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Ford Focus Electrical and Lighting Problems

486 messages,  Last post on Dec 19, 2012 at 7:45 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Focus SVT, Ford Focus, Lights, Electrical, Coupe, Hatchback, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 46 of 50

#443 of 486 Re: Focus Electrical problems, I may have fixed it [crbastow] by 2007fordfocus

Dec 21, 2011 (10:08 pm)

Replying to: crbastow (Oct 11, 2011 5:18 am)
I have a 2007 Ford Focus....Has run fine for 60,000 since I bought it a year ago....then, with no warning, one hour into a three hour drive, things started shutting off, the lights dimmed to nothing and the car stopped....waited 10 minutes and tried starting, clicked, and waited..turned over...waited..and then it started and ran fine for two hours...and then repeated what had happened before....took alternator off...no easy task...took to oreilley's for test...alternator showed "failed"...a mechanic who was there said Focus alternators are problematic....said he had changed out 50 in just the last year....In one car alone had changed out five times before getting it to work right....said it was built with an internal regulator with different Ohm settings...Now, he tests the ohm levels and matches up with the car's computer to be certain is compatible and has consistent success....I haven't tried yet, but sounds plausible....He said to check to see if Ford recall...I've checked on-line but haven't found one yet....thought I'd post to see if any reactions......

#444 of 486 Re: Focus Electrical problems, I may have fixed it [2007fordfocus] by drvette

Dec 21, 2011 (11:14 pm)

Replying to: 2007fordfocus (Dec 21, 2011 10:08 pm)
ask the deal to check this TSB to see if there's a connection to your issue
 
Bulletin No: 19871

Date of Bulletin: 11/08/2007
Summary Description:
    2006-2007 FOCUS- WIRING - 14401 HARNESS CHAFE CONDITION. *NJ

#445 of 486 Re: Running Ground Wires [thumper14] by drvette

Dec 21, 2011 (11:26 pm)

Replying to: thumper14 (Sep 27, 2011 3:02 pm)
Quote
They found that someone had run several ground wires, to "fix" problems before and it totally runined the car.
 
I'm sorry but someone has given you bad information. Many elec isssues can be traced back to bad grounds..
 
No amount of excess grounding can do any damage at any time.
 
You can take that to the bank and get interest as it is totally correct.
 
BTW, in 88, Chevy full size trucks tripled the size of the ground strap from the battery to the engine block. Previously it was a 2awg or so, they then went to a 3/4" wide and 1/8" thick copper braided ground wire.
 
You were just given bad info, that's all.
Sorta like the old mech told me when I had an engine that was very tight sounding upon cranking.
 
He said, BOY, ur engin has dun got tite, when dey wear, dey get tite..
 
Oh, boy.
Don't we all just love liars

#446 of 486 Re: Focus Electrical problems, I may have fixed it [Mr_Shiftright] by drvette

Dec 24, 2011 (1:05 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Oct 11, 2011 8:12 am)
Posted by Mr. Shiftright
If there is any corrosion at all on that negative clamp, replace the entire cable, as corrosion can creep up a battery cable and you can't see it.
 
CORRECT, This is a much Overlooked problem.
 
3+ Decades at Southern Company in Power Generation, One statement applies to this issue.
 
"Electricity flows on the Outside of the Wire, Not on the Inside"
 
Corrosion on the outside of low voltage circuits can and will inhibit the correct flow of electricity.
 
Example
92 Buick Roadmaster SW, at hwy speeds, the engine would die out, then restart.
 
A scan showed a bad "ATS" [Air Temp Sensor]
A new one did NOT correct the issue.
 
Close inspection of the wire to the sensor yielded a small indention, which was indeed a cut.
Opening up the insulation showed a GREEN Corroded wire, I cut out the corrosion, soldered & heat shrink-ed it back and all was well.
 
 [it WAS getting voltage BTW]
 
Grounds & Connectors;
 
Many electrical problems can be due to poor grounds from rust, paint, poor crimps on the wire, silicone from clean-up shops creeping into weather-tite connectors etc.
 
Don't forget to look on the underside of fuse/breaker panels for water in-leakage, signs of heat from overloading
OR/And
Remember "back-yard-Billy-Bob" trying to wire up a 4,000 watt sub-woofer, overloading the circuits as he by-passed the fuses.
 
Wreck damage or worn door bushings can allow water to the driver-side fuse box by the dour also.
 
Rusty Wrench aka DrVette

#447 of 486 Re: headlights and starting issues [achoward] by drvette

Dec 24, 2011 (1:34 pm)

Replying to: achoward (Sep 02, 2011 8:14 am)
There are several TSB's for the "05 Focus on issues similar to yous in part or whole, there may be multiple issues here. Keep in mind these are not "complete" TSB's but merely short descriptions.
 
Type out ALL of your problems, in order that they occurred, inc weather, if the car was cold or just driven, or a "Hot-Soak" condition where you drove it in 100f temps, and let it sit in a open parking lot for 15+ min.
 
Go over your complaint list many times, remove any extra wording that's not needed, hit the enter button often to make spaces between paragraphs that are not directly related.
Make it as easy to read as possible.
 
