Ford Focus Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

new timing kit, now car wont idle, but runs at 3000+ RPM

Jump to Latest
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
M

macantley

· Registered
Joined
·
11 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
2000 ford focus, i purchased it with a bad timing belt, its a 2.0L zetec motor, installed new timing belt, engine sputters, and wont idle, gotta hold your foot on the gas alittle to get it to start up, it runs super rough until you get the RPM's around 3000 or better, once they are there it seems to run smooth but the exhaust gets real hot real fast.

my mechanic said the cat was plugged, so i removed the EGR port stuff from the manifold and tried again since the exhaust had another path of escape before the cat, still no luck, at this point im guessing the timing is off, im wondering if anyone else has an opinion before i take it back to the mechanic?

ive also noticed the power door locks dont work, anyone know where the fuse is for the power locks?

matthew
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
hEaT said:
Definitely sounds like timing. Did you use the TDC pin and cam bar to hold everything at TDC?
Click to expand...
i did not, my mechanic did, normally i do my own work, but i didnt own the tdc pin, nor did i own the cam bar, he had everything from a 99 contour 2.0L zetec so he said it will work on a 2000 focus, so i paid $200 to have him do the timing belt and i paid for all the parts.

matthew
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
thanks, id love to get this car going, it does me no good just sitting in the driveway.

at this point i have about 1300 bucks in the car, id almost consider selling it for that just so i can get something else.

but im hoping to hold out so i can get it up and going, the engine looked clean and new inside.

hope my SVT contour looks as clean when i finally get to dig into it. (nothing broke on it "yet")
 
#9 ·
Anything is possible... Did you recheck your timing?
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #11 ·
ok, timing has been checked, used the TDC pin, and the cam hold downs, everything appears to be exactly how it should be, still no change in how the car runs.

would it be helpful if i video'd the car running and how it attempts to idle?

could fuel pressure or regulator be an issue.

matthew
 
#12 ·
no engine light? what about other codes? something is definately wrong, i'd have a professional look at it, the guy that worked on it doesn't seem to be working out...
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#13 ·
The car won't idle, but if you give it gas, it will run past, say, 3,000 rpms? Hm. If, when you hold down the gas, the car is revving, but it's a sputtering rev, you might have some sort of vacuum leak in there. Or your Idle Air Control Valve might be shot--that's at least a possibility.

It's a long shot, but I went for nearly three weeks, getting the cam bar and pin, checking the timing, checking the cam gears, going absolutely freaking nuts trying to figure out why my car, as I just pulled it into my garage, up and died on me and simply would...not...idle.

I thought it was bad gas (I need premium for my supercharger), so i drained the gas tank by turning the key on and off about four hundred times (I had just filled it up no less than ten minutes before it died). Nope. I swapped out the Idle Air Control Valve ("IACV"), thinking that was bad. Nope. I checked the throttle body, which did need a new gasket, by the way, but that wasn't it. Neither was it the plug wires, the spark plugs, the coil pack, the throttle position sensor ("TPS"), or other assorted emissions hardware.

What it was, was the Exhaust Gas Recirculation ("EGR") valve gasket--a four dollar part. It had slowly disintegrated over the past few years and there was my vacuum leak, in a place I didn't think to look. Installed a new one and VAVAVA--VOOM! she fired up and ran like a top.

Incidentally, I had a "blown out cat"--a very expensive Random Technologies 2.5" cat. It imploded inside and clogged itself up, just shredded itself. I was trying to shove a fist sized mass of exhaust gases down a hole the diameter of my thumb. However, even with the blown cat, it was the opposite of your condition: with a blown cat, the car idles just fine. It's when you hammer the throttle the car falls flat on its face and just doesn't go anywhere (e.g. you hear the engine revving like mad, all the noise bells and whistles, but you sure don't take off with the same amount of force as you used to).

I'd check for vacuum leaks, esp. in unexpected places.

--Scott
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #16 ·
thought i would touch base on this again, checked timing, checked plugs, finally got down to the point where i let some fuel drip into the throttle body via a slow drip system i made up, it idled with fuel going into the intake, so i pulled the fuel tank out today and the pump screen was plugged up, im going to replace the pump as soon as it drys up, hopefully the car will operate fine after the pump is replaced.

matthew
 
#17 ·
I dont think a fuel pump issue would cause the car not to idle but run fine at 3k+ rpm... it would be opposite if anything

I'm gonna say you have a massive vac. leak or something along those lines... unmetered air is getting in the system somehow... it would explain why when you richen it up via your slow drip... it wants to idle...

Check all your vac. ports on the intake manifold and check the lines that run near the passenger side of the car... anything that could have been moved/disconnected while while doing the timing set... also check all electrical connections such as the MAF and IAC motor under the intake... anything that could have been left unhooked. Also, check the vac. line going to the brake booster... its easily unhooked and just snaps into the intake manifold... and the pcv vac line... the pcv valve is on the front of the engine to the right of the exhaust manifold... it'll have a rubber 90 and a rubber line that goes back and hooks up to a short metal line... then back to rubber to the intake... this line is another common problem.

Could be a dirty MAF sensor... if the cat is plugged up... undoing the egr from the manifold isnt going to cut it.. just not enough flow... your gonna have to replace the cat or delete it (obx 4-2-1 header from ebay is cheap...) however still wouldnt cause your no idle but runs great otherwise issue...

with 180psi of compression... that rules out internal damage such as bent valves or blown hg... etc.. etc.. timing could still be off by a tooth but I doubt it...

Just a few things to check...

Did the car run when you bought it?
-AcId-
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
About this Discussion
16 Replies
8 Participants
Last post:
AcIdBuRn02ZTS
Ford Focus Forum
posts
3.6M
members
67K
Since
1989
Forum community dedicated to Ford Focus owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about RS/ST performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
TEAM Pit Stop Ford SVT Focus Headquarters Forced Induction & Nitrous MK I Tech New Member Introductions