I have just bought a 99 Ford Focus and have a few issues...

Clutch/Engine/Gearbox:-


Engine Shudders at low speeds (<1500rpm) – temp fix is to drop a gear and raise revs above 1500rpm.
Engine Shudders in 3rd gear at high revs when accelerator is pushed hard – temp fix is not to do it.



Will check the entire air intake and carb is clean this weekend just in case this is the issue...
Locks:-


Central Door locks take 5mins to unlock rest of doors in car, after drivers door has opened. This only occurs when the car has been sitting for a while locked. If the car is locked and unlocked recently after all locks have finally unlocked, it will work as it should.

Remote boot release button not working.

Electrics issue:-


Issue with fan controls.


How they are supposed to work:-
The recirculation air button only operates when the vent direction is not 100% on the windscreen and also the fan speed is above 0


What is currently happening:-
The recirculation air button only operates when the vent direction is not 100% on the windscreen BUT it will come on when the fan speed is 0, BUT will turn off when the fan speed is moved above 0. Turning this button on and off in various locations has no affect on this issue.

Other


Speedo dial died briefly when the car was doing 60MPH for a constant, but came back on after a about 10secs.

Drivers’ door vent on dashboard is not blowing any air through it. The fixed vent above it is fine.



Could all these electrical issues be related to a purely electrics issue, with the engine misfiring or the timings from the ECU being interrupted by faulty wiring/components.

if you bought from a dealer bring it back, if it was a private sale did you not get it checked before buying?

The car was checked over, but none of these issues were apparent during any test drive. Want to get a better idea of what the actual issues are then how to fix them, so it will be easier for the garage to fix them.

It was sold with an engine and gearbox only warranty, so looking to see what the judder is mainly...
Other issues the garage will just say sold as seen I am sure, and these issues never occurred during the test drive, and the ventilation system was thoroughly checked, but it does work, just that vent (will see how to get access to it and see if a pipe has just come loose at either end)...


Will spray the boot lock with WD40 and see if it is freely moving too this weekend...


The joys of cheap motoring...

it all was ok when you took a test drive and now its acting up, i would strongly recommend you go back to the dealer. it shouldn't have so many probs and it sounds like you bought it feeling confident there were none, tell him you want it made right or your money back.

Just been told by a mechanic that the engine juddering could be a simple coil patch needs tobe replaced, but he will have a closer look for me for free.

Coil pack. Focus all have fuel injection and not carbs btw.

the juder is more than likely a coil pack very common and cheap to do ,the central locking is the drivers door lock motor common too ,your ventalation problem is your air recirculating valve in behind the glove box.

the rear boot lock lock is more than likely the switch just pull the switch out and bridge the two wires this should pop the boot lid confirming the switch.as for the clocks dropping off very common fault with early stage one clusters always gave trouble.

It could be a dodgy VSS speed senor that is causing the odometer to drop.

yeah the vss do give abit of trouble and would be a cheaper option to start with 4 sure

Thanks ford jedi, Digger and RS2K for all the info. I will have a look at the locks and the vents myself, and get my local friendly garage to check and replace the coils if necessary, and look at the VSS sensor.

Just on another note, is the ford clutch supposed to be heavy and hard to push or light? Reason i ask, i just had a clutch kit replaced on a 01 Focus, and it is really light. The clutch on the 99 Focus is really heavy and stiff, but the biting point seems right and strong... Just thought the clutch cable was self-adjusting...

Thanks again for the info...

yes the clutch pedal on the pre 01 were a little heavier they were replaced with low lift clutches and the spigot shafts had a different grease which lasted alot longer giving the feeling of a lighter clutch when were replacing them we always grease the shafts well its nice to have a light clutch padal specially stiing in the traffic all day aslightly heavy pedal would not be unusual,
either way they are chaep enough to replace if it does go belly up