A friend of mine has a Ford focus (dunno which model, fairly basic I think) and he says that occasionally when changing down through the gears, the speedo goes crazy and flicks up to over 100 mph before returning to normal. It'll do this several times in a journey and then may not happen again for weeks.
Any suggestions?
The blue oval badge on the front...
Be fair, it's 10 years old and this is it's first fault.
Tim
speed sensor becoming erratic is very common on these and quite cheap, speedometer unit failures are common too but a bit dearer.
Cheers, I'll pass on the info.
Is the any easy DIY test or is it just simpler to replace on spec?
Tim
No realistic way to test; it's too intermittent.
A new sensor is about 25UKP, and less than an hour's labour to fit.
Chris
Ford are still doing the whole Cluster for £130 instead of the original £450 if it turns out not to be the VSS.
Tim.
....once you persuade the roll pin out. lol.
Tim.
:-)
Break off the silly clip with pliers, use sidecutters to lever it out.
(Note to OP; buy a new pin with the sensor. You *will* need it!)
More of a problem I find is pulling the sensor out after removing the pin. If you get it even a bit crooked, it will break.
I've read, but never tried, that removing the gearbox oil level plug enables easy removal. The theory is that pulling the sensor out creates a vacuum, inhibiting removal. Sounds a bit far-fetched, but costs nothing to try I guess.
Chris
the gearbox will have a breather, so I cannot see that removing the filler would make any odds. I made up a tool to use that can be tapped upward to remove the switch, before attempting removal I wash and blow the area to get any grit out. I would guess that removal from above would be nearimpossible.
Interesting list of Focus faults here including one about erratic speedo that I had not heard before.
Do you mean the CHT sensor cable re-routing?
This only affects Zetec SE ones, and is the subject of a TSB.
Chris
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required