Good Morning all,

Other night I noticed that my Interior Dash (the back illumination part on the instrument cluster etc), side & reg plate lights were not working on my '53 plate Focus.

I have searched the forums and checked the fuses underneath the bonnet and glove box but cannot see any blown fuses, I've also checked the bulbs in the lights above the registration number and their doesn't seem to be any issue there either :/ I've also noticed that I don't hear the chime when leaving dipped beam lights on and opening door anymore??

My Brakes lights all work fine so does the display section of the radio...im at a loss!

I don't want to have to take the car into the garage for what could be a simply fix?

Any ideas please?

Thank you in advance, Kris

Looks like i'll have to take it into the garage If no suggestions or ideas :(

If anything like my focus, though mine is newer, I think there's fuses in the boot too.

Hi GillyAllan,

Thank you for replying, unfortunately there isn't any fuses in the boot of a mk 1.5 '53 reg Focus :( I'm destined to have to take it in the garage.

On 17/04/2018 at 9:52 AM, Jukesy said:

I have searched the forums and checked the fuses underneath the bonnet and glove box but cannot see any blown fuses

i take it you have pulled each fuse out to check if blown or not. it could always be one of the relays in fuse box in engine compartment.

Hi Andy,

Thank you for replying.

Yes have checked all fuses and none show as visibly blown, I have bought some more to test with, which I'll do tonight.

I have changed over the relays and nothing :( 

Any idea which relay relates to the rear lights and registration light please?

On 4/23/2018 at 2:19 PM, Jukesy said:

Hi GillyAllan,

Thank you for replying, unfortunately there isn't any fuses in the boot of a mk 1.5 '53 reg Focus :( I'm destined to have to take it in the garage.

If you would like to use an auto electrician and you are close to Oldbury in the West Midlands just pm me and I can give you the details of the chap who helped me out recently.

ScaniaPBman.

pm sent, thank you

Fuse #30 keeps blowing!! at least were getting somewhere lol

**update** I have checked the hatch wires and all seem.okay, I've taped up all wires with electric tape just in case. I've changed the side lights (57&58) fuses and side lights plus dash backlight and headlight warning Chime is now working BUT vehicle registration lights aren't still working?? I will change bulbs for news ones but the wires seem.fine....any ideas please? Thank you

19 hours ago, Jukesy said:

headlight warning Chime is now working BUT vehicle registration lights aren't still working??

Fuse 30 powers the light switch. On the Mk2 Focus, this then goes, when lights are on, to the chime trigger input, and then via another fuse to the numberplate lamps.

On the Mk1, fuse 62 (7.5A) is for the numberplate lamps, same value as on the Mk2. So I guess it is similar.

It looks to me like an intermittent short circuit, either in the wiring loom to the hatch, or in the numberplate light fittings, is blowing fuse 30, and may have now blown fuse 62.

62 is supposed to blow first, so 30 does not go (7.5A vs 10A), but it is not guaranteed, and someone may have fitted a wrong fuse value.

Rechecked fuse 62 and this has blown too (wasn't blown before), replaced along with new bulbs and seems to be working although I think there is a dodgy wire as when I put the light units back into their holder the lamps went out so had to take them back out and push them in gentle whilst on.

But all is working for now, thank you for your help.

Regards

Kris

On 4/17/2018 at 9:52 AM, Jukesy said:

Good Morning all,

Other night I noticed that my Interior Dash (the back illumination part on the instrument cluster etc), side & reg plate lights were not working on my '53 plate Focus.

I have searched the forums and checked the fuses underneath the bonnet and glove box but cannot see any blown fuses, I've also checked the bulbs in the lights above the registration number and their doesn't seem to be any issue there either :/ I've also noticed that I don't hear the chime when leaving dipped beam lights on and opening door anymore??

My Brakes lights all work fine so does the display section of the radio...im at a loss!

I don't want to have to take the car into the garage for what could be a simply fix?

Any ideas please?

Thank you in advance, Kris

You can try reseating the connectors into the fuse box. How were you testing the fuses? Visual inspection is not 100%. 

Visual only I'm afraid, don't have any useful tools unfortunately.

 

Further developments today, girlfriend was driving car and white smoke was coming through the air vents and out of glovebox...plus the battery was complete dead upon my arrival at the scene.

RAC came out and informed me that something had shorted out behind the dash and therefore car would be too costly to repair being a '53 reg, this would certainly go hand in hand with the above.

Any ideas guys before I scrap the car (which I don't want to do really - both of our recently used cars are now heading for the scrap heap)

Pity it did not burst into flames, then you could have had some insurance money.

Some years ago a rep. who used to visit me at work regularly, was driving back down the M1. At Luton he had a small fire and pulled over on to the hard shoulder. First thing he did was to empty all the contents out, his business paperwork etc. While he was doing this a helpful truck driver pulled up and headed over with his industrial sized fire extinguisher. The rep. sent the driver back. He had been refused a new company car to replace his current oldish car and here was  way to force a new replacement. The car burnt out and he got his new car.

Anyway back to your problem, have a good look to see exactly where the smoke came from. Just one burnt wire can cause some pretty nasty smoke.

ScaniaPBman.

10 hours ago, Jukesy said:

white smoke was coming through the air vents and out of glovebox...plus the battery was complete dead upon my arrival at the scene.

RAC came out and informed me that something had shorted out behind the dash and therefore car would be too costly to repair being a '53 reg, this would certainly go hand in hand with the above.

Sadly, I agree that a garage repair would be far too expensive to be worth while. Unless you are keen on DIY, or have a good friend who is, and are prepared to remove most of the fascia, and / or the BCM (the big module with the fuses in), then I doubt if it is repairable. If one wire in a loom has badly overheated, it will have damaged its neighbouring wires. From where the smoke came out, the fault could be in the BCM or one of its connectors.

BCMs, and some wiring looms can be bought quite cheaply from breakers. But it is still quite a major job to do, with no guarantee of permanent success. Without much in the way of tools or experience of car DIY repairs, as I sense from your posts, then it does look like the end of the road for the poor old car .

Thank you for the posts guys, certainly does look like its for the scrap heap for my 53' plate Focus :( I don't mind getting my hands dirty In having a look but don't have the electrical tools to probably identify the issues :(

For a short to cause smoking/a fire, then a short has happened in an unfused wire, or high amperage fuse (i.e. a supply coming to the pjb/ignition switch/etc). Where is the damage? If you pull back the carpet is the damage near where the harness comes through the firewall? (Geddit? :D)

I wonder if the small problem was just a symptom of the larger one...

Well the smoke was coming through the vents and from the glovebox, when I opened the bonnet there was no smoke visible :/ and the battery had died.

I will have to pull back the carpet but wouldn't have the root of the problem was that low down?