Lost power

amlohac · 24-05-2006, 12:43 PM

The most horible thing happened to me on the weekend... i got dragged off by a toyota echo......

: and sad thing was, it was a total thrashing, well i thought it was anyway.

I knew my car had lost a bit of power, it is comming close to its next service but its still about 6000kms off that.

What im after here is some profesional opinion, or one from someone who knows a bit more about cars than i do. Why/How the hell would i have lost SO much power? Is it due to dirty oil/fluids? Stuffed Sparkies? Transmission problems? Im at a total loss.

Its a 2003 Focus Zetec and it is an auto, i have a 2.25 in exhaust and a UniFilter Pod so i should have a few extra HP not alot less.

The ford that im going to have to take it too are a bunch of tools and wont fix it unless i tell them specifics, so i need to have a good idea on what it COULD be.

Zetec20 · 24-05-2006, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amlohac

it is an auto

I think i've found your problem...

amlohac · 24-05-2006, 11:31 PM

ha ha ha i knew i shouldnt have omitted my comment, i orginally had in my post "and its not cos its an auto you bunch of smart *****" but i thought id treat you all with a bit more cred and respect. Obviously there was reasons (and users) to have that comment. So consider id to be added.

I want a serious reply, and Zetec20 i thought you would have at least given a mechanical reason, not a smart ar.se one, considering you have family who are ford techs that you keep raving about.

b2tf · 25-05-2006, 10:14 PM

Before we get into an argument here lets get back on topic.

Mine is an auto as well, 2L non Zetec tune though. 2.5" EXhaust, K&N and thats about it. And mine is ok. Its nothing to write home about but I didnt buy the car thinking it would be - it moves and if i put my foot down it will go, and sound good doing it.

I find it'll go quite well on takeoff, it comes down to how hard you plant it. Sometimes it hits a PITA sluggy spot and itll drive like a dog, I wish i knew why and i wish i could pinpoint them to do something about it, but i cant, and its not that huge a deal.

Autos will always be slower than manuals in this particular type of car, but I cant work out why it would suddenly lose so much.

amlohac · 25-05-2006, 10:44 PM

B2tF my point exactly, its not an xr5t but it still shouldnt have lost power as much as it had. That said, it was running alright today, but still not 100%

mitch_lx · 26-05-2006, 08:06 AM

Uhm, does anybody think it might be because of the 2.5 inch exhaust on a naturally aspirated 2 litre auto. Poor thing probably lost 20nm.

Did the Sh%$ performance start after the exhaust was put on?

b2tf · 26-05-2006, 09:33 AM

mitch, amlohac doesnt have a 2.5, and for that matter neither do i. i wrote 2.5, but i missed a 2 - i have a 2.25" exhaust and so does amlohac.

and for the record, i didnt lose any power whatsoever with my exhaust. it took a couple of weeks to "settle in", but after having it on for approximately 3 months (i think? cant remember how long), it is fantastic.

Thinking more about the problem, amlohac, what sort of fuel did you put in last? Could it crap fuel causing this? I put regular unleaded in mine once and it ran like a dog. I always run it on premium, have since i got it, and i reckon its gotten used to it. i know thats not possible, but i said that about a lot of things on this car, and have subsequently been proven wrong many times!

amlohac · 26-05-2006, 12:29 PM

I have run nothing but premium in my car since the day i got it. I know its not fuel becuase it has been doing it for a few months and i have fueled up numerious times from different places. Its only till i got fu.cked by that little buz box that i really noticed how bad it really was. And its definatly not the exaust, it just made it better. Im really not too sure as to what it might be. Im hoping its just drity oil or something like that.

Its going in for a service on tuesday and one of my mates from the ford dealer i usually deal with in Deniliquin is now working in Albury at ford so i will be able to get what i want now.

So its going to be and expensive day for me cos i need new rotors and pads too!

melbzetec · 26-05-2006, 12:32 PM

Clogged fuel filter? Just a thought

amlohac · 26-05-2006, 12:39 PM

Thats another thought i had, i just hope its all fixed when i get it back or ill really crack it.

amlohac · 30-05-2006, 03:56 PM

Ok update time.

