hi 

my car won’t start up at all. So I can’t get it to a garage.

I found this video online about codes on the  dashboard for the engine immobiliser.

it flash 1 then 6

all I found online was faulty link between PATS module and EECV. But that all i’v found out. 
 

can anyone help me understand what This means. And where to begin to get it restarted. 

3 hours ago, Mel J said:

hi 

my car won’t start up at all. So I can’t get it to a garage.

I found this video online about codes on the  dashboard for the engine immobiliser.

it flash 1 then 6

all I found online was faulty link between PATS module and EECV. But that all i’v found out. 
 

can anyone help me understand what This means. And where to begin to get it restarted. 

There is a CAN bus, which is a fancy name for a twisted pair of wires carrying some digital signals, between the module that reads the ignition key and the ECU (or EEC5). This pair of wires will go through several connectors on its journey, and a bad connection somewhere in this wiring is the most likely cause.

It will need a Fiesta circuit digram and other information to locate these connectors and the relevant pins. There is a simple resistance test on a CAN bus: it should measure 60ohms from wire to wire when the ignition is off. The ECU CAN bus is always on pins 6 & 14 of the diagnostic connector, so can be tested there. But this will not so simply locate the fault, it will just confirm it, if the resistance is not a steady 60ohms.

On the Mk2 Focus, the soldering on the Instrument Cluster connector was a common cause, but it can be on any of the connectors, or just possibly in one of the electronic units. Unless you can get the needed drawings, and are well used to finding dodgy connectors using a multimeter, it will have to be left to an auto-electrician or good garage.

On 6/23/2024 at 10:57 PM, Tdci-Peter said:

There is a CAN bus, which is a fancy name for a twisted pair of wires carrying some digital signals, between the module that reads the ignition key and the ECU (or EEC5). This pair of wires will go through several connectors on its journey, and a bad connection somewhere in this wiring is the most likely cause.

It will need a Fiesta circuit digram and other information to locate these connectors and the relevant pins. There is a simple resistance test on a CAN bus: it should measure 60ohms from wire to wire when the ignition is off. The ECU CAN bus is always on pins 6 & 14 of the diagnostic connector, so can be tested there. But this will not so simply locate the fault, it will just confirm it, if the resistance is not a steady 60ohms.

On the Mk2 Focus, the soldering on the Instrument Cluster connector was a common cause, but it can be on any of the connectors, or just possibly in one of the electronic units. Unless you can get the needed drawings, and are well used to finding dodgy connectors using a multimeter, it will have to be left to an auto-electrician or good garage.

 

Thanks. I think I understood some of that. I’v talk to a few mechanics but I don’t think they understand what I’m talking about. So I might have to quote you to a few till I find someone. 
thanks

13 hours ago, Mel J said:

I’v talk to a few mechanics but I don’t think they understand what I’m talking about.

Not many garage technicians, or indeed anyone at all, have a good understanding of the electronic systems in modern cars. Even at a main dealer, they just plug it in to a manufacturer provided system, and go by what it says to do. Which is, all too often, a slow and expensive process prone to mis-diagnosis. As an electronics designer myself, I know how hard it is to make a system that can cope with all likely fault combinations, that is suitable for use by relatively non-technical people.

Some outfits claim to specialise in electronic faults, but often they just have a gizmo that they plug in and use without any in depth understanding. I use Forscan, a dedicated Ford diagnostic system you will read a lot about on this site, but know all to well that what it says often needs interpretation and old fashioned diagnosis by testing. The codes (DTCs) are a very useful aid, but are not 100% reliable, and can be confusing and misleading.

So the approach of talking to people, and seeing if they understand the electrical basics, like the 60 ohms resistance on a CAN bus, is a very good idea, I think. After that, it will come down to a step by step investigation to locate the fault in a pair of wires that zig-zags about though a large part of the car.