Ford Focus mk1 issue...

Sindri

Sindri

Sindri

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Joined
7 Jul 2009
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599
My gf was out driving her focus the other day and when she tried to pull away from the lights the car became really juddery as if it wasn't being given enough gas to pull away smoothly.
I don't drive her car but the motion of the clutch does seem stiffer than it should be, the problem only seems to appear when starting off in 1st gear as after the car is rolling its fine again.

There were no loud grinding noises / bangs etc prior to it happening, so im kinda confused as to what is wrong. Any ideas?
 
Does sound fairly clutch based, could be uneven clutch/flywheel face or thrust bearings?
Mk 1s are known for having a lack of grease on the thrust bearing, so if its a metallic grinding noise when pulling away, could be that. (Mk1.5's had more grease on their bearings.)

As with most car problems, they can be described by multiple possible causes, and you wont know for sure until you eliminate the most common causes by individually fixing them (or get hold of good testing equipment). There are ways to test your clutch for slippage, like stopping and putting the handbrake on and seeing how it grips in 4th gear, watching the revs, etc. and causing a stall.

Other causes could be CV joints, other suspension components, air or fuel delivery ie. vacuum leaks. blah blah. Very frustrating, I know.

If its a fuel delivery problem it would probably be noticable at more times instead of just pulling away. (maybe try some injector cleaner- redex?) If you're trying to save money, and have a bit of time on your hands you could do the whole rounds and check on the coil pack, leads, ignition etc... but could be a waste of time.

A common focus juddering issue is in about 4th gear 45-50mph, foot down, caused by the exhaust gas emmisions regulator and DPFE sensor (delta pressure feedback thingy) one to be aware of but its not what you've got.

I think a possible worse case scenario is a damaged gear box, first gear teeth damage etc.

So all in all juddering can be a result of many failures... check the most common types... eliminate the most easy ones to check.. followed by the cheapest and easiest ones to replace :) thats my motto!
 
clutch release bearing i think. basically a new clutch is needed (that bearing comes as part of the kit).

thats based on my limited knowledge of cars so it's literally just an idea.:)

as said before - cheap and easy first. migt be something minor like a sensor playing up - clutch is a big job!
 
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