Mondeo on the way out. Do I just get another?

[Hedge]

I've put 100k on my 05 Mondeo Tdci (currently on a little under 180k) and now it's going into limp mode constantly with a flashing coil (edit : glow plug) light.

I hazard a guess that it's injectors or maybe a turbo actuator. Since it happens from a cold start without me touching the accelerator I imagine it's an injector problem.

It's got me wanting a replacement as I've had it for a while now and it's seen better days.

I'd like a slightly more modern family saloon / estate without breaking the bank.

Do I just get a mondeo mk4?

I don't want to spend more than 3-4k really.

 

[Finglonga]

It is telling you it is the Coil but you guess it is something else? Get it scanned, it may just need a new coil and job done. However it just sounds like you want a new car??

 

[Hedge]

It is telling you it is the Coil but you guess it is something else? Get it scanned, it may just need a new coil and job done. However it just sounds like you want a new car??

Yeah part of me wants a new car. I will take you advice though and get a cheap scanner to look for a code. I just speak from experience really. When I first bought the car I got the limp mode and flashing light from a turbo issue. Garage fixed that.

I also got the limp mode issue last year under hard acceleration so I cleaned out the egr and replaced the fuel filter and it seemed to rectify it.

This time it's coming on as soon as I start the engine and stuck in limp mode. It started last week nearly killing me mid overtake.

 

[Iamzod]

It is telling you it is the Coil but you guess it is something else? Get it scanned, it may just need a new coil and job done. However it just sounds like you want a new car??

It doesn't have a coil, it's a diesel. What he is referring to is the glow plug light.

What he is describing is often the injectors.

 

[Hedge]

It doesn't have a coil, it's a diesel. What he is referring to is the glow plug light.

What he is describing is often the injectors.

Oh yeah sorry. I think I meant a glow plug light.

My mistake.

Just ordered a odb / USB reader on ebay so I'll investigate properly this week. But if its an expensive problem then it might be my excuse to replace the mondeo as I wouldn't mind something a generation newer. With isofix seats too for my little girl.

 

[gc123]

if it ran ok before the glow plug light it may just need the injectors recoded.

ive had numerous fords and was in the trade before retiring and it was common. tricky bit is removing the injectors probably a job for a diesel specialist. he may remove them and switch there position and then recode them into the ecu in the new position., have done it many times , last time was on my last 04 tdci mondeo and it cured it. thankfully my 09 hasnt need it yet

 

[ianh]

Howdo Hedge, I've had a Mk2, 3 and 4 Mondeo and a couple of Mk4-5 Escorts and I'm a bit of a Ford fan so bare that potential "bias" in mind with the following -

The Mk4 is a nice successor to the Mk3, with the same reliable (if driven right) engines but a much better step-up in interior and with, to my eyes, a much better exterior too. They still drive and "feel" just like a solid Mondeo and the engines/chassis are well enough known by now that any major flaws are well documented (there's not much wrong with them TBH) but, as with any modern diesel, if you're doing only "town" miles the EGR system will still cause problems unless you can get it out for a long blast regularly to clear everything.

My last Mk4 was a 200k+ mile 2.0L ZETEC TDCI which was being sold cheap due to the high motorway mileage at just £2k and it still felt nice and tight to drive with a very reliable engine (doing 20k a year commuting). With a few little "tweaks" like a new Android headunit from eBay with Sat Nav, reverse cam, DAB etc to replace the fairly basic (but top of the range) OEM Sony unit and a BlueFin remap it made the car even better. Eventually I traded it in after around 2 years to get my 2nd RS6.

In the 40k miles and 2 years I owned it all that needed doing was a replacement passenger headlight which leaked water into it quite badly and a blocked pollen filter (git to change) which gave the symptoms of a dying fan (only blew air on full speed). Both were cheap fixes and nothing else broke, although I may have just been lucky!

For the £3-4k budget you'll have no problems getting a sorted one if you decide to move up rather than fix the Mk3. Speaking of which, when I had my Mk3 TDCI with 2 semi-failed injectors it would struggle starting with a puffs of blue smoke then after 5 seconds 1 injector would "work" and then after another 10 seconds the 4th one would work too and the car drove fine but the MPG was always awful as the injectors were badly leaking. It cost around £150 per injector to replace and recode the new Delphi ones IIRC. That one also got traded for my first RS6 too

 

[Hedge]

Good replies guys much appreciated.

I ordered an "f super" scanner tonight to get the codes and see if its worthy of fixing. I do have a soft spot for this car. Its supported me through house moves and countless tip runs. It's also allowed me to commute almost 100k miles over the years and never broke down.

I did give it a new clutch and dmf when it was on around 130k and I've changed the crankshaft pulley and alternator in that time too.

I'll see if I can keep it running for a bit longer if the issue isn't too financially questionable.

The info on the mk4s is good to read. If they drive anything like the mk3 then it's ideal for me. I still find mine to be nice on the road.

 

[Dup]

BlueFin remap it made the car even better.

I have just bought a 150k 2.0 TDCI MK4 Ti X and have seen a few remaps available. What was the real benefit? Did you not have any issues with the clutch and flywheel? I've read keeping above 1500rpm, even when stock, is the way to keep them going although mines had them replaced earlier in its life. Wondering if it's worth it, I wouldn't want a smoke belching ticking time bomb as it is a family daily at the end of the day.

