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New stop light switch(2)=nothing
New hazard switch(3)=nothing
Hatch wiring repaired=nothing
New multifunction switch=nothing
All fuses good
I was thinking
1) Charge battery overnight / take it to a local shop to have them check it, replace if necessary.
2) Since the battery is only 3 years old it seems unlikely that the battery is the only problem. Once I check / replace the battery, I should check the charging system. If the charging system isn't the problem, then I can narrow it down to a bad battery / short in wiring.
3) If the charging system is bad, the culprit is either the alternator or the wiring. I can remove the alternator and have them check it. If the alternator checks OK then it must be wiring from the alternator to batt.
What I'm trying to do is avoid replacing the battery & having the "new" battery die like the old one and like others have had on this thread. Tips, Tricks?
Thanks in advance
Sam
DO THE SAME WITH THE OTHER FT.WHEEL.
GOOD LUUCK-LET ME KNOW
A couple weeks ago, the transmission acted up. Shifted rough, and didn't feel like it was getting out of second. The O/D OFF light started flashing. Took it to a reputable garage who said tranny was shot.. I gulped and put down 3K for a new Jarvis transmission.
It ran great for about three days. Then it started shifting rough again. Check Engine light came on and the O/D light flashed again. Went back to the garage and they ran the diagnostic codes. Two things came up. One was a possible bad ground in a tail light that will cause the tranny to malfunction. The other was a heat sensor in the transmission that would do the same thing if bad. The garage narrowed it down to the sensor and replaced it (it was under the Jarvis warranty).
I picked the car up this morning and drove it today with no problem. Tonight? Same thing again. Rough shifts, O/D light is flashing. So, I'm taking it back in the AM. I wonder if the electric problems - which were never really explained - aren't related to the same source as this problem. If there is a bad ground in the tail light, could it have caused all these issues? A bad ground elswhere? Anyone have an experience/opinion???
let me know if you don't understand this
Cliff
Do u have any other thing that runs off 12 volts ( phone charger,dvd player.work light, ect ? ) if u do, see if any of yhese work in cig outlet, if they do then u have a bad heater elem. the part u light your cig with. if they don't work u have 1 of 2 pos problems. 1. a bad fuse, test with a 12 volt test light. if all fueses test good, reach behind lighter outlet,unplug pigtail ( it pushes on ) stick your test light into this pigtail end, it should light,if it does, unscrew the back of thr lighter outlet, it's like a can that screws onto another smaller can, replace with new socket. if u do all this and u need more help just shout. Cliff
The quickly flashing signal is also the typical warning sign that one of the signal lamps are blown out.
I don't recall if the blown lamp is on the same side as the quick flashing, but you can start checking there.
These are much easier to change out than anything in the steering column.
Start with the simple first!
My 05 focus headlight is out. Drivers side.
I can just get my hand in there on an odd angle and can grab the bulb but cant turn the bulb (arthritis strikes again!)
Is it normally a hand turn thing? I think it should be, most cars are. Any tricks to get the stubborn thing to turn? , and which way?? the manual is not clear.. When standing in front of the car looking in at the engine does it turn, top to the middle of the car or top the the outside towards the fender?
Thanks in advance .. Brian..
But back to your Focus... take a look in there if you can. Sometimes there's a locking ring or wire retaining clip that needs to be released before you can pull the bulb out. I think the Focus might have a wire clip. Also, since the bulb assembly has an O-ring on it to seal out moisture, it may be a bit tight in the hole as well.
1. Check ALL cables to battery and alt. Ground cable also, both ends of cables must be clean & tight.
2. have battery load tested with proper tester.
3. Have alt output tested under load with proper tester.
Let me know what you find out.
Cliff
Sounds like you're looking at replacing the voltage regulator to me.
My gut is telling me it's the voltage regulator. If you're rationalizing the 14.6 as the regulator functioning again, just that it's getting bad input because of a bad wire, then the regulator was functioning all along.
Problem with that line of thought is that that's not how voltage regulators work. They are a device that puts out a steady set voltage, period. When they don't, they have, by definition, stopped working and need to be replaced.
My gut is also telling me that your now permanent waring lights are the result of damage done to electronics by the unregulated voltage you were experiencing. I hope I'm wrong.
