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the fofo feels a bit funny...

it almost feels like the car has different modes when driving, let me explain
it feels like it does a "oh s**t, I'm supposed to be accelerating hard!" when I push the gas pedal a bit further... but it does that once it hits upwards of 3k rpm.

It's almost like it waits for a certain RPM and thne it kicks itself into... crap I was going to say kicks itself into gear but that won't work here :p but you get the point.

same with downshifting, it'll sometimes feel like the engine will realize its been downshifted and THEN it'll start slowing down where other times it feelsl ike there's no engine brakes at all.

does the engine have different kinds of modes on when it opens itself up to push out some power or is the low end really THAT bad?

thing is, its noticeable.


the other one that gets me everytime is if i let off the gas pedal while in gear, i can almost feel like something is 'disconnecting', then if i go back on the gas pedal the car jerks forward a bit. i've been told all manny trannies are this way but either my car has a small issue or i'm a shitty driver cause i've tried getting on the pedal softly and it still jerks.

depending on gear/speed it can be a pretty big jerk too. can't think off the top of my head if it makse any clunk noises when it does the jerk... it feels like something is being engaged harshly.

any ideas anyone?
3000RPM issue
If your direction setting for your Air-con is set to Defrost it will have a delay untill 3000RPM

And the letting off the gas is natural I believe. Its the car just allowing itself not to work all time. Even though you want it to
OOooOh $hit, Turbo lag!!
(07-08-2010, 03:17 AM)Scorcher000 Wrote: [ -> ]3000RPM issue
If your direction setting for your Air-con is set to Defrost it will have a delay untill 3000RPM

And the letting off the gas is natural I believe. Its the car just allowing itself not to work all time. Even though you want it to

its not set to defrost
(07-08-2010, 02:57 AM)Mystake Wrote: [ -> ]the fofo feels a bit funny...

it almost feels like the car has different modes when driving, let me explain
it feels like it does a "oh s**t, I'm supposed to be accelerating hard!" when I push the gas pedal a bit further... but it does that once it hits upwards of 3k rpm.

It's almost like it waits for a certain RPM and thne it kicks itself into... crap I was going to say kicks itself into gear but that won't work here :p but you get the point.

same with downshifting, it'll sometimes feel like the engine will realize its been downshifted and THEN it'll start slowing down where other times it feelsl ike there's no engine brakes at all.

does the engine have different kinds of modes on when it opens itself up to push out some power or is the low end really THAT bad?

thing is, its noticeable.


the other one that gets me everytime is if i let off the gas pedal while in gear, i can almost feel like something is 'disconnecting', then if i go back on the gas pedal the car jerks forward a bit. i've been told all manny trannies are this way but either my car has a small issue or i'm a shitty driver cause i've tried getting on the pedal softly and it still jerks.

depending on gear/speed it can be a pretty big jerk too. can't think off the top of my head if it makse any clunk noises when it does the jerk... it feels like something is being engaged harshly.

any ideas anyone?

Is it really hot where you are right now? When the IATs get a bit too high the ECU retards the timing to avoid a lean condition ... that tends to make the car feel "funny." Instead of making power the engine tends to feel a bit "buzzy." This is especially true in hot weather stop and go driving.
(07-08-2010, 04:23 AM)ZTWsquared Wrote: [ -> ]
(07-08-2010, 02:57 AM)Mystake Wrote: [ -> ]the fofo feels a bit funny...

it almost feels like the car has different modes when driving, let me explain
it feels like it does a "oh s**t, I'm supposed to be accelerating hard!" when I push the gas pedal a bit further... but it does that once it hits upwards of 3k rpm.

It's almost like it waits for a certain RPM and thne it kicks itself into... crap I was going to say kicks itself into gear but that won't work here :p but you get the point.

same with downshifting, it'll sometimes feel like the engine will realize its been downshifted and THEN it'll start slowing down where other times it feelsl ike there's no engine brakes at all.

does the engine have different kinds of modes on when it opens itself up to push out some power or is the low end really THAT bad?

thing is, its noticeable.


the other one that gets me everytime is if i let off the gas pedal while in gear, i can almost feel like something is 'disconnecting', then if i go back on the gas pedal the car jerks forward a bit. i've been told all manny trannies are this way but either my car has a small issue or i'm a shitty driver cause i've tried getting on the pedal softly and it still jerks.

depending on gear/speed it can be a pretty big jerk too. can't think off the top of my head if it makse any clunk noises when it does the jerk... it feels like something is being engaged harshly.

any ideas anyone?

Is it really hot where you are right now? When the IATs get a bit too high the ECU retards the timing to avoid a lean condition ... that tends to make the car feel "funny." Instead of making power the engine tends to feel a bit "buzzy." This is especially true in hot weather stop and go driving.

oh for sure has been scorching hot the past couple days!! luke even i felt the vehicle act up a lil funny today with the aircon going, but even after i turned it off....im guessing it the heat thts throwing something a lil off...its not even remotely bad, but yea noticeable..
I have the same jerkyness issue, no matter how I vary my driving, letting of the gas at lower speeds in lower gears results in a noticable jerk. It is really noticable in stop and go, unless I put the clutch in constantly. Just trying to coast smoothly in stop and go in 1st is next to impossible.

