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paulbhite
New User
Oct 17, 2008, 9:19 AM
Post #1 of 2
(2102 views)
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Focus ZX3 Clutch?
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Hopefully someone can help me out here, the Ford dealership is not being very helpful.
I have a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 2.0 litre, about 85,000 miles. I'm stationed about 4 hours away from home for the next few months and drive back and forth every few weekends. My last trip back, I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for 45 minutes, after which traffic picked up as we went over a steep bridge. I tried to pass an 18-wheeler on the bridge and my car started to lurch violently in 4th gear. My tach stayed around 2500, it wasn't moving, but my vehicle kept lurching back and forth as if I was slamming my foot on and off the gas. I slowly lost speed, downshifted, tried to regain control, but it ended up with me puttering up the bridge at 15 MPH in 1st gear, thats the fastest the car would go, rocking back and forth the whole way. Luckily I made it to the top, where the engine died (I may have inadvertently killed it). I coasted down, killed the ignition, and restarted the engine. It drove perfectly fine for the next 3 hours home @ 70 MPH.
I thought perhaps just water in the tank, but on the way back to base at the end of the weekend, after about 3 hours into the trip, I tried to go above 70MPH and pass a vehicle. The car started to lurch again (straight road, not as violently as the bridge) at about 75MPH. Things slowly got worse until it lurched any time I put some acceleration on the vehicle. I had to drive and accelerate very slowly to keep it from acting up until I got on base. There was a slight smell when I stepped out of the vehicle, but I'm not sure what a burnt clutch smells like and it was not very strong.
That was last week. It's at the Ford dealership right now (the only place to take it in the area) and they just called after an $85 diagnostic fee and two days in the shop to tell me they couldn't "recreate" the issue when driving it and they didn't have time to drive it for 3 hours. I know I'm going to have issues again if I try to drive it home, and I can't afford to break down on the road.
Any idea where I should go from here or what I can suggest to the Ford mechanics? Assume there is no place else in the area to take it but the dealer. The only recent work I've had done is replacement of the inner tie rods, an oil change, and topping off the engine coolant. Thanks in advance.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Oct 17, 2008, 9:43 AM
Post #2 of 2
(2099 views)
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Re: Focus ZX3 Clutch?
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If it can self correct and doesn't misbehave in front of techs with no codes to help then I'd just up and replace the fuel filter, add some (don't overdo anything) fuel solvent with moisture remover which might be helpful if in fact there's a fuel quality problem or contamination with water. If just that makes a big difference or it's longer before it acts up again - of course when you or a tech isn't ready with test equipment then replace the fuel filter again later and it might be over with and write it off to bad fuel for some reason unknown??
T
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