ZETEC Engine stumble - SOLVED

bwojdyla · Oct 22, 2004

So, I've been having the delightful experience of stumbling at idle, as many many Focus owners are blighted with. It finally got to the point where I was annoyed enough to fix it. So i got into my grungies and started rooting around (deep) under the hood. First I took the upper intake off and cleaned the MAF sensor. The back hot wire was very dirty. That made the problem a little better but it didn't go away. So I pulled into the drive and let the car idle. I opened the hood and started blindley poking around the back of the intake manifold, to see if any hoses were loose. As I'm running my fingers over the PCV hose (just as it makes the 90 degree turn into the manifold), my index finger gets sucked into (into) the hose! I pulled it out cause it scared the crap outta me. But when I covered the hole back up the engine started sputtering. AH HA!! The vacuum leak was causing the hose to fold over itself and the engine wasn't getting enough air from either atmosphere or PCV. So, since it's getting late and I don't feel like going down to Ford to pick up a new part at that moment, what do I do? that's right, Duct tape. worked beautifully. My baby purrs like a kitten once again. I'll post pics of both the failure and the fix when I get the new part.

As an aside, any other Auto/Duct tape stories?

pm5019 · Oct 22, 2004

Good find. I have been having some problems like that for about a month now and haven't had time to look around. Thanks for giving me a nother possiability...[thumb]

soffiler · Oct 22, 2004

I give you huge props for getting in there and DOING SOMETHING. That's where it all begins, not by talking about it here, but by doing it. Very cool.

dremonster · Oct 23, 2004

Woa man! I think I have the same problem!!!! My 2000 Sedan [confused] has been stumbly when in idle for about a year, It came and went on occasion. So I took it in and had the FDM replaced... It still stumbled!!!! So after I read this thread tonight I went out to my car and followed the PCV hose all the way back to the throttle body/intake and I noticed the car started dying just by lifting the hose. This shouldn't happen should it? So I followed it all the way down to an "L" shaped rubbery hose that connected the the larger hard PVC like hose to a tiny metal pipe on the back of the engine (I belive it's the throttle body). I noticed that the hose had depressions all the way around, like it was pinched all the way around at the bend of the hose going into the metal pipe.. Does this make sense?

Well the hose must have lost it's integrity because it's no longer round... So I barely had to pinch it to make the engine stall... Could this little hose be the source of all my frustrations... It must be constricting just enough airflow to make the engine stutter.. right??
Do you just yank it off? and slip the new one on? There aren't any claps holding it on...

Do you know what the part number is and/or the name of this L shaped hose? I am going to FORD tomorrow!! Oh ya baby..

OK, I better not get too excited...

tunedfocuzx3 · Oct 23, 2004

good luck with that...i need to do the same thing. im lazyy

bwojdyla · Oct 23, 2004

Sweet jebus. Could my rash decision to get off my a$$ and fix it have just helped people... weird. dremonster, your explaination makes perfect sense. i think that hose must get all floppy after a while. maybe this is the primary source of the mythical stumbling problem!

WagonHO · Oct 23, 2004

Engine stumble fix

Strong work! Was this a cold-start, idle stumble or just in general?

dremonster · Oct 23, 2004

Stumble

Man, I hope this is the problem.. I'm going to Ford today, I'll post later tonight. The hoze just totally breaks down, it should be on a recall!

The stumble is always at idle, hot and cold.. I can't stand it, it's enough to drive you crazy, trust me...

No part #'s?

bwojdyla · Oct 23, 2004

I disagree. the hose should not be on recall. You can't recall for everything that happens on a car. That's just life. It is a hose and hot gas passes through it. It will deteriorate just like a water hose. It SHOULD be placed on the regularly scheduled maintainence list though, say 80 or 90K miles.

Sorry, not part # yet. I got distracted yesterday and didn't get to it, and service is closed on weekends.

zslaton · Oct 24, 2004

SE MI sucks like that for dealerships. No service on weekends, nor car sales. And they are only open 1-2 nights per week.

I actually had this problem on my 1988 Escort that I had prior to my Focus. Hoses should be regularly checked though. Thos eflexible hoses go after a while, and like bwojdyla said, look at them at around 75k. They're pretty cheap to replace, especially if you can stay away from a dealership.

downloader · Oct 25, 2004

bwojdyla Great work Thanks I'll check mine in the morning

www.bluewhippet.net

dremonster · Oct 25, 2004

OK, I got the hose assembly as they call it and a new PCV valve.....

