Hello all,

Ive recently just bought a Focus Ecoboost ST-Line and I’ve had a new battery put in because I’ve been having problems, today the ‘Green A’ icon appeared and my car was idle as I was waiting in traffic, however when it was time to set off again I pushed the clutch down and the ‘A’ went amber and it didn’t re-start the engine, my steering went stiff and I had to put my hazards on and push the button to turn the engine off and start it again. Any help would be appreciated 🙂

Was the battery charge checked before fitting?  Was the BMS reset after the new battery was fitted?

This can happen if the BMS has been reset on a low battery.  The car doesn't realise it doesn't have enough battery to restart again.

On 9/3/2024 at 9:33 AM, TomsFocus said:

Was the battery charge checked before fitting?  Was the BMS reset after the new battery was fitted?

This can happen if the BMS has been reset on a low battery.  The car doesn't realise it doesn't have enough battery to restart again.

I’m not too sure as the dealership had it done at their garage of choice. 
Also I didn’t get an invoice of the work done, they just gave me the car back and told me the new battery had been fitted. 
Today, however my Ford has been taking a while to start, I sometimes have to press the start button upto 3 times for it to kick up. Do you know why this is? Alternator? Starter motor?
I have literally owned the car for less than 2 weeks and it has only done 57k miles.
Seems like there are alot more problems to come my way.

Can you take a photo of the battery. Let’s first check they’ve fitted the correct type. 

37 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Can you take a photo of the battery. Let’s first check they’ve fitted the correct type. 

Photos attached 🙂

Ok good news is that it’s the correct battery and a good make. 

When you say you sometimes have to try and start 3 times. Is the starter turning during it? Or is it like the button press isn’t registering?

Do you get any messages about pressing the clutch or foot brake?

Is it auto or manual gearbox?

1 minute ago, alexp999 said:

Ok good news is that it’s the correct battery and a good make. 

When you say you sometimes have to try and start 3 times. Is the starter turning during it? Or is it like the button press isn’t registering?

Do you get any messages about pressing the clutch or foot brake?

Is it auto or manual gearbox?

Okay that’s good to know, the car is manual and I think the starter is turning because it makes a click sound. No messages appear but it seems like the car thinks the engine is on however, it isn’t, if that makes sense?

I press the button off again and on and it does the same thing. On the 3rd attempt it seems to kick in. It seems like the car is struggling to get going. 
When I took it to have the new battery fitted the garage did say that it may need a new alternator, however, in my service history it says it had one done in May. 
Maybe could be a dodgy alternator or wiring? 

Almost certainly, the BMS was not reset when the new battery was fitted!

The first thing you need to do is fully charge the battery, using a good smart charger.

This is likely to take a good few hours, probably at least 12 hours.

Then you need to reset the BMS (you will find the instructions if you search the forum for them, or have a search on YouTube). It's easy to do, probably something like: 1. turn the ignition on so you get the lights on the dash, but don't actually start the engine. 2. within about three seconds, press the rear fog light switch five times, then press the hazard light switch three times. 3. Watch the battery warning light on the dash until it flashes. The BMS will then be reset. Note: The sequence may be slightly different for your car, this was the method for my C-Max, from my poor memory!

Then check the alternator is charging, using a multi-meter between the battery positive terminal and the earth point.

4 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

Almost certainly, the BMS was not reset when the new battery was fitted!

The first thing you need to do is fully charge the battery, using a good smart charger.

This is likely to take a good few hours, probably at least 12 hours.

Then you need to reset the BMS (you will find the instructions if you search the forum for them, or have a search on YouTube). It's easy to do, probably something like: 1. turn the ignition on so you get the lights on the dash, but don't actually start the engine. 2. within about three seconds, press the rear fog light switch five times, then press the hazard light switch three times. 3. Watch the battery warning light on the dash until it flashes. The BMS will then be reset. Note: The sequence may be slightly different for your car, this was the method for my C-Max, from my poor memory!

Then check the alternator is charging, using a multi-meter between the battery positive terminal and the earth point.

Hi Alan, thanks for the reply, I don’t have any of the equipment to do this 😞 also I don’t have the mechanical savvyness to do this either haha! I will try my best to get this sorted but I do appreciate the reply. Also, wouldn’t the garage who fitted it have done this for me? 

