Ford Focus 1.6 tdci not starting

[BigTed]

Just had the battery go on my Focus 1.6tdci 2011, bought a new battery and fitted it but now the car will not start. All I get is a message saying 'Engine malfunction service now' followed by 'Hill start assist not available'. Anybody any ideas??

Sorry if I've posted in the wrong area, not easy to navigate on a wee phone :-)

[Tdci-Peter]

6 hours ago, BigTed said:

bought a new battery and fitted it but now the car will not start. All I get is a message saying 'Engine malfunction service now' followed by 'Hill start assist not available'

All the exact symptoms are important. Is it cranking (turning over), or are there any clicks or noises from the engine bay fuse box or from the starter motor when turning the key?

It seems unlikely to be immobiliser (PATS) related, as there would be a different message, and a rapid flashing LED if it has one.

Are all the normal lights on the dash displaying when the ignition is on prior to a start? They should all come on for a lamp test, then most go out except handbrake, oil, and maybe one or two others.

There will be a diagnostic code available if the Engine warning message is on. Code readers are cheap (under £20) and easy to use, and the codes can sometime help. Though there are not many engine codes that actually prevent starting, or that come on prior to starting. So that may be a red herring.

Double check all the heavy duty cables (+ve and earth) are clean and well connected, both at the battery and to the body, to the engine, and to the starter motor. Also check fuses in the engine bay junction box, especially PCM (ECU) related ones with an engine symbol, and the starter circuit one (F13 in both Mk2 and Mk3 Focus).

[BigTed]

Thanks for the reply. The car is a push button stop/start model, as in you start it with a button . I'm not getting anything when I push the start button apart from the two warning messages and can't say I've heard anything clicking. I had a thought this morning that perhaps I've been given the wrong battery, as in too powerful, because in theory it's the only thing that's changed. So the old one is on charge and once the rain stops I'll swap them over and try that. Update to follow.

[Tdci-Peter]

 

1 hour ago, BigTed said:

perhaps I've been given the wrong battery, as in too powerful, because in theory it's the only thing that's changed.

A higher capacity battery will not prevent starting, and is extremely unlikely to cause a problem. The voltage will be the same, about 12.6v with no load or charge, and about 13.6 to 14.5v when on charge.

Some keyless cars have an emergency key, with a cap over an ignition key slot in the steering column. Not sure if this applies to the Mk3.

The possible causes I can think of are:

Something happened while the car was un-powered, or during a jump start on the old battery, or while connecting the new one. Some electrical disturbance that has made it forget some settings,  like key codes. Or even a wire became damaged during the change, wires can develop faults under the insulation, especially near terminals. They usually feel a bit weak or floppy at the point of damage. Also fuses that are a bit marginal can blow by the current surge taken on battery re-connection.

There was a fault present before the battery change, and the old battery is not the primary culprit. The symptoms that led up to the battery change would provide information here.

The new battery has an internal fault. Unlikely but not impossible. The most un-reliable time for electrical equipment is often when brand new, known as infant mortality.

 

[BigTed]

I had a look at the ignition switch after removing the cap and could only see a white plastic part and the coil sensor, didn't want to stick the remote in just in case of causing damage. Over the past few weeks the battery has been going flat and when I returned on Friday after a week away it was totally flat, I jump started it and took it for a run, about 30 miles, but as soon as I stopped it was flat again so decided to change the battery. Unfortunately it's still raining 😞 Oh I've also tried two code readers without success, just says waiting on vehicle to communicate and both freeze.

[Tdci-Peter]

On 8/12/2018 at 11:35 AM, BigTed said:

Oh I've also tried two code readers without success, just says waiting on vehicle to communicate and both freeze.

That means the readers can not communicate with the ECU. It could be the ECU is not fully powered up because of a blown fuse, or the voltage from the new battery is too low because it has gone flat or was faulty.

It could be a wiring problem in the bus between the diagnostic connector and the ECU.

It could be the ECU has gone off into a sulk for some odd reason. Have you tried the old trick of powering it down (disconnect battery) for a while, and re-connecting. The worst scenario is a problem with the ECU or its connectors & wiring.

I think the secret cluster test may be made to work on your car, it would at least verify if the cluster (IC) had a serious fault. I am not sure how to do it, normal procedure is the hold the mileage stalk in while turning on the ignition. I think there is some related way to do it on a keyfree car.

[BigTed]

Thanks for all your advice, problem sorted. It finally stopped raining today and I retraced my steps but still no luck. A good friend, he is now anyways, brought his laptop with Ford software on it and tried to connect to the car but it wouldn't read the PCM codes, it read the ABS and air bag codes so he checked the fuse box under the bonnet. Turns out the main feed on the blue plug had a dirty connection and after a clean with emery cloth and electrical cleaner she fired up. He tried his laptop again and it connected and showed no error codes. Happy days, just need to cancel the breakdown truck and my appointment at Ford.

Thanks again for helping.