Strange Engine Missing Problem.

[albi]

hi guys

hope you can give me a bit of a clue here, my missus has got a w reg 2.3 zetec auto. for a while now she has had an intermittent problem. the engine starts ok, but then after a short distance it loses power, she hits the kick down and it dont really do much but then the power returns and its off like a rocket. it always happens when cold but sometimes does it when warm also.

 

from my little knowledge of modern engines, i am wondering if it may just be a bad spark plug? or maybe a coils pack? i have had a look under the cover today and there seems to be (left to right) spark plug/coil pack on top of plug/spark plug/ and then another coil pack on top of the plug. is that right only 2 coil packs?

 

does anyone have an exploded view of how the coils packs come off, or any good instructions?

 

she also seems to be losing coolant, we have filled it a few times in the last month. there are no visible leaks at all, the oil on the dipstick is as expected (no gunge) the water itself has no oily residue in it so where is the water going? bloody knacker. lol tbh its not a bad tool and would be even better with these niggles sorted.

thanks in advance

albi

Edited November 9, 2009 by albi

[sparky Paul]

hi guys

hope you can give me a bit of a clue here, my missus has got a w reg 2.3 zetec auto. for a while now she has had an intermittent problem. the engine starts ok, but then after a short distance it loses power, she hits the kick down and it dont really do much but then the power returns and its off like a rocket. it always happens when cold but sometimes does it when warm also.

 

from my little knowledge of modern engines, i am wondering if it may just be a bad spark plug? or maybe a coils pack? i have had a look under the cover today and there seems to be (left to right) spark plug/coil pack on top of plug/spark plug/ and then another coil pack on top of the plug. is that right only 2 coil packs?

 

does anyone have an exploded view of how the coils packs come off, or any good instructions?

 

she also seems to be losing coolant, we have filled it a few times in the last month. there are no visible leaks at all, the oil on the dipstick is as expected (no gunge) the water itself has no oily residue in it so where is the water going? bloody knacker. lol tbh its not a bad tool and would be even better with these niggles sorted.

thanks in advance

albi

 

Once you take the cover off the centre of the rocker cover, you will see it's pretty straightforward to remove the two coil packs. Disconnect the lead to the second spark plug by squeezing the retaining clips together, similarly disconnect the loom connector by squeezing in the retaining clip. Remove the four torx head screws securing the coil pack, and it lifts out. Repeat for the second coil pack.

 

Take care not to over tighten when replacing the screws, particularly when replacing the spark plug cover, the rocker cover is aluminium and the threads are soft.

 

Your symptoms could be a coil pack or plugs, but there could be many other causes. Is the car missing when this occurs - i.e. running lumpy or noisier than usual?

 

 

As for the water loss, if the water isn't going on the floor, being driven off as steam, or into the oil, the next most likely candidate on the engine front is into the cylinder bore - again indicating head gasket failure. You can sometimes smell exhaust gases in the coolant bottle when this occurs.

 

First of all though, I would have a good look around the engine bay for leaks, particularly around and on the radiator. You should be able to spot the vapour from a leak in this cold weather, even before it's bad enough to start dripping. Obviously, you need the car engine hot before they will become evident. Also look for signs of any coolant staining.

 

Any difficulty demisting is an indication that the heater matrix may have a leak. The petrol Galaxy has an added complication that there is a heater matrix at the back of the car too, so check for leaks around the front of the rear nearside wheelarch, and also around the pipework which runs from there to the engine bay.

[Steven.Langdale]

Hello

 

Sounds like a coil pack, unfortunately the best way to test is by replacing with known good ones. GSF do them cheaper than Ford dealers (or probably any Bosch supplier come to that).

 

As for the coolant loss, check the header cap, aparently they can loose their seal.

[sparky Paul]

As for the coolant loss, check the header cap, aparently they can loose their seal.

 

Good point, I forgot that one. The pressure relief valve in the cap sometimes fails.

 

Check for coolant staining around the cap, or on the underside of the bonnet insulation.

[NikpV]

been losing water for a while - but no sogn of it .. just once in a while i get some on the ground - turns out two hoses at the back of engine have rubbed and worn through - pig to do though the 2 hoses are