Car stalling problem continues

ProjectPuma

Help Support ProjectPuma:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I tell you, i will be over the effing moon if it works... i'll let you know. I'm not comfortable doing it, but i'm sure the garage will give do it for me.

as for it learning my driving style, i should look forward to it becoming a pitbull with the legs of a cheetah then ;)

Cheers, and i'll let you know...
 
Just meandering around the forum and web looking for something similar (not much luck) but came across a thread on here where it was pointed out that "The VCT (Variable Cam Timing) works off oil pressure, so if your oil is the wrong grade - I.E. thicker or thinner, it won't work as it's designed to do."

Now, the oil type is fine - although it was cooked a bit on a journey and doesn't seem to be a problem itself.
But the oil pressure light stays on longer than it should when the car is ready to act up.

I'm hoping beyond hope that the ECU reset this evening will sort out the problem - so it can finally read the new crank sensor and all the other now glistening sensors. The garage confirmed that they did NOT unplug the battery so my eternal optimism is there for all to see... but if anyone has any other suggestions relating to the oil pressure scenario, i would be very interested...

thanks again on my saga
 
btw which terminal on the battery do I remove first...

yes, i know i'm a nab...

I assume this is correct for the puma too: http://www.ehow.com/how_7478689_replace-battery-ford-ka.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Ahh right, thought you might of been a bit closer, you mentioned lakeside in another post didn't you?
 
lack of oil pressure would be the most worrying thing for me, and probably the cause of your issues.

you VCT is oil hydraulic driven and without adequate oil pressure it wont be engaing/disengaging correctly.

check your oil pump

also get head pressure tested ASAP, ideally leak down test
 
I said this before and steve has brought this up again - you need some type of compression and leak down test.

The low oil pressure light coming on would be a big concern for me and as steve says the VCT works on oil pressure as the Phasor units which move the camshaft when VCT is activated are oil pressure actuated phasors on the puma.

BTW what did the RAC man measure at idle, which was changing between high and low constantly?
 
All kind of worrying really.

I did the ecu reset and it seemed perfect... I drove it around, got it in traffic, stopped and left it before restarting. All ok until I put some more petrol In it and then it went again. Definately seems pressure related, as the fuel cap hissed, even though it was still about an eighth of a tank.

The engine light came on, so waiting for the RAC to give it a lift and read me out the error code. I'll let you know what it says.

Jumping the gun, is there any way of testing the oil pump without having to replace it, as i'm no longer able to convince my better half that it's worth throwing more good money after bad on it.

Let me try and describe what happens... When it has gone, it basically really struggles to start. It 'feels' and sounds as though there is something blocking it... preventing it all from combusting. The oil light comes on but once it does catch, it idles fine, and after a short time (but still longer than it should) it goes out. It usually revs fine, but if you then try to give it some gas and move away, it really fights to die on you. If you give it enough revs it can usually get going, but not always and it doesn't always start up easily again, so pretty alarming in traffic situations.

And it only does all this when it's got to full working temp.

I'll let you know what the codes it reads out are. I despair...
 
Eventually triggered the fault.
Error code 460, fuel level sensor doesn't read a thing. Possible symptom is evap system appearing to malfunction. Evap worked fine though before the fault reared it's head, as did everything else except this sensor. Bizarre really. It always hisses when I open the fuel cap.

Is that sensor easy and cheap to get too, or is it built into the evap?
 
Would a fuel system cleaner likely sort it out? Reading elsewhere, my previous use of supermarket petrol and driving on vapours may have covered the sensor in grime. If so, any suggestions?
 
Best fuel cleaner I have used is called Metatec. Ive tried most of them and this really does work. If it only does it when it's up to temp, has anyone checked the lambda sensor. This only starts affecting things once engine temp reaches 60 deg C. may still be working but giving a faulty signal making the ecu think it's rich and therefore cut off the fuel. Another thing to try would be the ect, engine coolant temp sensor, again this could be reading incorrectly and not throw up a code. I don't think the fuel level sensor would stop it goin, although I could be wrong.
 
Thanks, I'll give that cleaner a go. The RAC guy's computer explanation said that it could cause the evac not to function, and if the evac isn't functioning then would that make it stop? The petrol cap always hisses when I open it... Does that fit?

This error accompanied each breakdown so far, so it has to point to something... I hope!

I asked the garage and RAC guys (three so far!) about the lambda and (like the oil) they've each said it shouldn't be that, but I agree that it still seems a reasonable candidate due to the temperature issue. Is it something I can check easily myself?

I presume the ecu must make some fuel flow decision based on what it reads as the fuel level. The gauge on the dash works fine, which makes zero sense to me!

Cheers for all the advice so far! Hopefully this journey will be of use to someone else in the future!
 
Ok, fair enough. Thanks for the note Steve.

Update. I took the car down the road to the local shops. Only a couple of miles at tops. When I came to start it again, after it was in the fat black lump area of the temp gauge it wouldn't start. Following prior advice from the RAC guys, I popped the fuel cap which hissed again. Resealed, and it started fine and made it home with no problems.

So, it's not about it being hot, but about it building up a vacuum or something along those lines.

To clarify, when the computer was plugged in, the evac system seemed to respond as expected, but the fuel level sensor was reading 0% when i'd only put 10 quid in just before, and with the fuel gauge reading an expected quarter tank.

What is my next step? Is it easy to change the fuel level sensor (error code 0460)? Or can it be cleaned?
 
not see the pumas level sender, but if its as normal, then will be a float with a pivot and an eletrical contact, its normally the surface of the contact that wears away, or corrodes, you might be able to clean it but usually replacement is the only way
 
Back
Top