Hi everyone,
Hoping someone can help me with this intermittent issue. Bit of a long story, please bear with..
I accidentally left the side lights on overnight on my focus, woke up to a flat battery and had to get a jump start. Left it ticking over for about 30 minutes then drove it over to Halfords to get a battery check. It was low but charging normally and the chap suggested I run it for a bit and bring it back to check it again next day. When I fired it up in the morning it was very slow to start the engine but eventually it got going and drove normally for about 2 miles until I came to a set of traffic lights and as I came to a stop realised that the engine had silently cut-out. I tried to start it, it turned over normally but wouldn't start. Eventually I get the warning "System engine fault" on the display.
I called for breakdown assistance and kept trying the engine, eventually with some success and by the time the technician arrived it was running normally. He left, concluding that I had not driven it long enough the previous day to charge the battery sufficiently. I'm not sure why that would stop the engine once it's already running though.
I ran the car for another 30-45 minutes in my local area. I stopped a couple of times and restarted the engine with no issues whatsoever, vehicle behaving normally. Halfords do a second test and get errors so conclude battery probably needs replacing. I wasnt convinced but went ahead anyway.
A few hours later I jumped in the car and again it's very difficult to start. Eventually fires up, I take a chance and go for a short drive and I'm very quickly in the same situation again with my hazards on. Not great..
I took it on a quite side road a couple of times since then and experienced the issue and was actually able to stop the engine from cutting out completely by just flooring it. For a few seconds, nothing. And then all of a sudden a rush of power, as if some kind of fuel blockage manging to clear itself.
Most of the posts I've read about these symptoms relate to either fuel/air valve problems or to dpf clogging.
But despite the symptoms not really indicating this I find it hard to believe the issue isnt somehow related to me draining the battery the other night - seems awfully coincidental otherwise. Im completely stumped. Self-diag doesnt show any DTC error codes and I have extremely limited experience in this area.
Obviously I need to get it checked by a proper mechanic with the appropriate diagnostic equipment etc. But thought Id ask if anyone has had a similar experience, has any ideas what the problem might be or can in any way offer any advice or assistance, Id be extremely grateful.
I can sense a lot of tldr coming but for those who did thank you:)
Hoping someone can help me with this intermittent issue. Bit of a long story, please bear with..
I accidentally left the side lights on overnight on my focus, woke up to a flat battery and had to get a jump start. Left it ticking over for about 30 minutes then drove it over to Halfords to get a battery check. It was low but charging normally and the chap suggested I run it for a bit and bring it back to check it again next day. When I fired it up in the morning it was very slow to start the engine but eventually it got going and drove normally for about 2 miles until I came to a set of traffic lights and as I came to a stop realised that the engine had silently cut-out. I tried to start it, it turned over normally but wouldn't start. Eventually I get the warning "System engine fault" on the display.
I called for breakdown assistance and kept trying the engine, eventually with some success and by the time the technician arrived it was running normally. He left, concluding that I had not driven it long enough the previous day to charge the battery sufficiently. I'm not sure why that would stop the engine once it's already running though.
I ran the car for another 30-45 minutes in my local area. I stopped a couple of times and restarted the engine with no issues whatsoever, vehicle behaving normally. Halfords do a second test and get errors so conclude battery probably needs replacing. I wasnt convinced but went ahead anyway.
A few hours later I jumped in the car and again it's very difficult to start. Eventually fires up, I take a chance and go for a short drive and I'm very quickly in the same situation again with my hazards on. Not great..
I took it on a quite side road a couple of times since then and experienced the issue and was actually able to stop the engine from cutting out completely by just flooring it. For a few seconds, nothing. And then all of a sudden a rush of power, as if some kind of fuel blockage manging to clear itself.
Most of the posts I've read about these symptoms relate to either fuel/air valve problems or to dpf clogging.
But despite the symptoms not really indicating this I find it hard to believe the issue isnt somehow related to me draining the battery the other night - seems awfully coincidental otherwise. Im completely stumped. Self-diag doesnt show any DTC error codes and I have extremely limited experience in this area.
Obviously I need to get it checked by a proper mechanic with the appropriate diagnostic equipment etc. But thought Id ask if anyone has had a similar experience, has any ideas what the problem might be or can in any way offer any advice or assistance, Id be extremely grateful.
I can sense a lot of tldr coming but for those who did thank you:)
