Not accelerating past forty MPH

BIGBADTURKEY

MEMBER
2001 FORD FOCUS
2.0L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
170,000 MILES

The fuel pump went out on my car listed above SE model, 2.0 SPI. After I got it home I replaced the fuel pump with a new fuel pump assembly, and now it fires up and idles. It'll drive around town perfectly fine, but when I tried to take it on the freeway it labors at accelerating and won't go over 40-45 MPH. It is not throwing a check engine light either. I'm not sure if it went into some sort of "limp mode" or "Fail-safe mode" if it is even equipped with one.

The car did not have any prior issues leading up to the fuel pump failure. (At least obvious or to my knowledge.)

In the previous months I have already changed spark plugs, air filer, and oil filter for normal maintenance.

I'm not the most automotive savvy, but I do work on my own cars, and this is leaving me stumped. Any advice would help.

After speaking to a colleague of mine, he had mentioned to replace the fuel filter as the new pump filters are new and more porous than the older ones and may have had some debris go into the fuel filter.

3 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,772 POSTS

Hi,

Did you already replace the inline filter? If so, are you sure the fuel flow direction is correct? See pic 1. As far as filters, if you replaced it, a new one shouldn't cause this.

Also, if the filter is new and installed correctly, make sure there are no pinched lines or anything kinked that could restrict fuel flow.

If you find nothing wrong, then we need to check fuel pressure to see if the new pump is performing as it should. Here is a link that explains in general how it's done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-fuel-system-pressure-and-regulator

If possible, let me know if this has a single or duel overhead cam engine. That way I can get you the correct fuel pressure specifications.

Let me know.
Joe

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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020 AT 7:31 PM

BIGBADTURKEY

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Sorry for the late reply, just swapped the fuel filter.

For more context that I probably should’ve added I found that if I feathered the throttle it would slowly get up to speed but the second it was more than 20% throttle or more it would choke like it was running way too lean for the fuel air mixture.

When I dropped the old filter from the bracket the fuel came out black, so I was confident that was the issue, I poured water down through and it seemed blocked. After letting it idle for a little bit with the new filter, it got all its peppiness back and will go through all the gears and get up to speed properly.

It was my mistake that I looked over the fuel filter when replacing the pump. It’s too cheap of a part to cause so much headache.

Thank you for your insight. I hope this post may help others experiencing this issue.

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Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 AT 12:20 PM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,772 POSTS

Hi,

Glad to hear you got it taken care of. Thanks for letting me know. Please feel free to come back in the future if you have questions.

Take care,
Joe

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Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 AT 6:16 PM