Take it to the "Best" Ford dealer, with some bribery, like a sack of Apples, be NICE and ask for the head of the service dept.
See if he thinks your issues could be related to any of these TSB's
 
Bulletin No: 18425
Date of Bulletin: 04/05/2005
Summary Description:
    NO CRANK ON START CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR ON DRIVEABILITY CONCERNS AND OR MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON. *EH
 
Bulletin No: 05916
Date of Bulletin: 12/07/2005
Summary Description:
    LONG CRANK/HARD START - 2.0L AND 2.3L ENGINE WITH MTX-75 TRANSAXLE. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 17800
Date of Bulletin: 08/05/2004
Summary Description:
    INTERMITTENT NO CRANK CONDITION. THERE MAY ALSO BE NO POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE COMMUNICATION AND/OR THE ODOMETER MAY DISPLAY ALL DASHES. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 18157
Date of Bulletin: 01/18/2005
Summary Description:
    CRANK NO START OR OTHER DRIVEABILITY CONCERNS - SERVICE TIP. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 04234
Date of Bulletin: 04/18/2005
Summary Description:
    NO CRANK WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE DTC B16011 AND OR PATS SECURITY ACCESS ISSUES. *EH
 
Bulletin No: 18414
Date of Bulletin: 04/05/2005
Summary Description:
    CRANK NO START OR HARD START COLD. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 19056
Date of Bulletin: 02/10/2006
Summary Description:
    MIL ON/ROUGH RUNNING - MUTIPLE DTCS -0201, P0202, P0203 OR P0204 PRESENT IN THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM). *TT
 
Bulletin No: 031404
Date of Bulletin: 01/06/2005
Summary Description:
    ENGINE MISFIRE OR RUNNING - COIL ON PLUG (COP) IGNITION SYSTEMS - WDS COP KIT DIAGNOSTIC TIPS. TO INCLUDE VARIOUS 2005 MODELS. * AR THIS ARTICLE 04161 SUPERSEDES TSB 03-14-04.
 
Bulletin No: 19026
Date of Bulletin: 02/10/2006
Summary Description:
    MIRFIRE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303, OR P0304 - SERVICE TIP. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 19009
Date of Bulletin: 02/10/2006
Summary Description:
    DTC P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303 AND/OR P0304 - SERVICE TIP. *TT
 
Bulletin No: 04147
Date of Bulletin: 12/07/2005
Summary Description:
    SERVICE WIRING HARNESS REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES - SERVICE TIPS. *TT
link title
 
Good Luck
Rusty Wrenck aka DrVette

#448 of 486 Battery Terminals by puffin1

Dec 27, 2011 (1:45 pm)

I always been using grease on mine.

#449 of 486 Re: Battery Terminals [puffin1] by drvette

Dec 28, 2011 (8:44 pm)

Replying to: puffin1 (Dec 27, 2011 1:45 pm)
Grease on both ends is a great idea.
 
Some vehicles that exhibit a "dead or low" battery situation especially after a "Hot-Soak" can be attributed to lug on aluminum wire.
 
One major issue I have is the aluminum wire is "Copper Coated" so when you skin the insulation, your mind says "Copper"
In the 90's, the aluminum wire I describe here had micro-printing on it,
"copper-coated-aluminum"
 
That does not help unless you're 10 years old or happen to be wearing 3.75 magnifier glasses
 
Where it goes to the starter, it is crimped with a 2-leg style lug.
Upon heating up, the aluminum expands greatly, losing good connection, Amps go Sky High, the starter drags and the owner replaces either Starter, Battery or both.
 
Solution for aluminum cables is to replace them, well not everyone can afford new battery cables..
 
Another fix is to take a flat end punch, about 3/16" or so and tighten the connection between the wire and the lug.
 
Or replace the lug with a unit that has a threaded screw to clamp down on the wire.

#450 of 486 Re: headlight issue [cheesehead7] by drvette

Dec 28, 2011 (10:15 pm)

Replying to: cheesehead7 (Sep 12, 2011 10:09 am)
Are the headlights operated by the same stalk as the turn signals ?
 
If so, sounds like a bad multi-function stalk..
 
There are several TSB's on your vehicle, I can't see very well after researching for 8-10 hrs like today, so I have to let you or your technician look through these.
 
2002 Focus TSB's

#451 of 486 Rear Defrost & Clock Won't Work by computergal

Jan 13, 2012 (9:38 am)

Greetings All,
 
Among many other issues with my 2000 Ford Focus, my next issue at hand is my rear defrost and clock. When I press the rear defrost, it makes a clicking noise, and the light momentarily flicks on...but upon release, shuts off. Being the dead of winter, this is now an immediate issue for me.
 
Additionally, the clock does not turn on. If I push the button to start the radio, it reacts as if the car is shut off, stating "one hour" of radio time. I am not a mechanic (although I've dabbled with basic fixes), so I checked the fuses (49 and 50) for the related issues. The fuses are intact. I am assuming there is an electrical issue going on...and after reading a few posts on here, it doesn't seem to be a surprise in the Focus.
 
Has anyone else had this issue (most likely a rhetorical question--lol), and if so, what is the culprit, and what should I do next? Also, how much would it cost to get this issue fixed?
 
(My apologies ahead of time if the answer(s) is within the vast realm of this forum; I sifted through more than a few posts, but just figured I'd go ahead and post. )
 
Thanks ahead of time for any help!

#452 of 486 2012 Ford Focus Sedan S Model by mississippi7

Feb 05, 2012 (12:02 am)

I am waiting on financing from my credit union to purchase this Focus for $17,412, automatic and wasn't so sure that this was a good deal since the car already had 420 miles on it and it was a white fleet vehicle being sold to me. Tonight after returning home, I noticed that the left front yellow parking light was dim but the right side was bright. I am not sure what the problem is and getting second thoughts about purchasing it. Has anyone else had this problem? I am tempting to take it back to the dealer before I purchase and ask for him to give me another car. If it is a wiring problem, I don't want to have to be dealing with this down the road and return it now before I buy. Let me know what you think or would do in my case if it was you.

Messages Page 46 of 50

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