Hey Gav.

Same mate, all these abbreviations are confusing for a newbie, hopefully my key above helps and Peter has been a really great help also adding some crazy detailed knowledge to help fix the problem. I do admit when I read Peters post I have to look back to my key to decipher the code lol it is a big learning process.

Some cool links there thanks for that mate :)

I have had a look at the schematics and it appears there are several modules that the wires go to, I am hoping it's one of those modules. 

Today I think the whole of the UK has rain but tomorrow it's clear here so I want to get back under bonnet and check the fuses and under the passenger glove box and check those bad boys out, maybe I will be lucky, then it's battery off, back on, do the forscan again and just tackle the codes with research one step at a time, not sure what else I can do.

I'll defo update this post to help others who may have this problem. I am tempted to scrap the car but if I can fix it then it saves me 2 grand on what I would spend on a replacement. I need to be mobile and yeah it's very frustrating.

Updates coming when I know more :)

 

So today was my process of elimination day and here’s what I did.

I started by running the forscan software, clearing the codes, confirming with another scan it came up clean which it did, then I disconnected both battery terminals for 3 hours.

I then started under the bonnet. I removed the air filter, air filter box and battery completely from the car.

I pulled every fuse from the engine bay and checked them, they all looked fine. I pulled every relay in the fuse box area, again all fine, no corrosion or anything. And I guess if a fuse had gone the problem would be constant and not intermittent, still I needed to check for my own sanity.

Then with everything off I checked the earths that I could see, the main earth from the battery lead to the suspension area, apart from being grimy looked ok. Then under the air filter box are 3 more earths, same situation here, so I gave it a squirt of GT85 and gave it a clean. The wires were solidly attached and with grime removed they looked ok.

So that’s 4 under bonnet earths checked, the relays and fuses in the fuse box checked, that was me done under the bonnet, then I turned my attention to the main car fuses in the passenger footwell.

I started by pulling and checking the fuses one at a time, this was a painstaking task, so here’s a tip for everyone, just unplug the whole tray and remove it, that’s what I did when I almost got to the end and I wished I have done it to begin with. It’s all plug n play and connection is opposite of removal, still it’s good practice to take photos as you go just to make sure.

With fuse tray on my lap I pulled and used some scotch pad to lightly clean each fuse and I put them back, none were blown.

That little lot has taken me about 4 hours.

I put everything back, key in ignition, car started first turn of the key, I put it back on the street from outside my window where I was working on it.

I only noticed one thing. The earth wire running from the negative terminal was bent high and as I shut the bonnet I checked and it looked that maybe it could foul the underside metal of the bonnet. I have removed that lining from the underside of the bonnet so I can hear my K&N more.. I know I know lol but I wonder if that did touch the bonnet when running could that have tripped it out? Who knows, anyway I managed to bend it by hand lower so that the earth wire is not anywhere near the metal bonnet surface when the bonnet is shut.

Apart from that I found nothing today.

I understand this is going to be a process of elimination and today I eliminated 4 earths and all the fuses, not so sure about the relays I cannot see in them, maybe when they switch it trips, who knows.

Moving forward I have a few q’s if anyone can shed some light on them 😊

 

1. Under the engine in the fuse box, what’s those top things with 5, 8 and 9 on etc? they had lock thread on them so I didn’t touch them, everything else was checked and put back.

2. Any way of checking a relay to see if it’s gone? Because there are 3 engine management relays in the fuse box under the bonnet and while they look ok, maybe when they switch they fail?

3. I would like to finish checking all the earths but I am not sure where they all are, can anyone shed any light on this? Image attached for example, E15 behind centre of dash, where behind dash? Do I have to take it all to bits? E1 and E2 on engine, whereabouts on the engine? I’d like to check all these before I move onto the next stage.

4. Where do you guys think I should look next? Is it a case of waiting until I get engine malfunction again, check the error codes and start a code at a time? Or should I invest in one of those PC oscilloscopes and if I do, what do I do with it? Lol.

Thankyouuuuu… Hoping to get to bottom of this and this post will serve as a guide to anyone else with this problem. I'll either fix it, or set fire to it :)

1 hour ago, ThePowster said:

• Under the engine in the fuse box, what’s those top things with 5, 8 and 9 on etc? they had lock thread on them so I didn’t touch them, everything else was checked and put back.

   

• Any way of checking a relay to see if it’s gone? Because there are 3 engine management relays in the fuse box under the bonnet and while they look ok, maybe when they switch they fail?

   

• I would like to finish checking all the earths but I am not sure where they all are, can anyone shed any light on this? Image attached for example, E15 behind centre of dash, where behind dash? Do I have to take it all to bits? E1 and E2 on engine, whereabouts on the engine? I’d like to check all these before I move onto the next stage.

