Let me start off by saying that the Internet is the world's greatest invention if you know how to work on cars.
Oldest has been driving the Focus and aside from tearing up the tire and ripping off the passenger side mirror, hasn't had any other problems. Until last week, when she said it was acting "weird."
Normally, this I attribute to a loose nut behind the steering wheel. (But only as part of my internal monologue.)
She is so terrible at discerning reality that I couldn't tell if she was really having problems, or if it was just a normal thing that she had decided to take notice of, or simply a cover story for her having done something else to it.
SO, over the weekend, I finally got a chance to drive it. Started off fine, down the hill, over the bridge, stop at the Advance parts place to let them turn off the check engine light. The code was an old one that I've explored before--the old "low coolant temp" thing that is caused by a bad sensor. So, it's not that.
Drove a bit more, down Main Street, and then sure enough, it started missing a bit. Accelerate, stumble. Hmm. Turned, over the tracks, missing all the way, turn, turn, then back up the hill to the house, and then the popping and backfiring started.
Well. It really is running weird, and obviously not something that seemed to be driver-induced. I got it home and did an underhood check and ran the mental checklist--low speed, idles fine. No obvious vacuum leaks. Got spark on all four. Seems like it could be a clogged fuel filter or something.
She drove it yesterday and reported it was worse, and so I decided to turn to the Giant Oracle of the Ether to see if there was anything online about what might be causing the problem.
Sure enough, after about ten seconds of searching found that certain '00-'01 Focusseses had problems with clogging fuel delivery modules, which is a fancy term for a fuel pump. Same problems as mine--bucking, backfiring, missing, and Ford had agreed to extend the warranty on these models and replace the pumps. Neat.
Except.
I called the Wizards of Dearborn and gave them my VIN, and since mine was a later date of manufacture, it's not covered under the warranty.
::shakes fist at Henry Ford::
So--what to do? First, find out from a friendly local dealer that replacing the fuel pump is a $500 job.
And then found out that I could save about $450 if I do it myself. Seems there are several (thousand) other folks who have had the same problem, and more than a few who took the time to post online the procedure for changing out the pump. All I have to do is get a new pump, which again are about half the price if you order an aftermarket part online rather than from the factory. In fact, if I wanted to, I even found a fellow who says that the problem can be fixed without even replacing the pump by giving it a thorough cleaning.
Problems?
Well, replacing it or cleaning it requires dropping the gas tank, which isn't hard, but isn't exactly easy, either. You have to depressurize the fuel system (again, instructions online for this, thank goodness) and it requires some jacking and such, but I've dropped tanks before, and it's worth doing it myself if it's gonna cost this much.
Anyway, the way I figure it, I have (or will have) saved myself about a thousand bucks doing my own work on this car. It's been a good car, and fun to drive, but there were some gremlins in the early models that didn't get worked out--the ignition switch (which I had to do surgery on, saving myself around $300); the leaking cabin air intake box (which I had to leakproof, saving myself around $200), and now this little ordeal.
All that to say that the Internet and its storehouse of knowledge is one of the greatest economic equalizers out there--even if I didn't have the tools and junk to do this myself, at least I would have more information than blindly relying on the good nature of a local mechanic. And since I DO know how to do things like this, the depth of the information available is truly amazing. Sure, you have to do some looking, and some research to make sure you aren't doing the wrong thing, but it's a minor investment of time.
If you're trying to keep a car (old or new) running by doing your own work, it's hard to beat the information available nowadays.
So, thanks, Internet!
Posted by Terry Oglesby at December 19, 2006 09:29 AMI just had a semi-unfortunate incident, so excuse the length for a Tuesday rant ...
My '94 Dakota had been starting up OK and motoring along, until one morning when it got so it would hesitate (like a dead battery), catch again and then start. I had the battery checked since it was getting old, and wouldn't you know the automatic tester said I needed a new battery (you ever wonder about those battery testers at the parts stores?).
