17 replies to this topic

[RichJones]

Keep getting this error "P1632 Smart Alternator Faults Sensor/Circuit Malfunction"

Had a new Alternator fitted new battery and now this

Has anyone had it before

I think it could have something to do with the Smart Charge Wiring ??

[artscot79]

the smart charge fault can actually relate to a break in the smart charge wiring which ford would have checked first before saying you needed an alternator or should have theres most likely a break in the wiring on the smart charge harness and a new harness needed to save money this is the type of job you should go to the dealer for after all it may have only been a 15 quid harness

[johnH]

have you got a multimeter, disconnect the battery and disconnect the smart charge harness from the alternator and do resistance checks...the red wire will take you the fuseboxes and the others are to the ECU.

mine suffered a break on the grey wire and cost 2 hours labour iirc. mind you i spent alot more buying a new alternator and battery aswell lol

[stef123]

Has this error only appeared after replacing the alternator?

Was it a genuine alternator you fitted?

[RichJones]

Hi Guys

Thanks for your reply's

I gave the car to the garage with the EML light on they read the code and it came back with the Smart charge fault and a Thermostat sensor fault

The garage i always take my car to did all the tests and found a Broken wire near the Thermostat ?????? check all the smart charge and they said it was all ok

They repaired the wire and the light went off

Im hoping this is the issue and is now resolved

Yes this issue has only came to light after i had a new Alternator fitted but that was fitted about 9 weeks ago and this issue has just appeared.

All i was getting was the EML light no battery light which makes me think the battery and Alternator are working as they should and its a wire lssue

[Andy H Dibley]

That makes sense.

The principle behind the smart charge system is that when a battery is cold it charges faster and is able to take a higher charge rate.

This smart system relies on the ECU seeing what the current temperature of the water is and taking a hunch that when cold, the battery will be too.

Part of the system takes a reading from the thermostat to see if it has opened and what temperature the engine is operating at.

It could be just pure coincidence but that alternator replacement could've simply been the charging system wiring on the way out.

[RichJones]

That makes sense.

The principle behind the smart charge system is that when a battery is cold it charges faster and is able to take a higher charge rate.

This smart system relies on the ECU seeing what the current temperature of the water is and taking a hunch that when cold, the battery will be too.

Part of the system takes a reading from the thermostat to see if it has opened and what temperature the engine is operating at.

It could be just pure coincidence but that alternator replacement could've simply been the charging system wiring on the way out.

But your saying that it could be the case and a broken wire at the themostat could cause the issue. i hope so as i love the car

[Andy H Dibley]

I did quite a bit of research into the smart charging system as I had an issue with an old car of mine that had it fitted.

If you google 'Ford Focus Smart Charge System' there is a dedicated web page of some chaps garage website about it. It goes into a fair amount of detail about how the system works and the importance of a Silver Calcium(sp) battery.

[RichJones]

Yeah ive looked on Google myself.

Seems another one of fords bright idea's that when it goes wrong it can cause more issues then normal

So a broken thermostat wire could cause this type of issue and now they have fixed it it should be happening again

[Andy H Dibley]

It shouldn't be no, as long as they've replaced the correct alternator and you have the correct battery.

The old Ford wiring has never been much cop in all honesty! On the old V6 Mondeos and Cougars of the same age, there is actually a recall about the b+ wire (iirc) off of the alternator. The recall is to tighten it up due to the high resistance in the cable causing a volt drop from one side of the engine bay to the main fuse board. It was the common cause of flickering lights on idle. Another fix was to purchase a bit of wire from ford with an eye crimp on one end and bypass the sensing wire from the fuse board and just wire the alternator to itself effectively.

Completely off topic I know but it shows its not just newish wiring that's an issue. And yes it would be lovely to just unplug the smart charge system and run it as a regular alternator but that will leave you with a CEL forever more!

[RichJones]

Like i said i had the alternator replaced 9 or so weeks ago and i can only assume it has the correct battery i will take a look

What do you mean by CEL for evermore ??

[artscot79]

only ford really understand the smartcharge which is daft as most cars have them these days and have since 2002 is the battery a silver calcium battery it should be either calcium or silver calcium not lead if its lead then that may be the issue the smartcharge cant work on lead acid batteries and many garages dont know this

[RichJones]

I will check the battery again and get all the details off it and see

[RichJones]

Ok

Light came on again and codes are the following

P1632 Smart Alternator Faults Sensor/Circuit Malfunction

and now this one

p0037 heated oxygen sensor heater control circuit low

so the thermostat one went out and now shows the above one

Car has now being left with the garage and they have run out of idea's and have said they will take it to a ford dealer

Good or bad ??

[artscot79]

is it my phone or are there no codes start with checking the type of battery