Hi peeps, been off the forum for a couple of years, health condition and impending retirement made it difficult to find the time TBH. However here i am nearly two years since i was last on the forum, having done my brake conversion up to ST spec, very succesfully. My Focus is now giving me the very first problem since i bought it at 10 months old with 2880 miles on the clock, and after all these years it still only has 17230 miles clocked up. Now this problem has cropped up twice in the past, however after opening the door with the emergency key everything fixed its self again. This time none of the remotes work despite fitting new batteries into both. I forgot to say my car is keyless entry / start. When i put any of the two keys in the glove box the car will start with the button no problem. However remotes wont open the doors and the car will not start unless the key is in the glovebox. Obviously i cant lock the doors either without using emergency key. im thinking RF antenna has packed up. My question is, has anyone had this problem, and if you did, what was the cause ? Also where is the roof one located, is it above the mirror in the roof lining ? Looks like a liner off job to replace, according to the pdf instructions ive got on a 17 plate focus 3.5. Regards, Del

Before you start taking things apart, how old is the car's battery, and what voltage is it showing at rest, after the car has been switched off for at least 15 minutes to let everything shut down? If the car is still on it's original battery, this could be the cause of your problems.

To check the battery voltage, open the bonnet, then walk away so that everything shuts down. Leave the keys away from the car, and, after 15 minutes, measure the voltage with a multimeter.

As the buttons aren't working either, I would still suspect the fobs over the receiver for now.  (Different receivers for remote buttons and internal immobiliser).

We've seen many rubbish batteries coming through supply lines now, even apparently from top brands.  So it's well worth checking the voltage of the fob batteries before going any further.  They should be at about 3.3v when new.  3.0v or less will cause problems.

The remote receiver is above the headlining if you do want to check that.  Some people go in from the boot end, though I believe it's closer to the front end, and can be reached through the interior light hole after removing the light surround.  (Unless you have a sunroof).

49 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

Before you start taking things apart, how old is the car's battery, and what voltage is it showing at rest, after the car has been switched off for at least 15 minutes to let everything shut down? If the car is still on it's original battery, this could be the cause of your problems.

To check the battery voltage, open the bonnet, then walk away so that everything shuts down. Leave the keys away from the car, and, after 15 minutes, measure the voltage with a multimeter.

Ok, this problem existed before i fitted the NEW battery a couple of days ago. Proper stop start Yuasa YBX7110 EFB Car Battery: Type 110. It was indeed the original battery and it still started the car no problem, but stop / start wasnt working properly so decided to fit new one. Did the BMS reset and all was well.  The battery was not the problem. Keys work in the glovebox no problem and ive checked the batteries with a meter and they both read 3.15v. Tried changing them but made no difference. So since everything else appears to be fine im assuming RF antenna is bad. Must say car sat doing nothing for the previous 2 weeks.

Ive just done as advised, i checked the voltage on the new car battery after everything shut down 12v exactly ! Id expect at least 13.5v from a new battery. WTF ?

Did you fully charge the new battery before installing it and resetting the BMS? New batteries are not generally supplied fully charged as they lose charge in storage. It's advisable to charge off the car for at least 24 hours before installing.

Having said that the BMS should learn the SOC of the battery over a few days so maybe there's something else going on. Try giving the battery a charge. Connect the charger negative lead to a chassis earth point so the BMS sensor monitors the charging current.

There will never be 13.5v on a new battery at rest.  12.6v is normal. 12.8v would be excellent.

52 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

There will never be 13.5v on a new battery at rest.  12.6v is normal. 12.8v would be excellent.

Totally agree !! 👍

....and 13.5V would be pure fantasy 🤣

Ok peeps, maybe a little optimistic with the voltage at rest lol. No i didnt charge the battery before it was fitted, but its on charge now the correct side of BMS thingy. Done loads of research and im not an idiot, honest. Both keyfobs are at 3.18 volts and its unlikely both would fail at them same time, so im thinking it has to be the antenna given that if keys are placed in centre consol everything works fine. Standby for an update when i have one.

Or of course the keyless entry module !

Here you go, definitive proof that i was correct in thinking it was the RF antenna. Roof lining dropped a little at the front beside sun visor and its SOAKING wet between liner and roof, condensation is all over the roof itself. New one ordered and it will be here on Monday 17th So when i fit the new one i will put it inside one of those sealable poly bags and make sure moisture cant get at the unit.

 

If anyone wondered whether they should use their Air Conditioning and not have their Heaters on Recirculation then the above shows what can happen if you don't.

6 minutes ago, Tizer said:

If anyone wondered whether they should use their Air Conditioning and not have their Heaters on Recirculation then the above shows what can happen if you don't.

Its horrendous the amount of condensation that happens between the roof and the lining. My car isnt used regularly and to date has covered only 17k miles, its a 2016 model. Ive purchased some of those silicone thingys that absorb moisture and i hope that helps. Im sure that every Ford, indeed most cars will suffer from this, but nobody notices till something goes wrong.

Lack of use is the big issue here.  Small moisture traps don't make a difference.  I made a silly error with my unused car in November.  Thought I'd 'air it out' for an hour with all the doors open.  Since then the condensation has been streaming down the windows every day and freezing on the inside when cold enough.  I must have let more damp air in!  Should have just left it until spring/summer. 🤦‍♂️ 

5 minutes ago, Delboy777 said:

Its horrendous the amount of condensation that happens between the roof and the lining. My car isnt used regularly and to date has covered only 17k miles, its a 2016 model. Ive purchased some of those silicone thingys that absorb moisture and i hope that helps. Im sure that every Ford, indeed most cars will suffer from this, but nobody notices till something goes wrong.

Some of the Caravan people on here may be able to give you some tips other than trying to keep a window slightly open.

I'm not sure how the HVAC system on these cars works but I don't think you get a good flow of air through it if any when the car is parked like you did with older manual systems.

I shake my head when people use their Heated Windscreen to clear condensation from their windows instead of Air Con and a Window slightly open. Yes the Heated Screen clears it from the Screen but it doesn't disappear, it just condenses when it hits another cold surface.

We had a few days of bad snow and frost a few weeks ago, i went into the car and although it was dry on the outside the amount of water on the inside of the screen was like a small river ! Rub your hand across it and it was soaking. I agree probably lack of use, however i started leaving the front windows open ( i have Heko wind deflectors fitted so left them open 15mm or so) a little to try and get air to circulate and dry it out so to speak. Maybe i made a mistake but it was already bad so couldnt see that it would make it any worse. Checked the boot and floor inside the car its its bone dry so none of the usual Focus leaks. Need to use it more, which i will do once i change the rear subframe.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPGUb9eV5ktwO4bbFHYXCoagiBDfscbi1cR5mX2  Fitted today, took 5 minutes and its sorted ! Put into poly bag with silicone pads to catch any moisture, sealed with two tie wraps. Thanks for any help you gave me. Ta, Del