2 minutes ago, Nathhh9601 said:

Hi Alan, thanks for the reply, I don’t have any of the equipment to do this 😞 also I don’t have the mechanical savvyness to do this either haha! I will try my best to get this sorted but I do appreciate the reply. Also, wouldn’t the garage who fitted it have done this for me? 

It's a wise person who knows their limits!

The garage that fitted it may well not know about having to reset the BMS. I only found out from this forum, and I've been mending cars since 1966, though I retired in 2013, and only mend my own and my son's cars now (nothing too heavy though)!

2 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

It's a wise person who knows their limits!

The garage that fitted it may well not know about having to reset the BMS. I only found out from this forum, and I've been mending cars since 1966, though I retired in 2013, and only mend my own and my son's cars now (nothing too heavy though)!

I’ll have to do a little more looking into this and have a play around with it. However I do think it’s worth having a new alternator fitted because they offered to do it free of charge, just for a piece of mind. I’ll also need to invest in the smart charger and multi metre. 
Your son is a lucky fella! Wish I had the know-how because I am clueless right now! 
thanks again Alan! 🙂

34 minutes ago, Nathhh9601 said:

... I’ll also need to invest in the smart charger and multi metre.

The Smart Charger many on here use including myself is the MayPole

There are 100s of listings for a multimeter, no need to spend any more than £10...

5 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

The Smart Charger many on here use including myself is the MayPole

There are 100s of listings for a multimeter, no need to spend any more than £10...

Thanks for the reply. Will buy one as soon as, im trying to attach a video of the problem but won’t let me 😞

3 minutes ago, Nathhh9601 said:

Thanks for the reply. Will buy one as soon as, im trying to attach a video of the problem but won’t let me 😞

You can't 'attach' a video,you need to stick it on YouTube and post the link...

4 minutes ago, Nathhh9601 said:

Thanks for the reply. Will buy one as soon as, im trying to attach a video of the problem but won’t let me 😞

For a multi-meter, Screwfix or Toolstation do them for a reasonable price.

I forgot to mention, when you get your charger, make sure you connect the charger -ve to the car for an earth, like a bare nut or something in the vicinity of the battery, NOT the -ve post on the battery itself. This would bypass the BMS negating the effect of charging it in the 1st place as your car won't know it's been charged...

42 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I forgot to mention, when you get your charger, make sure you connect the charger -ve to the car for an earth, like a bare nut or something in the vicinity of the battery, NOT the -ve post on the battery itself. This would bypass the BMS negating the effect of charging it in the 1st place as your car won't know it's been charged...

Okay thank you mate. Also I shot you a message. 

6 minutes ago, Nathhh9601 said:

... Also I shot you a message. 

Already answered that buddy...

 

24 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Already answered that buddy...

 

Sorry mate didn’t see it, here’s the link:

 

Sounds like the starter is struggling to turn over. Really need to check battery voltage as it might be very low if it’s not getting recharged. 
 

Do you get any messages on the main sync screen about it turning off to save power? Or interior lights going straight off with engine etc. 
 

Otherwise could be a wiring problem to the starter or the motor itself maybe. 

Also the oil light is still on at the end of that video might just be because it cuts off. But does the light go out within a few secs of the engine starting?

13 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Also the oil light is still on at the end of that video might just be because it cuts off. But does the light go out within a few secs of the engine starting?

 

16 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Sounds like the starter is struggling to turn over. Really need to check battery voltage as it might be very low if it’s not getting recharged. 
 

Do you get any messages on the main sync screen about it turning off to save power? Or interior lights going straight off with engine etc. 
 

Otherwise could be a wiring problem to the starter or the motor itself maybe. 

Is there any way to check the voltage without any extra tools as I don’t have any? Could I check it through the car screen?

15 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

Also the oil light is still on at the end of that video might just be because it cuts off. But does the light go out within a few secs of the engine starting?

Yes mate the oil lamp does go straight off when the engine eventually kicks in. 

1 minute ago, Nathhh9601 said:

 

Is there any way to check the voltage without any extra tools as I don’t have any? Could I check it through the car screen?

Also I don’t get any messages like that mate. Just seems to struggle to kick in and then when it eventually does it drives really sweet. 

That video sounds as if the battery is almost dead flat!

Get it charged right up & try again.