My car also sometimes feels like it "lurches" forward, like I've given it a stab of the gas when I haven't. Its most noticable on smoother roads, but it doesn't feel like a suspension issue.
hmmm well the car runs amazing when the engine is cold.


maybe it is the extreme heat.

we'll see when it cools down i guess.
(07-08-2010, 11:52 PM)Lowe9 Wrote: [ -> ]I have the same jerkyness issue, no matter how I vary my driving, letting of the gas at lower speeds in lower gears results in a noticable jerk. It is really noticable in stop and go, unless I put the clutch in constantly. Just trying to coast smoothly in stop and go in 1st is next to impossible.

My car also sometimes feels like it "lurches" forward, like I've given it a stab of the gas when I haven't. Its most noticable on smoother roads, but it doesn't feel like a suspension issue.

1st gear thecar buckles on deceleration, lol.
I can tell you that this heat is making even the Fusion feel like a slug right now (never mind the driver behind the wheel)

Passing is back to "Okay... <b>NOW</b>!" as opposed to just mash & go when the weather is more reasonable (anything with a sub 30C ambient temp)

NefCanuck
(07-09-2010, 01:03 AM)Mystake Wrote: [ -> ]
(07-08-2010, 11:52 PM)Lowe9 Wrote: [ -> ]I have the same jerkyness issue, no matter how I vary my driving, letting of the gas at lower speeds in lower gears results in a noticable jerk. It is really noticable in stop and go, unless I put the clutch in constantly. Just trying to coast smoothly in stop and go in 1st is next to impossible.

My car also sometimes feels like it "lurches" forward, like I've given it a stab of the gas when I haven't. Its most noticable on smoother roads, but it doesn't feel like a suspension issue.

1st gear thecar buckles on deceleration, lol.

Well obviously the car is going to jerk like an SOB if you let of the gas in first. I'm referring to stop and go driving on a crowded highway, leaving the car in first while travelling 5-10 km/h. Its impossible to travel smoothly, even with the smallest throttle inputs.

I used to drive a Mazda Tribute, which had the Duratec 2.3 with the 5 speed manual, I'm fairly certain its the exact same drivetrain as the Focus ST. That car didn't have the same issue in stop and go.
i drive in first all the time in traffic, smooth as butter even on the weekend in this heat and turbo'd, no bucking or anything. you have to have a soft foot on the pedal but its rather easy to do. i can just drive 5-10km/h for a good few minutes unless traffic stops dead.

odds are this is an ambient temp issue and i would say the only way to really fix that would be to fool the car into thinking its cooler then it is with a resistor. otherwise live with it really :S
I know how to drive a stick in traffic, no matter how gentle you are, the car is jerky. I rarely drive in stop and go, I go against the flow traffic on my commute (City to the Suburbs) so the issue isn't that big of deal. But it may be connected to the bigger issues I'm having, and it seems to be amplified in this hot weather, is a stumble on deceleration.

I did some googling, and found a thread on a Miata board that perfectly describes the issue
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?p=102369
It feels like I just stabbed the gas, even though I'm completely off the throttle while coasting to a stop. It can also feel like the car just went over a bump, but it doesn't quite feel like it came from the suspension.

Possible things I've read it could be: dirty throttle body, dirty MAF sensor, fuel filter issue, or the computer leaning out the mixture too much on decel, causing the engine to misfire.

The engine is bone stock, and only has 42,000km on it. Can anyone with a duratec shed some light on this? And sorry for the quasi thread jack Mystake.
np lowe.


ill check my tb but afaik its clean. other suggestionsyu mentioned have alreadybeen covered
(07-09-2010, 06:37 AM)Lowe9 Wrote: [ -> ]I know how to drive a stick in traffic, no matter how gentle you are, the car is jerky. I rarely drive in stop and go, I go against the flow traffic on my commute (City to the Suburbs) so the issue isn't that big of deal. But it may be connected to the bigger issues I'm having, and it seems to be amplified in this hot weather, is a stumble on deceleration.

I did some googling, and found a thread on a Miata board that perfectly describes the issue
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?p=102369
It feels like I just stabbed the gas, even though I'm completely off the throttle while coasting to a stop. It can also feel like the car just went over a bump, but it doesn't quite feel like it came from the suspension.

Possible things I've read it could be: dirty throttle body, dirty MAF sensor, fuel filter issue, or the computer leaning out the mixture too much on decel, causing the engine to misfire.

The engine is bone stock, and only has 42,000km on it. Can anyone with a duratec shed some light on this? And sorry for the quasi thread jack Mystake.

I doubt this is the cause ... but it can contribute to jerky driving.

One of the things about the Focus is the plastic throttle body ... and the plastic doesn't like throttle-body cleaner (yeah, makes no sense, I know) ... and when the plastic get's a bit tacky from the cleaner it can cause the butterfly to stick to the tb housing (and yes, gets worse with high temps) ... my ghetto cure for that when it happens to me is to polish the inside of the tb with gelcoat cleaner -
I have that same problem. the 3k rpm dread. happens all the time, not just when the ac is on.

focus setup is not driver friendly. everything is in awkward spot of setup for your grandma. from what I've been reading that problem is caused by the throttle body. it has slow "tip in" or what ever they call that. it sucks, and ford was idiot for dumbing it down for us. perhaps some one with aftermarket/big throttle body could chime in if that's the actual problem?
AC is a big fat power sucking parasite on the focus.Angry (in the summer, I often make use of the extra boost button (AC off) LOL!)

As far as TB, my after market aluminum TB has a quick "tip in" and has no problems in the heat, however in the cold, it is sometimes sticky because the difference in the expansion rates of the brass butterfly valve and the aluminum body.