 

[ianh]

I have just bought a 150k 2.0 TDCI MK4 Ti X and have seen a few remaps available. What was the real benefit? Did you not have any issues with the clutch and flywheel? I've read keeping above 1500rpm, even when stock, is the way to keep them going although mines had them replaced earlier in its life. Wondering if it's worth it, I wouldn't want a smoke belching ticking time bomb as it is a family daily at the end of the day.

I remapped the Mk3 TDCI and both MK4 TDCI's I've had without any issues over the 2+ years I owned each but, again, maybe I'm just lucky. The Mk3 was a 2.2L 155hp which had a clutch/DMF done about 2-3 weeks prior to it's remap (laptop on a dyno style) but both Mk4's (both 2.0L 130hp) were done using the Bluefin device and neither had any clutch/DMF work done whilst I owned them.

In all cases the remap wasn't about extra top end "power" as such - they add 20-30hp at most - but the much bigger torque figure (+50ft/lbs) which made the way the car pulled "feel" stronger at 1500-3000rpm. This new torque meant that you needed less throttle to get the same performance for most of the time so, as well as "feeling" faster on acceleration in my case it got 5-7 MPG better too.

However over a far longer length of time than I owned my Mondeos I'm sure that the impact on the turbo/pipework etc of the increased boost would have shortened it's lifespan, but I've no idea by how much.

 

[Sone]

I hada 58plate MK4, In retrospect probably the worst car i owned.

Pros:
Was cheap for age
Nice interior
Decent MPG

Cons:
Cost a fortune in repairs / service

 

[Meatball]

I hada 58plate MK4, In retrospect probably the worst car i owned.

Pros:
Was cheap for age
Nice interior
Decent MPG

Cons:
Cost a fortune in repairs / service

Are Mk4/4.5 Mondeos known for being expensive to repair / service compared to others? I’m hoping to get a Mk4.5 estate in TX trim with the 2l Diesel engine.

 

[ianh]

@Meatball - I'd say they're equivalent across the brands, Mondeos don't seem more expensive for the same job than another brand would be. IIRC the most commonly known about "failed component" the average Mondeo owner would get (usually once per 80k-100k miles) is probably the most expensive too - the Clutch/DMF at £800-1k to replace. I mean other more expensive repairs can happen but thats probably the most "common", even if it's just once per ownership, and it's a comparable cost to other brands.

 

[Howard]

I've owned my mk4 for almost exactly six years now, and I've had to fix the following:

- A leaky coolant pipe (small pipe that goes to the heater matrix)
- Rear trailing arm bushes
- Radiator (leak)
- A single CV boot

Everything else has been servicing, consumables, or upgrades/mods. It's been very reliable.

 

[Scania]

I hada 58plate MK4, In retrospect probably the worst car i owned.

Pros:
Was cheap for age
Nice interior
Decent MPG

Cons:
Cost a fortune in repairs / service

Unlike that blue Mk2 you sold my ex for buttons - it carried on faultlessly for ages until she crashed it!

 

[Meatball]

Sorry to hijack this thread but any thoughts on this? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202007101082106?atmobcid=soc6

The first thing I do when considering a car is to check the MOT history but I can’t without the VRM. I’ve asked for the VRM as the cherished plate in the boot isn’t assigned to anything! I would prefer a manual as I believe the PowerShift autos are unreliable unless serviced regularly. I can see it’s been used to tow so certain areas (Gearbox, suspension) will be more worn than the mileage suggests.

 

[ShivP]

Sorry to hijack this thread but any thoughts on this? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202007101082106?atmobcid=soc6

The first thing I do when considering a car is to check the MOT history but I can’t without the VRM. I’ve asked for the VRM as the cherished plate in the boot isn’t assigned to anything! I would prefer a manual as I believe the PowerShift autos are unreliable unless serviced regularly. I can see it’s been used to tow so certain areas (Gearbox, suspension) will be more worn than the mileage suggests.

See when the PowerShift box has been serviced. If they are serviced on time it is fine. The interval is 37.5k miles or 3 years.

 

[Hedge]

Odb reader arrived. Scan showed me that the turbo actuator was faulty.

The arm doesn't move so I removed it. Checked that the gate moves freely on turbo side. Which it did. So opened up actuator to find a loose connection.

Gonna get an electrical repair place to solder it back for me as I don't have the kit. Saves messing about.

Also the bonnet catch refused to open. Great stuff. Basically meant I had to butcher front grill of car to get into it. Horrendous design.

 

[a1ex2001]

Odb reader arrived. Scan showed me that the turbo actuator was faulty.

The arm doesn't move so I removed it. Checked that the gate moves freely on turbo side. Which it did. So opened up actuator to find a loose connection.

Gonna get an electrical repair place to solder it back for me as I don't have the kit. Saves messing about.

Also the bonnet catch refused to open. Great stuff. Basically meant I had to butcher front grill of car to get into it. Horrendous design.

The bonnet catch is a bag of poo on them mine stopped locking the bonnet down properly and it wasn’t a cheap fix! They seem to be a common failure as being behind the grill they are too exposed!

 

[Hedge]

The bonnet catch is a bag of poo on them mine stopped locking the bonnet down properly and it wasn’t a cheap fix! They seem to be a common failure as being behind the grill they are too exposed!

I took a drill to it. Basically drilled down the back of the lock to reach the spindle then stuck a screwdriver in and snapped it off. Then reached the catch at the back with a driver and unlocked it like that. I'd buy a new grill if I cared enough lol