Focus MK3 2012 (Titanium)

I've recently invested in a rear mounted bike rack and with a few bikes on, in the position it has to be mounted, makes the license plate and lights difficult to see.

I was looking to purchase this - https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/bike-rack-accessories/halfords-cycle-carrier-lighting-board-910612.html however it comes with a 7-pin plug which I believe it suitable if you have a towbar electric point, which I don't.

What is the best way to provide a connection for this from the car without purchasing a full tow-bar + electrics kit. Is there somewhere in the boot to tap/connect this in to?

I also saw this - but not sure if anyone has a pinout on where to connect the wires at the rear of the car...

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/bike-rack-accessories/halfords-cycle-carrier-lighting-board-wiring-kit-910661.html?recType=OCWOTBRec

Thanks!

James

It's not like in the olden days of a Cortina when you could just use a few Scotchlok connectors and tap in to the vehicles wiring and add a towing socket. Your 2012 Focus has all of it's lighting circuits controlled and monitored by the Body Control Module (BCM). Any attempt to directly add additional lights to any of the circuits will cause the BCM  to detect an over current situation and trigger a warning and also to protect the circuit it will in many cases turn it off.

You can buy a basic Canbus controlled lighting interface unit and 7 pin socket from the likes of Amazon or eBay. Personally I would never recommended using them for towing, but for a lighting board on a bike rack it will work just fine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Towbar-Electrics-Bypass-Canbus-Multiplex/dp/B01MFDM9SE

OR

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171352163243

OR

https://www.halfords.com/camping/electrical-and-power/ring-12n-smart-logic-bypass-relay-122816.html

You will of course still need to buy a 7 pin socket and the bracket to fix it on to.

 

Thanks - so is it a case of tapping in to the rear light cluster on either side or is there somewhere better? And using a simple kit like this does it need any programming to the BCM/CAN systems?

It is very unlikely that your car is pre-fitted with the Ford trailer module socket, which if it does have, it will be a small grey plug hidden behind the carpet trim in the rear right quarter. It only works with the Ford trailer module.

Using the universal kits then you can tap in to the wiring to the left and right rear clusters. You will also need a 12 volt permanent live supply (not switched via the ignition). If you are lucky there may be a 12 volt power (cigarette) socket in the boot which has a constant live, otherwise you will have to run a wire (capable of at least 20 Amps) through to the fusebox. 

Thanks. Why does it need a permanent live as I only need to use the lights on the lighting board when I am driving?

If the ford plug is there, will that have all the wires on the connector, to avoid tapping in to both rear side clusters?

Do I need to add any fuses?

I found these spare plugs in the left rear near the fuse box in the boot. The first one has a large gauge blue and red wire and the green one has four wires. Are these related to the trailer wiring?

 

Looking at the Focus wiring diagram it appears to be these two:

 

Looks like this kit will work with the wiring I've located - https://www.pfjones.co.uk/ford-focus-hatchback-with-tp-01-11-06-18-onwards-7-pin-pf-jones-dedicated-wiring-kit-19060527pf.html

@unofix Are these the correct wires? I do not need a towbar... only the electric point to use for a bike rack light board/repeater. That kit includes everything I need, but how can I mount the 7pin connector under the car someplace, any thoughts?

3 minutes ago, JPW said:

But how can I mount the 7pin connector under the car someplace, any thoughts?

You should check the rear valance and see if there is anywhere suitable. My old LPG Merc filler was screwed into the rear valance, pretty neat. I'm sure once you get the 7 pin socket, you can mock up places on the car before committing a location...

1 hour ago, JPW said:

That kit includes everything I need, but how can I mount the 7pin connector under the car someplace, any thoughts?

• I have only a few weeks ago done the exact same job for the same reason on my daughters Kuga. I used a length of aluminum bar (32mm wide X 5mm thick) which I was able to easily mount behind the valance by using the existing two screw holes. I did have to do a little fancy bending of the mounting plate of the socket so that it mated with the horizontal bar.
• If I get chance I will take some photos of my daughters Kuga tomorrow which will help you get the idea of whats needed.
• Yes those are the correct connectors for the Ford trailer module. whether you use that Kit you found (seems expensive) or the actual Ford module, you will need to use FORScan to connect up to the OBDII port and turn on the trailer sockets in the Body Control Module.

I had trailer board lights fitted to my MX5 a while back - it didn't need the fancy electrics (its a 2007 car), and you cannot fit a towbar.

In my case the socket is on a trailing lead, coiled-up and kept in the side compartment in the boot where the jack lives. When in use the cable goes it drapes over the rubber seal that the boot lid closes onto,the rubber seal is generous enough to allow the cable to pass through without trapping it or distorting the boot lid which is very flimsy on those cars!