   

• Where do you guys think I should look next? Is it a case of waiting until I get engine malfunction again, check the error codes and start a code at a time? Or should I invest in one of those PC oscilloscopes and if I do, what do I do with it? Lol.

There are 6 heavy duty fuses at the top of the EJB (engine bay fusebox). They are for glowplugs, main power distribution and other very heavy loads. I doubt if they are the problem.

I don't think it will be one of the relays, they have specific tasks like horn, windshield, starting, you would soon notice if one was bad. It is possible to test relays with a multimeter and a 12v power supply or battery, but it is fiddly, and involves some work in finding what pins are what. I would not recommend using a car battery as a source of 12v, because when doing an awkward test that needs 3 or more hands, short circuits are very likely!

I am 99.9% sure that the ground behind the dash (E15 in your Haynes), is G63, Radio cross beam ground in the schematics, and is only for the radio. The only other grounds likely to affect CAN comms. are in front of or below the drivers door, on the A pillar, and maybe the heavy ground cable from battery to the engine bell housing, near the starter motor.

For next: My first target would be the connector C113, the one behind the trim in front of the passenger door, a bit awkward to get to because it is a bit under the fascia. Then C112, down at the lower front corner of the same door, at 45 deg, then the connector on the back of the IC, which will mean removing the IC from the fascia. In principle it is very easy to remove the IC, but it is also very easy to crack the clear cover, so it needs easing out carefully. To check these connectors, gently flex the wires or tap the connector shells while the engine is idling. The trouble is, the more you do to a bad connection, the better it gets (for a little while), so the problem gets harder to see. Hence start very softly, so as not the scare the gremlin away into hiding! Then turn ign off and disconnect to inspect and clean them.

To inspect the solder joints on the IC means dismantling the IC. I did a little pdf on this, there are also youtubes. I had the classic 2006 bad IC solder joints, similar symptoms to yours in many ways, but mine went from an occasional to a permanent problem within a week. So was easier to track down. These bad solder joints are infamous, but much less common on other years than 2006/7. So this is a little way down my list at the moment.

https://www.fordownersclub.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=40491

 

 

 

I don't know whether this will be of help Matt but here are 2 more vids (Ford Mondeo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va-ItdKCl8c  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkhVdLhanfw

Evening chaps.

Peter, thanks so much for the info again mate, very helpful as is the PDF too, I think my IC might be bust ya know or on it's way out.

Gavin, again thanks so much for the links mate, he explains things very well and helps me understand so much better too 🙂

So today I got in the car, I read Peters advice and took the passenger door to bits, I couldn't see any C113, I just stared a while, put it all back and re-read this post and thought, I wonder if it means in the footwell? So I took that bit of plastic off and saw 2 connectors, I didn't see any number markings on them though but I have taken pics to show and if this is the right thing to be looking at it should help others too.

I did noticed the bottom lot of wires the blue plastic had been snapped at some point but the wires looked fine. I started the engine, wiggled them about, tapped them and nothing.

I proceeded to check the earth connections under the sills on both sides of the car and all looked ok.

At this point I aborted any more investigation today. I figured I'd done enough damage with a left door trim that wont go back properly and popped plastic rivet things all over the place lol.

I started her up, took her for a short drive, no problems. How annoying these intermittent electrical faults are. I've been desperate to find a broken earth or something but everything looks in good order.

I'm now thinking of taking the IC out and having a look at that and buying a new multimeter as mine has broken, well one of the metal points on the wires you use to test current has so I need new leads but might as well buy a new unit, I think that has to be my nest move.

I couldn't see anything in the bell housing as I couldn't identify where it was and now air filter is back on I couldn't see much, also I never checked the A pillar today like I wanted. My body is sore and bruised from laying upside down trying to get to these awkward locations.

Some piccies attached from today, gonna get AA cover tonight, Greenflag is rubbish! They made no attempt to find the fault when I called them out.

I'll drive it now and see what happens next and take it from there and report back when I break down somewhere lol.

Thanks everyone for ya input, gave me so much hope, couldn't have done what I have without ya 🙂

 

2 hours ago, ThePowster said:

So I took that bit of plastic off and saw 2 connectors, I didn't see any number markings on them though but I have taken pics to show and if this is the right thing to be looking at it should help others too.

C112 is the lower one in this photo. C113 is just out of sight, under the fascia. I think I can just see one corner of it, or at least the wires that go to it at the top of the photo.

Sorry if my words misled you to the door , but I did say "in front of the door", not "in the front of the door", not thinking how easy it would be to confuse the two!

