Hello fellow FOC'ers.

In a sleep deprived last night before last, I thought it may be handy to have an FAQ thread that should hopefully help you all, and new members try and diagnose any issues with your car at a high level before needing to post and to save you waiting around for a while for any responses when your in desperate need of an answer.

The outcome is now at the head of General Ford Discussions. Whilst I would like to keep that thread 'clean' of comments, I welcome you all to provide your feedback and suggestions as to what you may benefit from seeing within there. I would also like to see you correct any of my errors, and add any clarity to anything that may be lacking (for example which cars have a DPF).

In essence, what I am trying to start here, is a general troubleshooting page. One that hopefully we can build into a very detailed guide that might help you to narrow the issues down.

Visit the FAQ thread HERE :)

Thanks

James

Not yet had any feedback, I wonder if anyone has seen the thread lol!

If you do have any feedback, let me know!

Hi James,

Thanks for the FAQ. I wondered if you could explain a bit more regarding faulty instrument clusters and electrical faults - I'm not sure which category my problem would come under.

When the time came for me to get a new(er) car - I knew exactly what I wanted: a 1.6 Focus in Electric Blue. (I actually wanted the 2.5 Orange ST, but insurance permitting... :P )

I've had the car since February 2012 but have had intermittent problems, the problem seems to mainly occur in damp weather when the car has been sat overnight.

It's a 2005 and the problem I've been having is with starting the car, when I turn on the ignition it displays a 'Engine Systems Fault' warning with all the lights lit up on the dash and a flashing red light - turning the ignition to start the engine does nothing. After turning the ignition off and on several times, the error eventually clears and the car starts, a few metres down the road the error tends to re-appear and I again have to pull over to turn it off and on again.

It's then fine after a run, I can stop at the petrol station, turn it off and restart it with no further issues and when running I have no actual mechanical problems that I know of, no funny noises etc...

So far I've not tried any solutions, the main reason being that I can't afford the cost of a 'trial and error' approach from taking it to a garage, as I've read about people paying hundreds of pounds to fix the issue - only to have it happen the day after leaving the garage and in one case on the way home!

Very occasionally halfway through a journey it gives me a 'Reduced Acceleration' warning, before again displaying 'Engine Systems Fault'. I've had two people take the readings from the computer and reset it, but from this they don't seem to be any wiser as to what is actually causing the problem <_<

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Kirsty.

Hi Kirsty,

given the nature of your symptoms, it sounds a lot like you will have an electrical fault, possibly combined with a sensor fault.

You say that this issue always occurs after a dewy night? in which case it sounds like there is moisture getting somewhere it shouldnt be. My first bet would be to pop the bonnet, and check the auxhillary fuse box, make sure there is no sign of moisture on the fuses or relays, hopefully it should be bone dry and thoroughly sealed. Secondly I would check the internal fusebox, it could be that the moisture has been transferred inside and has gathered on the main fuseboard. So start with these and ensure both are safe and dry.

Secondly you should check the OBD port, make sure that its not shorted out in any way and doesnt have an adapter in it, as the bluetooth communicating can cause similar problems, but I dont believe that this will directly be your issue.

If the above are all clear, then you are probably looking at a loom issue, I would start by disconnecting the battery and then going to the fuseboard under the passenger footwell. Remove and reseat the wiring harnass.

Secondly go under the bonnet, and just check all the connections, make sure there is no evidence of heat / fluid damage around the wiring. You may also find it beneficial to remove the headlights for this, so that you can see more of the underside and see more of what is going on.

Next job is to see if you can reforce the issue. Take your car to a hand wash where they use pressure washers, and give the eastern europeans a tenner to give your car a good going over. The pressure will test the seals and will allow moisture in where it shouldnt be, in the event that there is water ingress and the error occurs, you need to check all the above again to make sure that you dont have any obvious water damage. You may find that this is a moisture going through the pollen filter and off to the fuseboard. A very discreet problem, that can cause a good deal of chaos.

Let me know how you get on!