Problem with Ford Zetec engine. Can anyone help?

Arvada CO

Description

My 2002 Ford Focus SE with the Zetec engine had been running perfectly (fantastically) for the past ten months. But after changing the ignition coil (to address another problem), the car started running rough and using tons of gas. The car often smells like gas. This should not have happened after simply changing the coil. I tried a second new coil (a Motorcraft coil this time around) with no change. I then spliced in a new connector (to the coil) with no change. I also replaced the plugs and plug wires with no change. No error codes are being thrown, but I’ve tried resetting the ECM with the trick of disconnecting the battery and attaching a lead between the positive and negative cables. No change. Can anyone shine some light on my problem. I cannot continue to replace parts that were working fine up until the coil replacement. This is strangely related to the coil replacement but I admittedly do not know what’s going on. Any thoughts will be appreciated (and I will gladly pay the person who provides the actual fix—seriously). NOTE: The reason I replaced the coil when the car was running perfectly was to remedy a cold start issue. I now park the car outside overnight, and when the temperature drops below, say, 20 degrees, the car will start, run for five seconds, then stop. I can start it again and it will run for five more seconds and then stop. Sometimes, if I keep the RPMs high and keep the engine running until it gets hot, it will then run on its own, but I usually have to wait for the outside temp to warm, then the car runs fine. But this is not the issue I want to focus on (since warm weather has arrived). I mention it only to explain why I replaced the coil to begin with.