Good afternoon all,

 

I recently acquired a 2009 Kuga 2.0 tdci, I was really pleased with the drive, engine, box, spec and everything but it broke down 45 miles into the 2nd Journey, restricted power, engine malfunction message, power steering malfunction message, lit up like a christmas tree and then died at the side of the road. Ignition would switch on but wouldnt even attempt to start.

 

I've had a few 2.0 diesel Volvos in the past and I know the CEM units in the passenger footwell can be troublesome on those so I took it out, opened it up and found blue fuzzy corrosion between 2 unrelated terminals, cleaned with a brush and contact cleaner, did the same with all the terminals and all of the fuses and reset the codes using a basic scanner.

 

Hey presto car started and drove fine again with no lights, but after 1 journey, you lock and leave the car and upon returning and start up, engine malfunction light again, car starts but no response from the throttle pedal and lights for TCS, Battery, oil.. pretty much all the lights on the RH side of the instrument cluster.

 

When you switch the car off this time, the next time it won't start at all and back to square one..

 

All of the connectors and circuit boards inside the module in the footwear look fine and all the connectors from  the wiring harness look okay,

 

Does anybody have any solid ideas on this?

Long shot as this is an old post, but did you ever sort this problem out?  We have a similar thing.  We were looking for a fault “invalid signal from ABS module” and checking wiring harness plugs.  After checking plugs for corrosion etc, and all earths, we added to the problems as now it’s coming up with lots of problems, and now seems to have lost connection with Powertrain Control Module, and Transmission Module.  We suspect the wiring in the passenger footwell side pillar.  We knew it had gone bad after removing and replacing the plug, and with no horn working, we wiggled the wires whilst pressing the horn and it worked.  So, we suspect that harness at the plug.  It may be that the pin holes are loose and need tightening.  We had this while testing OBDII socket with multimeter when the probes were too big and widened the sockets.  We have Forscan and it’s brought up so many problems, just from us checking wiring looking for one fault!  Our main thing now is it won’t start.  We drove it into town this morning, but since unplugging one harness, it’s gone into meltdown!  It’s flashing up Transmission malfunction, so I suspect one of those wires goes to Transmission Module.  Anyone able to help?

2 hours ago, Juney00 said:

Long shot as this is an old post

The post was about a Kuga, your profile is saying that you have a 2003 Fusion 🤔

Is it a Kuga you have ?

What engine, what year ?

3 hours ago, Juney00 said:

Long shot as this is an old post, but did you ever sort this problem out?  We have a similar thing...

Both the 2009 Kuga from the original post and the 2003 Fusion are affected by the common problem of cracked solder joints on the instrument cluster's main wiring connector. This can cause symptoms including various warning lights illuminating, transmission malfunction and 'engine malfunction acceleration reduced' (limp mode) messages, refusal to start, and DTCs relating to module communication issues.

I strongly suspect that the Kuga was suffering from this in addition to the corrosion found on the GEM.

It's very possible that this could be the cause of some of your problems.

I happen to run an ebay based repair service for this. You can find it here if you'd like me to look at yours: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314393033915

However, you've been messing with a whole bunch of plugs, jamming an overly large probe into them, and at least one problem - the horn - seems to be strongly connected to a plug problem, and at least some of these problems only showed up after all of this, so it's entirely possible that you've created a bunch of broken connections at the plugs.

Indeed if the wiring of your Fusion is similar to that of the Mk2 Focus I have wiring diagrams for, on a RHD one of the connectors in the LH A pillar carried wires for the horn, the ignition and more.

You're going to have to go back to every single plug you've touched, take something suitably thin like a pin, and do a "drag" test with every (populated) slot in every connector to determine which if any you've widened (does it feel like its griping the pin or does it feel loose), then take them apart and fix any loose ones like you must have done previously with the ODB connector. You could additionally backprobe, with **suitable** probes, each side of each path through the connectors to check that there's a good connection.

Oops, need to update my profile.  I now have a Kuga Mk1 2012 Titanium X.  Will do it now!

1 hour ago, rd457 said:

Both the 2009 Kuga from the original post and the 2003 Fusion are affected by the common problem of cracked solder joints on the instrument cluster's main wiring connector. This can cause symptoms including various warning lights illuminating, transmission malfunction and 'engine malfunction acceleration reduced' (limp mode) messages, refusal to start, and DTCs relating to module communication issues.

I strongly suspect that the Kuga was suffering from this in addition to the corrosion found on the GEM.

It's very possible that this could be the cause of some of your problems.

I happen to run an ebay based repair service for this. You can find it here if you'd like me to look at yours: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314393033915

However, you've been messing with a whole bunch of plugs, jamming an overly large probe into them, and at least one problem - the horn - seems to be strongly connected to a plug problem, and at least some of these problems only showed up after all of this, so it's entirely possible that you've created a bunch of broken connections at the plugs.

Indeed if the wiring of your Fusion is similar to that of the Mk2 Focus I have wiring diagrams for, on a RHD one of the connectors in the LH A pillar carried wires for the horn, the ignition and more.

You're going to have to go back to every single plug you've touched, take something suitably thin like a pin, and do a "drag" test with every (populated) slot in every connector to determine which if any you've widened (does it feel like its griping the pin or does it feel loose), then take them apart and fix any loose ones like you must have done previously with the ODB connector. You could additionally backprobe, with **suitable** probes, each side of each path through the connectors to check that there's a good connection.

