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then the car will putt and sputter then die, then the ticking and it wont start again. massive loss of power.
what should i do???
i checked the wires on the back of the alternator they seemed fine, ill check again in the morning.
the big red wire that's connected to the battery was loose and frayed so i cut it and hooked it up better. i gave the car a boost and same thing. lights, dash, and dummy gauges will flip all the way up then back to 0.
please help we don't have much money and replacing the alternator 5,6,7 times will kill us like the story's Ive been reading about.
also there's a humming sound my girlfriend says "It sounds like a RC car accelerating" it sounds like its coming from the passenger side under the hood, sometimes you can hear it threw the stereo.
we just took out the alternator and it was extremely loose like the brushes were done, we didnt have time to put the new one in tonight but it should be a hour or so to put everything back in place hopefully she starts! and runs properly! also i think i have to do the aliment on the rear end. when im on the high way and hit a pot hole it the rear end swerves all over the place. i changed a lower control arm ( dog bone) and the sway bar linkage kit.
i didnt know it was a 4 wheel alignment. does anyone know if that is the problem or is it a sway bar problem?
it was a BIT*H getting out. took off the motor mount, moved the motor ( took 4 guys to pull it over far enough to take it out and put a new one in. i would defiantly hate to do that again.
the problem started a month ago with the back lights and dash lights stopped working
but the brake lights and turn signals were fine
Checked the fuse; everything looked good
Then we took out the back lights and just kinda wiggled the wires and they came back on
..So then i drove over a bump and they were off again
..then the rear turn signal stopped working
and now when i brake the left back light doesnt turn on at all
Could it be a fuse or a bulb or wiring??
WHAT COULD IT BE?? HELP!!
OH and today I found the F30 fuse burnt...
If it is still on you have a wiring problem. Good luck.
When I accelerate their are no surges and all the lights are bright and steady. I took the car to ford dealership and they ran all sorts of diagnostic tests. They so-called checked the electrical wire cluster but they could not find the problem. The alternator, battery, etc are fine. No one knows what the problem is.
The dealership did screw up one thing. When they received the car my cruise control worked but when I picked it up it no longer worked. They claim it wasn't their fault and the part costs $500. I am pissed cause I need my C/C. I am thinking about protesting in front of the dealership.
But anyway I need help with this power surge issue.
HELLLLP! Please.
This was built in Michigan where I used to live and it wouldn't pass the muster at all in any winter. Not especially happy to have to take this in already.
I noticed this afternoon I was stopped at a light, the a/c quit but the wipers didn't go crazy, I gave the engine some gas and viola! the wipers went on.....
the wipers also either make one swipe or stay on for a mile. twice now they've gotten stuck in an up position instead of the regular resting position. This is driving me NUTS! -
mechanic looked at car last summer, didn't find anything but did a lot of rewiring under the hood that was looking bad (baking in the AZ sun) - I don't think he did any under the dash though.
any thoughts, any ideas, anybody ever hear of anything like this?????
Hatchback-if back lights are out check wire at harness coming out of roof to hatch. This is a common area that gets moisture wicking &pinching in the wire clu
ster.
Focus Sedan-Altenator code after replacement. Sometimes the regulators in rebuilt & store bought altenators do not match the pcm codes. So, the car rejects it like us getting the wrong blood type.
Next the wiring harnesses are crap in these cars. Expect shorts.all over the place.
First problem is the battery cables. That is the first thing you want to replace. And older models, I want to say 2001 & older(you can check with Ford) replace in-line fuse going from battery to altenator.
That same wire goes bad on all focuses-replace it.
The next bad wire is the one that goes from the altenator plug to the computer. This is what was bad on our car.
Hope this helps all.
You can e-mail me back at jacobdille@yahoo.com
Thanks for your time and consideration.
With your problem, It sounds like you may need to clean and tighten your wires going into your alternator and the battery cables. Does this happen every time you start the car or like once in a while?
thanks to a very seasoned mechanic, he knew right off the bat by the cars symptoms that it was my BCM, body control module, couple hundred $$$ and we're back in the game
New stop light switch(2)=nothing
New hazard switch(3)=nothing
Hatch wiring repaired=nothing
New multifunction switch=nothing
All fuses good
This is for a 2005 ZX5 SE. Any suggestions?
I have been driving a 2000 focus lx for a few years now and have had a lot of problems big and small. I had never encountered an electrical issue yet besides fuses or hooking up an aftermarket cd player.
I see that no one ever answered you.
My car is just now doing exactly the same thing as you have accurately described.
Can you tell me what ever came about on yours or did you end up dumping the car?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
Unless you trouble shoot this problem yourself, you may be looking at up to a grand in labor and diagnostics.
If I was you, I would stop driving this car immediately to stop putting miles on it and sell it for what ever you can get for it.
If you decide to keep the car then I can tell you that this electrical issue is just the beginning of the problems.
The parts are all fine, but a new battery is draining, so there has to be a short to ground somewhere. To find out where the short is all you need is a simple 12 volt test light (You can find them for as little as $5 online)
Here's a YouTube vid showing how to track down where the short is.
It could be something as simple as a wire that has been rubbing against something since the car was new and finally wore through and is now making contact with the body somewhere.
Keep us posted on your progress!