engine cuts out with right hand turn please help

[ptpdub]

specs are 2000 ford focus with 61000 miles on 2 ltr engine. car is in great shape, automatic and air-conditioning. brand new fuel pump. when driving the car around a long right hand turn, (off ramp kind of thing) the engine cuts out. like it shuts off but not quite off. when the turn ends, we are good to go again. next, the car wont rev high. like if you wanted to pass a car, it cuts out. I don't have a tach but my guess is 3500rpm ish. thats it. nothing higher, no matter what gear. I had a check engine light, and the code was a maf issue, I cleaned it off and cleared the code so now there has been no check engine light for a few days. this confuses me, I would expect a code but none are present. any insight you may have would be great. thankyou.

[Sponsor]

[upstater]

How are the battery connections and chassis ground?

[whynotthinkwhynot]

You need a fuel pump. You might want to call your dealer, but I think Ford cancelled free replacement of fuel pumps due to a factory defect in 00's. I'd call anyway, if you're lucky and yours was never replaced, they might still do it for free. If not, that's what you'll need to fix it- a new fuel pump. Be sure to have your VIN handy when you talk to the service rep. Ask him if you get a freebie, there was a recall, but IIRC, Ford cancelled that recall sometime last year since it was voluntary- not a safety recall.

[ptpdub]

has a brand new fuel pump in it now.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Did you put it in, or did you pay someone? Those are the symptoms of the bad fuel pump- new or not.

You can try bypassing the fuel cutoff switch. Back in the early days of these switches, there were problems similar to what you describe. I haven't heard of any issues like this in a long time, but it costs no money to check.

Remove passenger side kick panel where the fuel cutoff switch is located. Unplug the fuel cutoff switch, now using electrical tape and a paperclip- bridge the two points of the plug you unplugged so those are connected, then tape over the paperclip to prevent a short on anything metal. Drive the car. If the car doesn't start, then the two points are not connected. Solid copper insulated electrical wire will do the same thing without need for tape.

If that helps, then replace the fuel cut-off switch. I would not suggest driving around forever with the switch bypassed like that. The fuel cutoff switch is designed to cut power to the fuel pump in the event of an accident. If it is bypassed, there is a chance that the fuel pump will continue to run after an accident, and if the fuel line is broken fuel will be pumped out at 60 gpm and could catch fire or explode.

[ptpdub]

If it is bypassed, there is a chance that the fuel pump will continue to run after an accident, and if the fuel line is broken fuel will be pumped out at 60 gpm and could catch fire or explode.[/QUOTE]



yea, that would be bad. ok I will try this. I paid someone to put in the fuel pump. I can go back to them and get it looked at. thanks for the information.

[S0C0nFused]

whynotthinkwhynot >> I am just curious. Why/how would a fuel pump be linked to 'cutting out on long right hand curves'. I am thinking in terms of inertia and time. Is the fuel running away from the pump? Why is that in issue with the pump? Can you explain what is happening?
Thanks!!

[focusmaniaczx3]

i dont know know WHY it does that but i experienced those symptoms of a bad fuel pump first hand. the car would completely die in long and hard right handers and it would stutter horribly at higher revs. but otherwise it would idle and drive fine so long as you just went along like you are driving miss daisy.

[amc49]

Fuel pump, even if just changed. Somebody screwed up. The right hand turn describes it perfectly and nothing else on car will act like that.

The pump is a module, in short, a cup that holds maybe close to a quart of fuel right around the pump inlet to let car stay running when fuel is sloshing around everywhere but the correct spot as fuel runs low in tank. The pump refills the cup on the run as part of the output is bypassed, when pump efficiency drops off after it cannot pull in fuel fast enough because filter is clogged, then the cup itself starts running dry, it just happens to show up turning right first. Eventually it will get worse and worse, to finally stalling with no re-startup after simply turning right slowly out into street from say parking lot.

Modern in tank fuel pumps work great but burn up quickly if they are allowed to run dry intermittently like when tank fuel level gets low. The cure was to put pump in a module that very rarely runs dry if working as designed. The reason why now all owner's manuals stress to never run out of fuel, it can damage the pump, they are fuel cooled. Running ethanol in fuel made for many new problems though, it carries garbage that commonly clogs in-tank filters, especially on earlier models of these.

[ptpdub]

Originally Posted by amc49

Fuel pump, even if just changed. Somebody screwed up. The right hand turn describes it perfectly and nothing else on car will act like that.

The pump is a module, in short, a cup that holds maybe close to a quart of fuel right around the pump inlet to let car stay running when fuel is sloshing around everywhere but the correct spot as fuel runs low in tank. The pump refills the cup on the run as part of the output is bypassed, when pump efficiency drops off after it cannot pull in fuel fast enough because filter is clogged, then the cup itself starts running dry, it just happens to show up turning right first. Eventually it will get worse and worse, to finally stalling with no re-startup after simply turning right slowly out into street from say parking lot.

Modern in tank fuel pumps work great but burn up quickly if they are allowed to run dry intermittently like when tank fuel level gets low. The cure was to put pump in a module that very rarely runs dry if working as designed. The reason why now all owner's manuals stress to never run out of fuel, it can damage the pump, they are fuel cooled. Running ethanol in fuel made for many new problems though, it carries garbage that commonly clogs in-tank filters, especially on earlier models of these.

sigh. fuel pump time again. thank you so much for your expertise.