The loose/bad conection may have been the initial problem of the alternater over charging, Resistance in the system causes the regulator to put out too much. This can also be caused by dirty cable ends, poor grounding, ect. Modern cars have grounding issues due to the number of plastic components. Its important that all those little ground straps that the manufacturer put on there are still there. You also have to understand that you have a computer controled vehicle.
Sensors do not react well with too much voltage. A damaged sensor might have occured also. You might be lucky and just have to reset the PCM by disconecting the negative or use a scan tool to go through a relearn proceedure to get the vehicle to stop dieing. 14.6v is not too high of voltage, try testing it with the lights on also. If bat light still on, the PCM might be sensing a diod ripple from the alternater and turning your bat light on. Here is an example; Vehicle was overcharging like yours, problem was fixed. Bat light still on. PCM data showed charging voltage at 15.5v when in reality it was now 14.0v. Ya, PCM's can get damaged by too much voltage and then simply be reading it wrong. This is why all manufacturers do not recommend ever jump starting your vehicle, your sending a voltage spike through out the entire system.
Finish your repair and see what the end result is. Even go ahead and put that other used alt in if you want. Scanning the PCM with a scanner that shows data (like a snap on) may end up being what you have to do. Good luck with it.
The whole idea of the regulator is to provide that rock steady voltage.
Are u still having problem w/red alt light still on after doing above test ?
As a quick history of the problem again: first the red battery light (not the orange engine light) came on intermittently. When it was on, I was normally able to shut it off by pressing the clutch pedal completely (it's a manual) or by changing gears, which involves pressing the clutch, so I figured it's probably not rpm related. The the light came on more frequently so I looked in the manual what could be wrong and started reading the forums and measured the voltage (up to 16.3V varying constantly with engine on) and so on. Then eventually the instrument lighting started to flicker and the headlights and blower motor rpm started to vary, and also the rpm and speedometer gauges started to have a life of their own (zeroing, going to max, then back to normal, also all warning lights came on - probably the instrument cluster self-test or calibration, and there was a bell (like when you forget the headlights and pull the key)). Then I looked in my book and the forums also said replace voltage regulator/alternator when voltage is over 14. While starting to work around the alt, I noticed the corroded wire, which then came off completely (the red wire on the 3 pin connector on the back of the alt [blue and white cable were still ok] - see some links to pictures in my previous posts). Once the cable was off completely, the symptoms changed: battery light on constantly, voltage stable at 14.7V, but now it was also stalling when at idle rpm. Then I bought the pigtail #118 from Ford ($37) and did the repair. Car is running normally ever since. (knocking on wood 3 times). Note that I did not change the alternator, and did not change the voltage regulator! Here's the link to the pictures again: Pictures
It was also coincidental that one headlight went out yesterday and I had just had a mechanic friend replace the bulb today just before the drive home when the battery light came on. He didn't mess with anything but the light, but I have a hard time believing they aren't somehow related.
The first alternator went bad in August of 2006, when it started charging intermittently. Replaced it with a remanufactured alternator and got a new battery. Then that alternator supposedly went bad in late December of 2008. The symptoms that time around included some less typical for a bad alternator (i.e. audio system randomly rebooting in the middle of a drive) and I was suspicious of an underlying electrical issue. I mentioned my concerns to the guys at the Tuffy's where I had to take it (car wouldn't hold a charge more than 3 minutes so I had to take it to the closest possible auto shop). They pretty much just patronized me, told me they'd check, and acted like I was an idiot for thinking it could be anything other than the alternator. The alternator they put in is still under warranty so I shouldn't have a problem getting that replaced but I don't want to keep treating this rather expensive symptom if the real issue is something else.
From what I gather from reading others' complaints, there are a lot of electrical/alternator problems with the Focus, so if anyone has any ideas about what could be causing my '02 to eat alternators, I'd really appreciate it!
My name is Cliff-an old Ford mechanic. #1.check the wiring plug in at the alt. pull slightly on the wiring at the plug in to see if you have any loose connectors also check plug in wiring for any sign of (GREEN) corrosion. Next check BOTH ends of each battery cable and make sure they are CLEAN & TIGHT. Next check that you have a GOOD ground from the eng to the body. You should have approx 14.2 volts at the battery with the eng at 1000 rpm and a good load on the system, headlights, blower motor on high,wipers on.
Let me know what you find out.