2003 Ford Focus ZTW stalls only when hot

[skervydog]

Hi,

We bought this 2003 Ford Focus wagon (ZTW) a couple of years ago. It now has about 100,000 kms on it. When it is warm outside, after it has been driven for awhile, and then parked, the car stalls after a restart. The only way to keep it running is to drive for a bit with one foot on the gas, and one foot on the brake. We took it to a mechanic we know, and he couldn't make the car act up, but he thought that it sounded like a Transmission problem.

Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Also, after we got it back from the mechanic, it sometimes makes weird clunking/groaning sounds from the front when it goes around a corner. Any ideas?

[Tuffdrvr88]

The clunking sounds you hear sounds like a CV joint issue. Maybe a boot has torn and lost its grease. And when you turn it would make a metallic low popping sound. As far as the problem with the idle i seriously doubt it is a transmission problem. It sounds like the car is having trouble keeping its idle on a restart. Although, if you never gave it a tune up it is time to change the plugs and wires and probably your fuel filter too is a good idea. You should check your fuel pressure, it could be an issue with the fuel pump starting to give out. If everything checks out ok i would run a fuel system cleaner through the intake vacuum and see if that cures the problem. Good luck.

[magik_medicine]

im going with a sticky thermostat

[joetc5]

Hi- I have an 03 ZX5 with standard transmission. This happened to me as well,only once (so far- I've had the car since April 08) Hot afternoon. Left the highway to fuel up and get a drink. 10 minutes later, got back in the car, started it, and it quit rather than returning to idle. I got it out of the station doing what you describe, but tougher with a clutch to deal with, had to go through a toll booth- looked like Laurel and Hardy- got back on highway. After driving for another hour, it was dark by now and much cooler, got off at a toll booth and it idled just fine. Has not happened again, but haven't done that kind of driving again. Don't like the way the brakes feel, either.

[focus_owner]

This sounds real familiar. My mother owns a 2002 Focus ZX3, only 27k miles on it and used for short local commuting and puttering around town. After being out for a longer ride (usually an hour) it does not restart immediately after a stop (stop = place in park, turn off engine). When trying to restart, keeping one foot on the gas keeps the throttle open and the engine moving, but when it is allowed to go back to idle, the RPMs drop to zero and the engine stalls out. Whenever the car is out for about an hour or more, and is turned off it needs anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to be able to restart and hold its RPMs at an idle.

I've read through the forums for some other answers (Idle Air Control Valve, Ignition Coil) as I dont think this is fuel pump, fuel filter, O2 sensor, or spark plugs related


The focus is my mother's car, but I own a 1999 Taurus and had a similar problem. Pep Boys said the "throttle was gunked up" and I got out of there for about $90 and I haven't had a problem in over about 18 months with the Taurus.

The differences are that the Taurus could barely start and I could reproduce the problem at the mechanic's without issue. To be able to reproduce the Focus issue, I have to tool around the highway for excess of an hour on a hot day and then pray I can get someone to look at it ASAP while the problem persists. I dont want to take the focus in and have them 'try' to replace everything fuel and air and ignition related for a problem that happens maybe three times per year if even.


If anyone has had this issue, I'd love to hear some success stories, but without being able to reproduce the issue in the focus, I'll be taken for a ride wherever I bring the darn thing to get looked at. Hopefully the Taurus experience leaves you folks with a low cost alternative to check into

Thanks

[Davescort97]

Could be the throttle body gunked up like in your Taurus but if that was the case it would be doing it all the time. I"d go with the IAC valve. It is on top of the throttle body and could be sticking when the engine is hot.