The other way to test for intermittent breaks, is to reliably connect a multimeter to the DLC (diagnostic socket) on the CAN bus pins (6 & 14), paper clip wire can do this. Ign Off for this test. Then watch the reading like a hawk (it should be 60 ohms as I think the youtube said), for any deviations while wiggling wires and connectors. This is a more sensitive test than waiting for error messages to appear, it can detect small resistance changes.

All car jobs seem to entail getting into nearly impossible positions, that I find are usually even more difficult and painful to get out of, than to get into!

Ah thanks for that Peter. I will get back under there and look at the top module then, I can see it, didn't notice it at the time and it's easy to get to, ish lol.

That's ok about the door, wasn't sure where else it could be having already had the fuses out, sneaky buggers Ford putting them there :)

Nice tip about the DLC socket. I've just bought RAC but £165 for the year plus they robbed me of another £13.50 but with chance of breakdown highly likely I'd say it's a wise investment lol.

Keep ya posted when I learn any more :)

 

Hey guys.

Just a quick update on the focus situation.

I met a nice, sweet, senorita and she wanted to see me but maaaan she lives 88 miles away 😃 not good when ya can't even make it round the block.

So anyway early yesterday morning I decided to give it a go, with RAC breakdown cover in hand I went for it.

I literally got to the end of my street... bing bong bing bong, engine malfunction, acceleration reduced, power steering failure! Nooooo so I clubbed the top of the dash above the clocks and like a lightning bolt from Jesus himself, all error messages vanished and my revs came back, so I went for it.

For the next 1hr 50 mins she behaved. I stayed until late last night, worried about the drive home but she never missed a beat 🙂

So can we conclude that, having gone through my current investigation and found nothing, and that the bang on the clocks rectified it, can we now say that my IC is faulty or are we saying it was just chance that did it, because I did manage to trip the car out at the exact moment I pressed the rear demister.

Thoughts on a post please 🙂

Ta muchly 😄 

7 minutes ago, ThePowster said:

So can we conclude that, having gone through my current investigation and found nothing, and that the bang on the clocks rectified it, can we now say that my IC is faulty or are we saying it was just chance that did it, because I did manage to trip the car out at the exact moment I pressed the rear demister.

When I had a faulty cluster (IC), hitting the dash above it did change the situation. One time it cured it, next time it made it worse, and permanent! But it did help identify where the problem was.

Ohh awesome! 🙂 Thanks for that Peter, ya been a real help with this. I'll have a study of that PDF now see if it's a job I dare undertake myself. I do have a pukka soldering ironing station here so I don't see why not 🙂

1 minute ago, ThePowster said:

ee if it's a job I dare undertake myself. I do have a pukka soldering ironing station here so I don't see why not

If you take it steady and carefully, it is an easy job. The trickiest bit for me was easing it out of the fascia, the prongs at the top were well dug in. The needles came off easy enough when I knew how. Your LCD display is different to mine, it might be harder or easier, mine was ok once I had made up my mind it had to be removed.

Once the pcb is exposed, if it is the main connector, it is a dead easy solder job. It is always best to remove the old solder with a wick or sucker, then apply fresh flux cored solder. I could see the bad joints with a magnifying glass.

I have all that stuff as it happens just by chance, had an interest in solar power year or so ago and wanted free energy so I'll give this a bash soon and document it start to finish 🙂

Thanks Pete.

Hey guys :)

I just wanted to come back here and add to this post for anyone else really that ever gets this kinda problem. Save you taking ya car to bits to trace things.

So how's things been going? Well since I bashed the dash with my fist, not so bad.

The car was going beserk daily and would refuse to start a lot of the time, but since it had some fist lol it's calmed right down.

I drove for a week, some big miles too, no problems, yet the other day I had engine malfunction come on so I tapped the dash and it was an instant fix.

So I think it's either the earth behind the clocks or the clocks themselves that's more likely the culprit.

The other day I got in the car, key in ignition, and on click 1 it started going bing bong bing bong engine malfunction, which is ridiculous as I hadn't even switched the ignition to II yet never mind try and start it. Another quick tap, and it vanished.

I understand this is only going to get worse in time so eventually I am going to have to send the cluster off for repair. I did have a look at doing it myself but its above my level of expertise.

Again I want to thank Peter and everyone else who helped me with this, and the forum, without this place and all you guys I'd have scrapped the car and bought a BMX!

When it comes time to take out, send away, repair etc I will come back, document process, removal, cost etc.

Cheers guys :) 

 

Thanks for the update, the whole thread has made interesting reading. Also, well done to Jonathan_11_80,  4th post down, October 13th, that's exactly what he said it might be. Anyone searching for a similar issue has got some useful info now. 👍