YUP. Alternator is shot. When the battery gets below about 10 volts the computer on our cars does some really strange things. Dash starts to freak out followed by severe bucking and eventually death LOL. Double check that the pig tail that plugs in to the alt is good (known problem). Get the battery charged up and get to a place that will check the alt...

 

Thank you for the quick reply. I'll have to get the alternator checked out. I shouldn't rule out a possibility that I may either need a new fuel pump or fuel filter, correct?

 

Yeah that could be the problem also. I forgot to mention , check the serpentine belt, and tensioner and idler pulley, The belt could be just slipping?

 

Well I think I ruled out the fuel pump because when I turn the key forward (not all the way to start the car) I can hear the fuel pump make a little noise. I was told that no noise is bad. I am able to start the engine each time that I have stalled so thats good, I think. So my next guess is the fuel filter. Gonna have the dealer check that out tomorrow.

 

Typically how much does a fuel pump cost for the car that I'm driving? I had guy tell me that the fuel pump will cost me $300 + the labor to put it in.

 

There was a recall on fuel pumps a while back. Check with you local dealer to see if you car is covered under the recall. Then it's free

 

5h labour + pump... about 900$cnd from ford dealer.

 

My estimate was $486. I told them today to order the part but they can't fix it until this Tuesday so hopefully my car holds out until then. Which brings me to my next question.

I went to work this morning. Takes me about 20 mins to get to my work. I drove the car and everythings all right. I made it to work. 8 hours later its time for me to go home. I'm driving home and its starts to stall on me and I've had to pull over 3 times, shut it off or let it die. Sit for about a minute and start the car up again and drive home. Why is it that it didn't stall on my way to work? The only thing I can think of is that this morning at about 6:15 am it was 60 degrees out. When I went home it was warm and hazy at 85 degrees. Would warmer temperatures be the cause of that or is just some random coincidence?

 

Same problem, 2001 Ford Focus SE. I was told I was not covered under the fuel pump recall!!

 

Rally - Ford is prob. right - have seen batteries with "dead" or "shorted" cells act this way, so you can't assume an alt. prob. (even with symptoms that point that way) without rechecking with a known good battery first.
REALLY bad battery, won't continue running even with a good jumper battery attached.
Sometimes shows as an intermittent B4 it dies completely.
That sounds like a good dealer - they could have sold you on a new alt. without a quibble given the symptoms - just did the cheap fix it really needed...

 

Hi.. I have the same problem... I have a 2001 Focus and this problem started last year and no one seems to know what the problem is... i have had a tune up, a new alternator,a new battery in the car idk what else to do someone please help me.. I dont want to get rid of my car... In the winter my car is perfectly fine and then when the nice weather hits its a horrible problem...

 

Similar issue?

My Dad is having a issue on his 2002 Focus Wagon. It just happened when I was driving it the other day. I was doing about 70 on the interstate when all of the sudden the car died. No stuttering or warning whatsoever. I got it to the side of the road, and it eventually started one more time, but then nothing. When it did start again, it died as soon as I gave it any gas. When the vehicle died the battery light and service engine soon lights were the only lights on. This has now happned a few times, but seems to be pretty intermittent.
There was no click or indicator when trying to restart it, it just acted as though it either wasn't getting fuel, or couldn't turn over.
We know very little about this car, but it's already had its share of issues. Any help would be appreciated!

 

Hi,I have the same problem with my 2000 Focus SE.
Did anyone solve this issue?