Replaced the battery, ran OK for a week or two, then the same problem. Bought a starter, recharged the battery but did not install the starter. The truck would not start the next day. Took the battery out, had it retested, said it needed charging but otherwise it was OK. Recharged it, then a day later same problem. Took the alternator out (with thoughts of uttering bad ugly words), had it tested, it was OK.
Apparently something was causing the battery to drain. Asked a guy at the repair shop, and he said that something could be causing the power drain, but he could not be sure of the source until he could check the truck. Thinking that it couldn't possibly be the starter, I got a refund on the one I purchased to help cover the repair shop expense.
They ended up replacing the starter, something that I could have done, costing me about $160 more at the shop. My question to you Dr. Possum, listener of angry rants on Tuesday: have you ever heard of a short in a starter that could cause your battery to go dead overnight just sitting in the driveway?
I would have replaced the starter sooner, but the fact that it started up OK with a fully-charged battery, and that something unknown was causing the drain threw me (and all that money out of my wallet). I had just replaced the starter on my Bunnyville two months ago, and found out after replacing it that I did not need to replace it since it was a simple problem with corrosion on the battery terminals. AArrrrgh!
[Oh well, old cars are still better than big monthly payments on new cars.]
Wow--a conflation of Ticked-off Tuesday, Ask Dr. Possum, and a Cletus' Car Corner comment!
As for a starter short, I suppose it's possible there is some way for it to do that, but it seems hard to fathom that it could go dead overnight. I've left dome lights on and still had enough power to get the thing cranked before. It could be that you've got a short in your starter relay that syphoning off some power, since juice has to go through that first before getting to the starter. Did they replace the relay when they replaced the starter?
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at December 19, 2006 10:12 AMAlso, just found a forum where a guy with a '93 Dakota had a very similar problem, and traced it to a misplaced fuse:
"Traced cable to the relay/fuse box located under the hood of the truck, started pulling relays -nothing. Then, there are 2 fuses in there besides the relays, pulled one, and down to zero!" [He's using a multimeter to check for current draw, by the way.] "Fuse was for 'battery draw'. It was supposed to be 5A but previous owner mixed that up with the fuse next it and had a 20A in there (20 A is for the next slot for hazard lights) The truck has NOT has hazard lights since I bought it a few weeks ago. Now the fun part. I decided put the 20A fuse in the hazard slot where it belongs, and like magic, I now have hazard lights. I then put the 5A in the Battery Draw slot where it belongs and still drawing ZERO! Problem solved. (Well, mostly draws zero, with a .01-.05 intermittent reading which I believe is for the radio clock/station memory)."
You might try that, too.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at December 19, 2006 10:19 AMMarc, one of the fellows I work with just had a similar, battery draining overnight issue w/ his aged Toyota 4Runner. Seems the electric rear window relay shorted out. He finally found the problem when he let the smoke out of a wire bundle under the hood going home one afternoon. So, I'm suspicious of a starter causing a discharge.
Posted by: Nate at December 19, 2006 10:24 AMThanks for the info. I didn't see any mention of changing out the starter relay on my bill, and I've been the only one working on the truck, so I doubt it was a fuse problem. They may have done something with the relay and did not bother to tell me about it.
I have been driving the truck for a few weeks and it seems to be working OK. If I do get similar problems, I'll go back and give them an earful ... which will be followed by me handing over Mr. Mastercard again if I want to see the truck running.
I have checked fuses in the past, and it sounds like I will again if there's any more electrical problems. They used some stupid, funny-shaped fuses where you can't tell if they are blown or not unless you test them with an ohmmeter. They do have pretty colors though. Unfortunately the fuse box does not have labels for what the specific fuses go to and I have not had any luck finding a schematic either on-line or in a Chilton's book. [More AArrrghh!]
Posted by: Marc V at December 19, 2006 10:32 AMYou might check the owner's manual, Marc--it should have the diagram in there.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at December 19, 2006 10:39 AM