Uhm.......... It kinda helped a little...... It still stumbles faintly while idling... It use to come and go.. I even swapped the air filter box with the MAF with the one on my fathers car to see if the MAF was the problem.. Nah.....

I geuss I could swap every sensor and part one by one until I figure it out.. Sure....

Well, I guess I just have to wait till the check engine light goes on.. I can't diagnose it otherwise.... About the recall thing, I was just blowing off some steam...

Anyways, Thanks for the help.. and good luck, I'll keep my eyes posted for any info this sites fans put up.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

wait. pcv and hose asy? did you do the front or the back or both? The hose that was bad was the one that hooks into the intake manifold just below the throttle body. btw, I fixed mine last night and I was too lazy to post pics but I'll get to it tonight. How-to form as is the standard.

Funny story on it too. From the Ford parts database, it looks like Ford has fixed the problem by putting a metal elbow at the spot where the hole is, however, that updated part was not available at the dealership so i was just like... eff it, I'll just get the old school style. It lasted 100k miles before, if I have to replace it again in another hundred thousand, I really wont mind so much. New rear PCV hose: $15. 1 new hose clamp at hardware store: $0.65. Beautiful smooth idle again: Priceless.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

This clamp was the biggest pain in the butt of the whole process. I could not for the life of me figure out how to get it off

jsnzx3 · Sep 22, 2011

An easy way to get the clamp off.

I used an awl to pop the clamp off. Just put it under the first bump and voila. Ten seconds, tops. BTW, thanks for this thread and the part number.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

Now that its off the car, its fairly obvious how it works. Since I mangled it up pretty good getting it off, I just went to the hardware store and picked up a new hose clamp. To get the other end off, I just slit the hose with a razor blade. It made things much easier since the hose was pretty well baked on there.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

Here's the new part next to the old part... they sure are exactly the same!

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

Part number for those of you interested in fixing your own.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

uuuummmmm, yeahh. I'd say that would cause a little vacuum leak. just a little one.

bwojdyla · Oct 26, 2004

To install the new part I just lubed up the insides of the hose with some good old WD40 and pushed the ends on. I put the hose clamp on, tightened it all up, put the intake back on, hooked up the battery and TA DA! no more stumble, no more CEL. I love it when things work out.

Focus Racer S2 · Oct 27, 2004

Looks like one of my stock engine mounts gave up on me this morning. Now the engine is a little jumpy. Im going to go to the Ford Warranty service today. Does anyone know if those focussport engine mounts are worth the money.

LET ME KNOW!

bwojdyla · Oct 28, 2004

no thread jacking allowed

sitlet · Oct 28, 2004

are we talking about the pcv hose that goes from the stock airbox to the back of the valve cover? i just installed my mac intake this week, and i have to say my pcv hose looks nothing like the one in that pic. maybe the previous owner of my car had it changed or something, but mine was only about half of that length.

bwojdyla · Oct 28, 2004

no, that one is a breather for the valve cover. The pcv valve sits under exhaust manifold on top of the oil sperator. A rubber hose attaches to the pcv and then attaches to a metal tube that runs over the thermostat housing along the tansmission side of the engine. it then transitions back to a rubber tube and wraps around the back of the engine and attaches to a fitting on the intake manifold underneath the throttle body. The hose being replaced here is the one that attaches to the intake manifold.

sitlet · Oct 28, 2004

ok, thanks for the clarification. ill go check mine out later

DrRay · Oct 28, 2004

duct tape..is there anything it can't do?

Like the Force in Star Wars, a light side, a dark side, and it keeps the universe together.

focusrun · Dec 4, 2004

U R THE MAN!!!

Hey hey!! I've been having trouble with my 2000 zts. having it stumble during idle and at stops.. even stalls when it feels like it. engine light came on and got me a codereader and such but couyldn't figure out what was wrong. p0171 was the code.

In desperation I gave up since I'm not mechanically inclined with cars (rookie at best), called the dealer and set up an appointment. But in the mean time, I started fishing around as you suggested in this thread and Lo and BEHOLD!! I found the same thing! I didn't even have to have the engine running. I just pressed on the turn of the hose elbow and damn.. a hole!!!!

However, instead of replacing it myself, i'll still be sending it to the dealer.. ( I have extended warranty.. ESP it's called if i remember). I'll also ask them to replace the fuel pump too since the hestitation and surging has been with the car at less than a quarter full tank ever since I bought it.

ZETEC Engine stumble - SOLVED

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