Thanks

 

Hi , I drive a 2001 ford focus, I bought it second hand two years ago. has always ran well , never stalled then it stalled 6 times in a 15 min drive. Each time it would stall would be when I'm trying to accelerate beyond 40 mph it would sorta rumble and then I couldn't accelerate gas pedal would seize) then it would stall. all emergency lights would come on , I would let it sit a minute and start er up again and so on... I took her to my mechanic (CAA certified) he did a scan test which detected a clogged fuel pump (which they flushed). I picked up the car and it drove fine for two days and then started stalling again (this time twice in a ten minute period of time) all same same as before. so I brought it back in and they removed a lot of corrosion of a circuit board? (he said it was very corroded) anyways again no problems while driving for 3 days then it did it again as I was trying to accelerate on a hill. I had to literally crawl at 10 mph up the hill so it wouldn't stall But I could feel it wanted to. I'm so frustrated. I do not know ANYTHING about cars.

 

Anyone suffering the bucking during acceleration needs a coil pack 99% of the time. I have owned two zx3s and they both had the coil pack fail with the symptom of power loss/ hesitation and bucking during acceleration. Definitely try that first before anything else!! install it very gently so a mildly trained eye will not be able to tell that you installed it so if it doesn't work, you take it back and say 'it didn't fit'. If you admit that you installed/ hooked it up they will not allow you to return/ swap it, not even for store credit. say it didn't fit, therefore you couldn't install it. I know that is a bit dishonest, but when youre broke you gotta do what you gotta do!

 

Any coil pack better than another? I've also seen something about a "pig-tail" connector for the coil pack on this forum and it's possible problems as well. Can I still purchase this item as well? You wouldn't happen to know parts number per chance?

 

I only use Ford ones, but I'm sur others are good too. I also wanna add a couple of symptoms that can tell you almost for certain will tell you when a focus coil pack is failing. My symptoms were bucking under accel, AND the tach would 'jump' a noticable amount when the stumbling would occur, and I also started getting weird electrical anomolies when it would buck. When I replaced it each time, all problems gone.

 

Oh yeah, the pigtail. I did have one of the 3? Wires break AT the harness, i went ghetto on that. I just added a short piece of speaker wire to make the broken wire several inches longer (for ease of fiddlin' with), and i sheathed the other side back a half inch and just shoved it in the hole the wire belongs in on the harness. I did that on the side of the road like 85k miles ago and it still works great. I'll post a pic or two of it sometime to help ppl in a pinch.

 

I bought my 2000 zx3 second hand. The fuel pump it had was the recall but the 1st owner never had it changed. Do wen I bought it I was stuck with this problem. I bought a Bosch fuel pump put it in. It went out. Lifetime warranty. Got another it last a year. A started sputtering. Jus replaced it again! An it still sputters a little. Changed the fuel filter also. Don't kno what's up with this thing. No CEL either.

 

2001 stalling

i am having a simlar problem the car bogs down starts to stall bucks when i push on gas but when you start to let up off the gas it picks up a little. im not having dash lights come on or anything like that. had dealer put in fuel pump 2ys ago also changed fuse cause it was bad i just dont know what to do help please

 

Hi liza33333,

Go to this page->
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=47

Then click the NEW THREAD button.

Please provide car maintenance history and a detailed description of the performance problems you are experiencing. Good luck and welcome to FF.

Cheers!

 

This is the exact thing that is happening to my 2004 Ford Focus with 86,000 miles on it. What was the solution to the problem?? I have had a mechanic look at it several times. He gave me a tune up, oil change, changed the air filter, and turned up the idle. All of this seemed to make a huge difference, It wasn't sputtering or dying out. It did well for about a couple weeks and then this morning, it started doing it all over again on my way to work. PLEASE I need to know what is causing this PIA.

 

Please read the post directly above yours & give it a try:http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/6843297-post23.html

Include the engine info. as well, three possibilities from the info. you gave so far.

BTW - don't go back to the same mechanic, there really isn't a "tune up" possible on any of these and you can't "Turn up" the idle. Attempts to turn up the idle cause problems as the throttle plate stop screw is sealed in position for proper location and the idle speed is controlled electronically by another part. Make a change there & it won't work right.

 

X2 on that, you can't 'turn up' the idle and if mech tried he is incompetent. End of story.

Out of touch, you haven't been able to set idle in some 20+ years.