Hello - Please help! I’m at my wits end with my project!

[Jamie.Frost]

Hello,

I feel like I’m almost gate crashing onto your forum so I’m very sorry! My names Jamie and I don’t actually own a Westfield (although it is my dream car to own one day!) but I do own a Ford Fiesta ST150 running a 2.0 Duratec on Jenvey Individual Throttle Bodies - this is the only forum I can find with any knowledge as I know you guys do run this engine in your Westfields.

As I’ve said, it’s a 2.0 Duratec fresh rebuild running Newman Phase 3 camshafts, Omex 600 management, a Full exhaust system, Sytec Fuel Pressure Reg, Peco 330cc injectors, uprated bottom end and running on Jenvey Throttle Bodies.

The problem... (are you sitting comfortably?!)....

After the rebuild - cut a very long story short - I got car mapped/set up at Sabre Tuning in Castle Combe, the car made a healthy 200bhp and I was over the moon, drove amazingly and safe to say I was chuffed!

 

After taking it out a few times I brought it back in one night, disconnected the battery (as I always do) and left it, went back the next day and since then I’ve had nothing but problems: 

 

1. it’ll struggle to start and will idle very low almost struggling to suck air in

2. It will shoot flames out of the bodies and misfire badly and absolutely honk of fuel under the bonnet on idle

3. It seems to rev up to around 6K fine 

4. It’ll drive pretty much the same apart from the dodgy idle.

5. The idle screw has to be literally all the way open for it to even idle (and even then it’s only idling at 900rpm)

I can really hear the bodies ‘chuffing’ away on idle trying to suck in air which I’ve also never heard before.

 

Timing is spot on, fuel pressure reg is fine, changed the inlet manifold gasket (no air leaks), coilpack, plugs and leads are fine, new fuel filter, fuel delivery is there and I’ve also reinstalled the tuned map just to make sure it hadn’t ‘lost’ anything, changed the crank sensor and also checked position against pulley teeth, drained the tank incase of contaminated fuel and blew lines through, cleaned injectors with brake cleaner

Ive plugged the Omex into the software and I’m getting a reading from my TPS sensor so don’t think it’s thats and I’m also getting 3.1 bar from FPR.

 

As I’ve said before, I feel extremely cheeky doing this, I hope you don’t mind as I really am at my wits end with it and I can’t even get the car to a tuners at the moment.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated,

 

Thanks

 

Jamie

 

[jonjh1964]

Have you checked the balance of the throttle bodies. It’s not unknown for the screws to loosen and it really messes up the idle. Get a synchrometer and check all trumpets are the same.

[Andy Banks]

Battery disconnected... Might be something that can't hold its own charge resetting. Your TPS is physically ok? Is it solidly mounted?

[jeff oakley]

Book it in at Interpro at Thornbury they will sort it. I would suggest that as it happened after an electrical disconnection that it is likely to be an electrical issue. 

I would pull all the connections off the ecu, engine one at a time as well as relays etc, then use a good quality electrical cleaner spray on all of them and then refit everything.

Checking the balance of the boddies is also a good shout my money is on electrics. Was everything new when fitted as well

[TableLeg]

Is the battery ok? It could be showing 12v at startup but then drop voltage as the engine is running, perhaps alternator/wiring issue? I agree with the above that if it had been running fine since mapped and then you stop the engine as usual and all is ok, turn off the battery and on the next restart the problems all began it would suggest electrical issue to me.

Does your Ecu use and Inlet air control valve? If so, this should be controlling your idle and you should be able to see it on your Ecu software.

Maybe you could you put up some screenshots from the software with the engine running?

[Jamie.Frost]

10 hours ago, jonjh1964 said:

Have you checked the balance of the throttle bodies. It’s not unknown for the screws to loosen and it really messes up the idle. Get a synchrometer and check all trumpets are the same.

They were balanced last year but I’ll definitely check them, my mate has one I can borrow so will do that, thanks.

 

8 hours ago, Andy Banks - Chairman said:

Battery disconnected... Might be something that can't hold its own charge resetting. Your TPS is physically ok? Is it solidly mounted?

That’s what I though, I thought it was too much of a coincidence for it to not be something electrical, yep, looks okay but I’ll check that’s its mounted solid too, thanks 

 

8 hours ago, jeff oakley said:

Book it in at Interpro at Thornbury they will sort it. I would suggest that as it happened after an electrical disconnection that it is likely to be an electrical issue. 

I would pull all the connections off the ecu, engine one at a time as well as relays etc, then use a good quality electrical cleaner spray on all of them and then refit everything.

Checking the balance of the boddies is also a good shout my money is on electrics. Was everything new when fitted as well

I rang interpro this morning and they’re booked up until the end of June! I can’t get the car there anyway really either.

Okay brill, agitate them with anything or just spray the cleaner on and plug it back in? No it wasn’t unfortunately, I got it all off a car I swapped my standard inlet manifold with, it’s  just strange how it suddenly stopped working when I disconnected the battery.

 

8 hours ago, TableLeg said:

Is the battery ok? It could be showing 12v at startup but then drop voltage as the engine is running, perhaps alternator/wiring issue? I agree with the above that if it had been running fine since mapped and then you stop the engine as usual and all is ok, turn off the battery and on the next restart the problems all began it would suggest electrical issue to me.

Does your Ecu use and Inlet air control valve? If so, this should be controlling your idle and you should be able to see it on your Ecu software.

Maybe you could you put up some screenshots from the software with the engine running?

It’s a brand new battery and the alternator would have only covered around 3000 miles by now - wish it was something and simple as that though lol.

I have a TPS and an Air Intake Temperature sensor sat by the trumpets and that’s all I have measuring air in. I’ll try to do that when I get it plugged in next time I’m on the phone to Omex.