Now i have said before im not really a fan of pod filters, people blow on and on about how much HP they get from fitting one etc etc. All bull s.hit unless you have something like a pipercross which has the carbon fiber heat cover all round it and cold air induction opening (melbZetec could probably provide a photo) and even then the gain is bugger all on a n/a car. Turbo cars benifit alot from a pod though.

So everything on my car is in perfect condition, they ford service guy said its odd how good it all is so close to a major service. The problem, the pod filter i had fitted.

I put my UniFilter back on cos i love the induction noise and its winter so i dont have the troubles of very very hot air being used through it. I thought "hey its freezin cold, so i wont loose power its all good". Not true.

Next week im takin it for a dyno run (just an engine one) to compare the two induction methods, ill tell you all how it goes.

So from just the "feel" of the car after putting my stock box back on with my k&n pannel it all seems alot better. Ill see if i find that echo again and give it a floggin!

melbzetec · 31-05-2006, 05:43 PM

[QUOTE=amlohac]people blow on and on about how much HP they get from fitting one etc etc. All bull s.hit unless you have something like a pipercross which has the carbon fiber heat cover all round it and cold air induction opening (melbZetec could probably provide a photo) and even then the gain is bugger all on a n/a car. Turbo cars benifit alot from a pod though.[QUOTE]

I was always dubious about the performance gains as well. So had the car dynoed before and after fitting the Pipercross Viper plus kelvar induction tube (from filter to throttle body)

The result was a lift in power and torque right across the rev range. Max power shifted from 72kW to 77.7 kW. 5.7kW increase, or 7.9%

(Both recorded on same dyno, in shootout mode that supposedly adjusts for temperature variations)

I am a big fan of this system

amlohac · 31-05-2006, 07:37 PM

Thanks for that dude. Highlights my point perfectly. Cold air is awsome for your engine, theres just the matter of getting it to that point without heat transfer problems. If anyone can afford the pipercross system i would suggest it over anything.

Also might i highlight a not so good pod setup http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...d=1#post744020 This would suffer from some very serious heat problems, it runs very close to high heat engine components.

amlohac · 31-05-2006, 07:42 PM

Oh and you know what else i find funny... melbzetec's focus runs a higher power output than FRA's focus, and all melb has to create that gain is a decent airflow system and an exhaust upgrade. Something to think about.

melbzetec · 31-05-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amlohac

Oh and you know what else i find funny... melbzetec's focus runs a higher power output than FRA's focus, and all melb has to create that gain is a decent airflow system and an exhaust upgrade. Something to think about.

To be fair, FRA has a CL, mine is a Zetec, so I had a higher output to start with. But point taken.

amlohac · 01-06-2006, 07:18 PM

I stand corrected.

zetec · 02-06-2006, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitch_lx

Uhm, does anybody think it might be because of the 2.5 inch exhaust on a naturally aspirated 2 litre auto. Poor thing probably lost 20nm.

Did the Sh%$ performance start after the exhaust was put on?

I can assure you the exhaust isn't the problem, it was a perfect size for a healthy Focus 2.25 inch with a single good flow muffler. I should know, it lived on my car for almost 2 years!

zetec · 03-06-2006, 12:02 AM

As an aisde, the LR 2.0 seems to suffer a bit from losing performance, especially the 96kw 2.0 Zetec both from personal experience and word of mouth. Never driven a car that decides to be different everyday like my own. Somedays it'll tear the diff out of the mounts, other days it wouldn't pull the skin off custard. I have a feeling it's something to do with the learning ECU, the crap fuel map that just doesn't cope with temperature variation... I think it runs too rich and maybe even the internals are getting a little dirty. Next service I'll be running some upper engine cleaner through it to de-carbonise the valves and head, whacking in some Mobil 1 and seeing if she runs smoothly again. Too many flat spots for my liking. Ideally I'd chip it to off the factory settings (useless) but of course, nobody does chips for Zetecs. Typical.

amlohac · 05-06-2006, 09:58 PM

big part of the problem was the pod i had, i slapped the air box and a k&n back in, with 3 air induction points, goin very sweet now

b2tf · 05-06-2006, 10:09 PM

3 induction points? where are they?

amlohac · 09-06-2006, 06:57 PM

front scoop, silencer hole, and one i cut myselfand is ducted to the front.