9 hours ago, unofix said:

If I get chance I will take some photos of my daughters Kuga tomorrow which will help you get the idea of whats needed.

Thanks unofix, that would be most helpful. Because I don't have a towbar (and don't really plan to get one) I just need a way to attach the 7 pin socket to something secure.

9 hours ago, unofix said:

whether you use that Kit you found (seems expensive)

I couldn't find anything cheaper that was custom made for the plugs I have. Sure, I could get a generic kit and splice in, but this way I'm not having to modify the wiring at all. Do you know of another kit that's cheaper?

Can Focccus be used to enable the trailer option or must it be FORScan? I have used both in the past, it's just Focccus seems easier to edit the Central Config. Do you now the setting for Focccus / FORScan?

Thanks

Here are the photos of how I fitted the socket with out a tow bar.

18 minutes ago, unofix said:

Here are the photos of how I fitted the socket with out a tow bar.

I just knew you'd do a good job, well done buddy!

23 minutes ago, unofix said:

Here are the photos of how I fitted the socket with out a tow bar

That's awesome, thanks so much.

Does it really need that long aluminium bar? Could the standard mounting plate not just be affixed somewhere with a bolt or two?

Cheers,

James

So I plugged everything in and the lighting board repeater (with a 7 pin connector) works without having to activate anything in the BCM. I did check, and the options are set to:

#20 Trailer Module - Without trailer module

#76 Towbar - Without Towbar

I did change these and all they appear to do is stop the reverse parking sensors from working.

As I won't be using a bike rack often, I don't want to lose the parking sensors.

So, is there another way to temporarily disable the parking sensors in the sash someplace? There is no button on the dash as it's not an option under the IPC > Settings 

Thanks!

I'm not familiar with the towing setup but I'd have thought it was designed so the sensors would be automatically disabled when a caravan/trailer board was plugged in.

If your bikes are high enough to not trigger the sensors there's surely no need to disable them anyway.

On 7/15/2023 at 10:26 AM, mjt said:

but I'd have thought it was designed so the sensors would be automatically disabled when a caravan/trailer board was plugged in.

Hi Mike, yes you are correct the reversing sensors are only disabled when something is connected to the towing socket. With the Ford trailer module it will also disable the vehicles own rear fog light (to avoid reflection) and enable the rear fog light on the trailer/caravan when required. There is also a secondary 'telltale' light activated on the instrument cluster (as required by law) to confirm the operation of the trailer/caravan indicators.

When I put the car in reverse, it is still enabling the rear sensors, when the plug is connected. I also have no extra light on the instrument cluster.

Do I need to do anything else to make this work like that?

Have you used FORScan and turned on "With Trailer Module" and "With Tow Bar" ?

If the BCM does not know that the trailer module is fitted then it will not activate the secondary tell tail light in the instrument cluster for the trailer board indicators.

Since you are not using the genuine Ford trailer module, functions may not operate as they would with a Ford towing module.

I did try that setting yes but didn't spot any change in the cluster. Although, the PF Jones install manual does state it should and even quotes codes  20 and 76 so it must be aware of them.

I'll check again!

 

On 7/14/2023 at 9:47 PM, JPW said:

So I plugged everything in and the lighting board repeater (with a 7 pin connector) works without having to activate anything in the BCM. I did check, and the options are set to:

#20 Trailer Module - Without trailer module

#76 Towbar - Without Towbar

I did change these and all they appear to do is stop the reverse parking sensors from working.

As I won't be using a bike rack often, I don't want to lose the parking sensors.

So, is there another way to temporarily disable the parking sensors in the sash someplace? There is no button on the dash as it's not an option under the IPC > Settings 

Thanks!

Not quite - with the trailer connected, reversing sensors, reversing lights, and rear fog lamps on the car are disabled (so they don't reflect back from the trailer!) BUT the flash rate for the indicators and hazard warning lights is maintained (there's an extra load on the circuit which can affect the flash rate). Depending on the car there may be other effects as well. In the case of my Focus (and the previous Skoda), if the trailer is disconnected while the car is locked, the car alarm goes off.  More happens if you have the connections for charging the caravan battery/run the fridge etc. if they form part of your connections (a fully-wired 13-pin plug/socket, or the old 7-pin 12s Socket) - although with a modern car I'm not sure how all this is controlled if you just have the 7-pin road light connections.

If you haven't got the trailer or trailerboard connected, rear parking sensors/lights etc. act as normal.

Thanks @RMurphy195

Maybe I’m too late to this game but I want to do the same thing.

found these three guys

and wondering whether this wiring kit would be enough

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/steinhof/13648708

bear in mind that I have never done anything like this 😀 followed your conversation but you are skipping quite a bit 😀