 

Does anybody know the best way to check wires and plugs etc? Multimeter and measuring continuity or something like that?

 

Thanks!

 

Jamie

[jeff oakley]

I would just pull the multiplugs on and off a few times and spray the cleaner in and then let them fully dry. You shouldn't need to drench them at all.

It might be worth calling Omex as well and asking their advice. I have been told that they are very helpful indeed with problems. They are not that far away in Cheltenham so if they offer a checking service for the ECU then taking it for them just to make sure it is working might be worthwhile.

[Hemsley]

A noisy TPS connection when on idle might be a candidate. You could check this if you connect a laptop with the OMEX software to the ECU. At idle the TPS value will be oscillating between the baseline and opening the throttle. Depending upon how bad the noise is, this could be a problem?

[Hornet600]

I had very similar symptoms on mine. There was a loose wire inside the TPS connector. I re crimped and then reset the TPS. are you resetting yours... mines is an emerald and you teach full pedal travel. Cheers John 

[Lyonspride]

I can fully appreciate why you cane here, I own a Mondeo mk4 Duratec He (no mods, although I'd briefly considered fitting the larger TB from the 2.3 )  and I've found the vast majority of Ford owner forums to be utterly useless in comparison to those of Vauxhall owners and I'm at a loss as to why that is.

I also suspect people have been taking the simple route of remapping diesels for the last 10 years and nobody remembers how to mod petrol engines anymore (but that will soon change with the new MOT and the whole anti-diesel thing).

As for your issue, was anything done with the cars main ECU? I'm assuming it was left in place (as it runs everything else as well) but bypassed for the engine, when these are disconnected for some time certain settings reset to default and you may find its fighting against your mods......?

[BenD]

post some screenshots of the omex map from the software. there are some very knowlegable people on here. if it was ok before you disconnected your battery though as tableleg suggested id take your battery to halfrauds or somewhere and get them to check it. its very common for the battery to be the cause of the problems even brand new ones from westfield have been known to be no good

[Jamie.Frost]

23 hours ago, jeff oakley said:

I would just pull the multiplugs on and off a few times and spray the cleaner in and then let them fully dry. You shouldn't need to drench them at all.

It might be worth calling Omex as well and asking their advice. I have been told that they are very helpful indeed with problems. They are not that far away in Cheltenham so if they offer a checking service for the ECU then taking it for them just to make sure it is working might be worthwhile.

Okay I’ll do thy cheers, yes I was onbthe phone to Guy in their technical team but it was last Friday and the phone cut out at 4 (when they closed) so didn’t have much luck, hoping to ring him back next week when I’m with the car. The thought had crossed my mind about taking the ECU to them as I’m only in the Forest of Dean so not that far like you say. 

 

22 hours ago, Hemsley said:

A noisy TPS connection when on idle might be a candidate. You could check this if you connect a laptop with the OMEX software to the ECU. At idle the TPS value will be oscillating between the baseline and opening the throttle. Depending upon how bad the noise is, this could be a problem?

Thanks for your reply, unfortunately I’ve already checked this and the TPS movements on the software is extremely smooth - I tried to catch it out a few times and it was still perfect.

 

20 hours ago, Hornet600 said:

I had very similar symptoms on mine. There was a loose wire inside the TPS connector. I re crimped and then reset the TPS. are you resetting yours... mines is an emerald and you teach full pedal travel. Cheers John 

Ooh that sounds interesting! Is it a cadence of testing resistance going back to the ecu and tobthe sensor itself aswell as visually inspecting it? I don’t know how to reset the throttle pedal if I’m honest, never knew I could do that, I’ll deffo have a look into it.

 

11 hours ago, Lyonspride said:

I can fully appreciate why you cane here, I own a Mondeo mk4 Duratec He (no mods, although I'd briefly considered fitting the larger TB from the 2.3 )  and I've found the vast majority of Ford owner forums to be utterly useless in comparison to those of Vauxhall owners and I'm at a loss as to why that is.

I also suspect people have been taking the simple route of remapping diesels for the last 10 years and nobody remembers how to mod petrol engines anymore (but that will soon change with the new MOT and the whole anti-diesel thing).

As for your issue, was anything done with the cars main ECU? I'm assuming it was left in place (as it runs everything else as well) but bypassed for the engine, when these are disconnected for some time certain settings reset to default and you may find its fighting against your mods......?

Yes I know exactly what you mean, I only know a couple of people who know what they’re on about with them lol. As for the 60mm 2.3 throttle body, I wouldn’t bother, I had one on mine with stage 3 cams and didn’t really notice about difference lol.

Yeah I see what you’re saying, basically everything in terms of engine sensors are controlled my the Omex, the crank sensor does have a signal going to the standard loom just to get a reading for the rev counter though. 

9 hours ago, Ben (bunje) said:

post some screenshots of the omex map from the software. there are some very knowlegable people on here. if it was ok before you disconnected your battery though as tableleg suggested id take your battery to halfrauds or somewhere and get them to check it. its very common for the battery to be the cause of the problems even brand new ones from westfield have been known to be no good

Thanks, I will do once I can get hold of a laptop to plug it in again (I only have an Apple Mac!) okay I’ll get the battery checked too - thank you 

[BenD]

Did I reply to a post of your in Facebook where your fiesta wouldn't start after washing the car? 

[Jamie.Frost]

7 minutes ago, Ben (bunje) said:

Did I reply to a post of your in Facebook where your fiesta wouldn't start after washing the car? 

I don’t think so? Lol, what group was this on? 

[BenD]

Can't remember. Someone had a blue fiesta with an St engine in it with omex managment he couldn't get it to start after pretty much doing nothing to it. Just wondering if it was your car.