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Ford Focus Faulty Speedometer

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Hi

 

I have a 1999 Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec that whilst driving along the speedo drops to Zero and the mileometer disapears. I lose a bit of power and then when slowing the engine will stall. After a short while it will return to normal. Very frustrating!

 

Looking around the internet there is quite a lot of reports of this happening with this model of focus.

 

What I was hoping is if there is anyone out there who has experienced this and knows if there is a way i could repair it myself, a local garage who can do it cheap or even someone who will help a friend in need for free :hihi:!

 

Thanks All.

 

Rob

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Sounds like the Vehicle Speed Sensor. It's quite a common problem on the Focus.

 

Usually stopping the car, turning the ignition off/on clears the issue for a while, but you really should get the sensor replaced.

 

Please see here.

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/?f=4&t=22097

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My 2002, 1.4litre Fiesta has the same fault - the electrics on Fords really are a bag of s****.

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I suppose having a Ford dealer to fix it costs an arm and a leg.

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It is the VSS - about £30 for the part and it can be fitted by removing the roll pin and swapping the component. About an hour or so labour, a Ford garage will want £100+ but a decent independant will want much less.

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it was on watchdog some months ago , check their archives

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Yeah i saw it on watchdog webpage, they said Ford would do it for £100, but they also mentioned a quick fix using WD40 but not sure how I would do it.

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I have the same make/model and I read that it's just matter of separating some wires but the more complex version would be that the cylinder head temperature sensor and the ignition cables are touching which can cause all manner of electrical glitches and need re routing... or separating :)

 

Any idea why mine sounds like there's a mini moto hidden under the bonnet running at different revs to the engine? I'm guessing at the belt drive but I'm not sure.

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It is the speed sensor ....it happened to me the other year. Bought one new for £24 & the local garage fitted it for £15 ...no probs since. Some cars get faults with the HT lead being too close to the sensor cable but more often than not its the sensor fault.

 

Make sure you WD40 the pin before trying to remove it ...can be a pain to remove dry.(was told)

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Yeah i saw it on watchdog webpage, they said Ford would do it for £100, but they also mentioned a quick fix using WD40 but not sure how I would do it.

 

That's a totally different issue and it only affects Mk1 2003 models. You have the odo showing ----- instead of the mileage - that will indicate the VSS sensor is at fault (it's also a more likley failure).

 

see http://www.ffoc.co.uk for more info.

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Hi i hope this is being put in the correct place as im new to this forum. i have today fixed my father-in-laws speed sensor on his focus and i found alot of the how to's on the internet was not much help so i thought i would put my decription out there to help others hopefully.

 

notice where the sensor is located on the top at the back of the gearbox

 

first make sure the car is in neutral.

 

then jack up the car or put it on ramps. (the sensor looks more accesible

from the top but to remove the role pin it is eaiser from the bottom).

 

get a pair of mole grips and clamp them tightly on the pin but make sure they are as you look at them on there side so you can see the a gap between the teeth of the mole grips.

 

now stick a long strong screwdriver into the gap and use the bottom of the engine to pry the screwdriver on to give a sideswards force to remove the role pin this should come out very easy doing it this way. (trust me i tried all the other ideas that are on the net and they didn't do a thing).

 

now the pin is removed as long as the car is in neutral you need to disconnect the wired connection to the sensor and then give the sensor a wiggle and it should just pop out nice and easy.

 

then replace with new sensor push it down firmly and insert the role pin and that should be it.

 

if i haven't explained well enough how to remove the pin please email me at sazstrange69@hotmail.com and i shall take photos on my focus with the tools i used and the position to pry the pin out.

 

i hope this helps alot of people out as my father-in-laws car had been to several garages and they wouldn't give a price on how much it would cost to repair as they said they are terrible to get out and he had two mobile garages look at it and gave up on it.[/i][/i][/b]

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