running back! dont know bout the solonoid, where am i looking for this? women a? not a clue (hehe) many thanks hanky

p.s. also no special conditions at all, i mean yday morn it was raining pretty cold, car started straight up! today not having it, also filled up with more diesel and still no start

If the filter is allowed to empty out, There are a few places it could be going. If there was a leak in the line from the tank to the filter you most likely would see it or smell the odor of diesel fuel. Just about all fuel pumps have a check valve as part of the assembly to prevent drainback. If a fuel pressure regulator is defective , the fuel could get back to the tank through the return line. I don't know where the pressure regulator is located on your vehicle's engine, but if it is in the line before the filter it could allow fuel to go back to the tank after setting awhile.

I'm trying to think of some of the things that could cause the problem of the filter not being full of fuel.
Not being entirely sure of what system is on the vehicle, am I correct that you are having someone do this work or are you doing it yourself?
No matter who is doing it , does the engine have a primer pump to fill the filter after it is changed?
If the primer pump is leaking air into the system it will allow the fuel to drain back to the tank. And if the fuel pump is mounted to the side of the injection pump with the primer pump one of the valves in that fuel pump may be defective and allowing the fuel to flow back. One of the ways we check this is to place a piece of clear tubing in the suction line and observe if any air is getting into the system. Usually it comes with a performance problem, but the vehicle seems to perform OK does it not?

hi hanky, sorry to be a pain reason for no replys as ran out of money! so the situation now is first thing in the morning the car will start fine, drive it about then no start and is like that all day! it will, however start with a spray or a jump. we keep getting low fuel light even though theres plenty of fuel in it. driving us mad and yes we are doing the work ourselves my partner is a self taught man if u know what i mean . any suggestions greatly appreciated