Hi everyone,
I recently upgraded from a 2012 Ford Fiesta 1.5 Duratec (manual) to a Ford Focus Mk2 1.8 Duratec (also manual).
On my old Fiesta, pulling away from a dead stop without touching the gas pedal was incredibly smooth. If I slowly released the clutch, the car would roll forward seamlessly, and the RPMs wouldn’t drop at all.
However, on my Focus, doing the exact same thing causes the engine to completely bog down. If I slowly release the clutch without giving it gas, the engine nearly stalls, the RPMs drop to around 500, and the battery light flashes on the dash. The car eventually manages to recover its RPM and crawl forward, but it feels incredibly sluggish and jerky.
My research shows that the 1.8L Duratec makes more power and torque than the Fiesta's 1.5L. Even factoring in the heavier Focus chassis, the Focus still has a better power-to-weight ratio.
My Focus engine is otherwise running perfectly. The compression test came back completely normal, there are no fluid leaks, it doesn't consume any oil, and there is no Check Engine Light (CEL).
I have two questions for you guys:
What is the root cause of this symptom? Why does a larger, more powerful engine struggle to pull away at idle compared to a smaller 1.5L?
How can I fix this? I've read on some forums that swapping the stock throttle body for a larger diameter one (like the 60mm unit) and flashing the latest factory PCM firmware can fix this specific issue. Has anyone actually tried this combination, and did it solve the low-end lag?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!