Thanks for the info.  A few weeks ago I would have happily sent you the instrument cluster, but as I used to work for Thorn EMI Ferguson making TVs many years ago, and was taught to solder, I got brave and removed the old solder, and resoldered all the pins in the instrument cluster - but the fault of invalid signal from ABS module A was still there, and it mentioned Can Bus communication error, so we went on to check resistance on Can Bus and it was OK, so I stopped worrying about the cluster.  Yes, I should have used “suitable probes” 🥴and couldn’t believe it when we plugged Forscan back in again and no signal at all from OBD!  Luckily my husband twigged what had happened, and undid the plug and squashed the connections back.  The plug in the footwell is I think where the problem will be, but I can’t find a diagram of the pins and which are the wires that go to it.  I have a wiring diagram of the Kuga, but I haven’t managed to identify which plug it is in the diagrams.  Ignition switches on, but things not working are Transmission (won’t start), horn (unless we wiggle wires) airbag light on, ESP light on, I think ABS light on, so I’m hoping all those things are affected by this plug.  We only took it off once, but I suspect over the years it has jiggled around and maybe loosened pins.  We will get some WD40 electrical spray tomorrow and spray the plugs, and tighten the connections, and if it doesn’t work, we will have to trace the wires back.  By the way I didn’t probe any other plug, it was just the OBD as I was holding probes while husband moved wires on each harness.  I’ve learnt that I mustn’t stick over large probes in small holes! 🙃I would be interested to see your diagram for the Focus LH A pillar, and thank you so much for your reply 😊

I forgot to mention, when we just had a check engine light, we took it to an auto electrics place in town, and I don’t think they fancied the job as they did a diagnostic and said it needed to go to the dealer as B2477 was AWD module configuration failure.  It actually said MIL off for this error code, and I tried to tell them that lots of Ford’s show that as the VIN nos are not logged when it leaves the factory, but they insisted it should go to Ford dealer.  Luckily they only charged us £25 for the diagnostic, but I was a bit cheesed off as they didn’t tell us anything we didn’t know, and they ignored the ABS module fault!  We then took it to another auto electrics place that had been recommended.  They kept it 3 days, and we had to keep ringing them every day, and in the end they said they didn’t have time to do it, as they had checked the cluster and it was OK, and were going to have to strip down the car to look for broken wire.  It was due its MOT so we picked it up.  They said take it back next week which would be this week, and they would see if they could find time to strip it down, but we won’t bother as he said he needed to keep it for a week.  Luckily, we erased the fault bringing on the light, and it didn’t come on during MOT, so it passed!  At that time it was driving like a dream, but just showing the light.  So, out of exasperation at not being able to find an auto electrical business who would do some simple tests without having to tear the car apart, that’s what made us think let’s just get in and search ourselves!  We had even left the glove box out to make it easier for them to get to everything - aaaaggghhhh!  😣

1 hour ago, Juney00 said:

A few weeks ago I would have happily sent you the instrument cluster, but as I used to work for Thorn EMI Ferguson making TVs many years ago, and was taught to solder, I got brave and removed the old solder, and resoldered all the pins in the instrument cluster

Oh, okay, cool! 👍

This is the Focus Mk2 wiring document I was looking at, connector C111 is the one I was referring to.

FORD FOCUS WIRING DIAGRAM.pdf

I also have a Kuga one I forgot I had, note the mass of connectors and wiring bundles behind the dash on page 556 😲

Kuga_Mk1.pdf

Thanks so much for this.  I studied those diagrams so much yesterday, I gave myself a migraine!  Undoubtedly something has gone wrong in one of the two harness plugs in the footwell.  Why on these diagrams do they not show C111 and the one below which I think is C113?  Pictures and numbers of all the others!

The car won’t start at all, and on scanning it tells us we don’t have a Powertrain module or a Transmission module!  On it again today!

1 hour ago, Juney00 said:

do they not show C111

Not sure exactly what information you are looking for but C111 is shown on page 623 if that is of any help.

I think I must have gone cross eyed by the time I got through looking at so many wiring diagrams.  That pic is very useful though.  Today we took apart C111 and removed all wires (one at a time 🙃) adjusted all female sockets for pins, as they had widened - well most women do as they get older 😂  The three spades in the middle looked dodgy.  We closed up the female parts of the connections (husband said he’s not surprised it was a female causing the problem 😄) and connected again.  Car started with no lights on YAY!  THEN, we realised we hadn’t put back the clip inside the plug socket, so had to remove harness plug and insert the red strip.  Tried to start again, and a mass of lights were on again, and no start!  So, we now know that the spade connectors are not making good contact, so will renew them tomorrow.

I really appreciate your help, and without people like you helping in these forums, life would be much more difficult.  Thank you again.  We hope to have a happy Kuga by tomorrow afternoon 😁

 

3 hours ago, Juney00 said:

We hope to have a happy Kuga by tomorrow afternoon

Good Luck 👍

Probably worth giving the contacts a spray with electrical contact cleaner. If they have been making poor contact for some time the surface of the contacts will have oxidised.

Example: Halfords, https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-and-fluids/lubricating-and-penetrating-oil/halfords-electrical-contact-cleaner-500ml-621335.html

Quick update.   We used the contact spray, and closed up the contacts, but try as we may to get this plug connected, it wasn’t having any of it.  Some faults disappeared, but traction control and airbags lights still on.  So, in desperation I decided to try the plug without the red plastic bit inside, as it worked earlier when we forgot to put it in.  Hey presto!  All the lights are out!  I don’t know what the red plastic bit does, apart from looking like it guides the pins into the holes, but it’s happy without it on!  The chap in the garage who had it 3 days and didn’t do much said “once you start taking these plugs off, it can start throwing up lots of faults”.  Seems he was right!  Thanks to all who helped 😉