Mondeo DMF causes even bigger problems!!

KDC

Hi all. I'm just posting this thread on behalf of my partner as he's pretty fed up!! :mad:

"My 51 plate Mondeo is at present in the garage with an original fault of over-fuelling. It would seem that the DMF has failed and the iron filings this has caused have missed the starter (which seems to be the most common fault it causes) and have shorted out the crankshaft sensor. This has caused the CPU to mess up and this has damaged the fuel pump which then caused the over-fuelling, burning out the injectors.

The garage first informed me that the problem was the DMF and the crankshaft sensor. I had them repair this under the impression that this would correct the fault. They then contacted me when this had been done telling me of the other problems as above. In my opinion and that of the mechanic's the car is not worth the extra £2500 this would cost. I'm now left with a bill of just over £1000 and no working car.

Surely a reputable garage would have spotted the problems listed above before replacing the clutch and crankshaft sensor??

Bring back the old cortinas and escorts etc as spares for these were relatively cheap and could be fitted by most owners who were good with their hands.

In these circumstances computerised systems make life a lot more difficult and costly for car owners. If this continues then we will become a society of buying new cars and after 3yrs throwing them away - a throw away society.

My advise would be to steer clear of this model at all costs.

It would be nice to know if anybody else has had a similar problem!!"


He's still fed up!!
KDC

vikingaero

It's a very common problem on Mondeos. Basically there has been demand placed upon manufacturers to make previously agricultural sounding and vibrating diesels have a similar refinement compared to petrols. The manufacturers invented the lemon that is the DMF.

As to whether the garage could have spotted it? Well until doctors and mechanics have x-ray vision there will be unseen problems.

Strider590

KDC wrote: »

If this continues then we will become a society of buying new cars and after 3yrs throwing them away - a throw away society.

We're already there and it's actually got more to do with people being very materialistic, than it has to do with anything else.
If it ain't new, then your a nobody.

Welcome to the 21st Century.

Hammyman

KDC wrote: »

This has caused the CPU to mess up and this has damaged the fuel pump which then caused the over-fuelling, burning out the injectors.

I find that above part of it all to be complete hogwash. If the crankshaft sensor had packed up or been shorted out, the engine would be in limp home mode. A shorted out crankshaft sensor cannot fry an ECU. It would either send out no voltage or a positive voltage. The ECU would be using extremely conservative settings being in "limp home mode" due to not getting expected crankshaft sensor readings. The ECU cannot damage the fuel pump. It doesn't drive it, it merely MAY turn it on or off but the pump also has its own built in pressure switch that would turn it off once the pressure in the fuel pipe had got to a certain level. A fuel pump that was providing too much pressure would not burn out the injectors. It may damage the seals on them but not burn them out.

The only plausible part in all of the post is the DMF failure filling up the starter with metal filings and knackering it.

As to similar problems? My Mondeo TDCi is now just short of 144,000 miles and not had this problem.

Hammyman

vikingaero wrote: »

It's a very common problem on Mondeos. Basically there has been demand placed upon manufacturers to make previously agricultural sounding and vibrating diesels have a similar refinement compared to petrols. The manufacturers invented the lemon that is the DMF.

As to whether the garage could have spotted it? Well until doctors and mechanics have x-ray vision there will be unseen problems.

DMF failure is very easy to spot on Mondeos. Basically, if you pull off the starter or the inspection port, if there's one, and the bellhousing is coated with metal filings, the DMF has gone. Thats assuming no road test was done.

forgotmyname

Shorting the sensor out & damaging the ECU? Never heard of that one.

Fitting the wrong flywheel with incorrect lugs on the timing side is though.
Damaged the sensor fitting the clutch?

Was the car still running when you took it into be repaired? Damaged fuel pump & burning out
the injectors?

Sounds to me like they are stitching you up. Do they actually have a clue as to what is wrong?

Pump & injectors run within fixed parameters, Beyond that the engine goes into limp home mode.
Flashing glowplug lights & power drops to avoid damage.

Re-reading the post did you take it in due to the car not starting? They should have changed the sensor
before even thinking of looking at the clutch, But it will all depend on what was said initially.

KDC

Thanks to those who've responded. My boyfriend has gone home now so hasn't seen these replies. I shall get him to join so that he can comment himself.

Thanks again.
KDC

Lum

Shorting a sensor could damage the ECU surely?

If the sensor is powered by 12V and is returning a signal of, say, between 0V and 1V then shoving 12V down that wire could do damage.

You'd hope that by 2001 there would be protection against such things, but who knows?

forgotmyname

You dont get 12v through the sensor though, Its a magnetic pickup. Nothing to short out as such.
Wiring is on the exterior of the gearbox housing, Unless the sensor was physically damaged by the flywheel.

Even then a new sensor should sort it.

Petrol or Diesel TDDI or Diesel TDCI?

The TDDI injectors are more reliable and do not need to be recoded to the engine where the TDCI injectors need
to be plugged into a computer after fitting.
Also because its an early car it is not OBDII compliant and not all garages have the right equipment to read error codes
from your car.

Lum

Crikey. I just watched this video of how a DMF works.

What an awful idea. The engine is pushing against a pair of springs that in turn push against the second flywheel. Every time you lift off the accelerator then the car will begin pushing the engine along and the pushy thing will bash into the end of the opposite spring. If you bash on metal often enough it will eventually become brittle and snap off, which is apparently what they are now doing.

I've often said that cars reached peak reliability in the mid 90s and since then have just gained needless complexity for minimal gains. These things are just one more proof of that.

Still, I guess it helps to keep new car sales up.

forgotmyname

Lum wrote: »

Crikey. I just watched this video of how a DMF works.

What an awful idea.

Your just jealous you didnt think of the idea and patent it, :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


You could be sitting here with the butler/maid reading and typing for you whilst feeding you strawberries.