Ford Focus 2005 Engine System Fault

[paul112004]

hello can anyone please help me i have a 2005 ford focus and it has now developed a engine system fault on the dashboard.

it shows up no errors on diagnostic

it stops the engine from starting and sometimes after a while eventually the starter motor will click but is fine when the fault is not there.

i have tested my battery it has 12 volts and 14.4 when running

sometimes when the fault is up it will not turn over as though your battery is flat but i checked voltage and it was 12 volts so this is fine.

the only way i can get it to start is to bump it but this is pot luck as sometimes you have to turn the key on and off many times as it acts as though the immobilizer is on but then eventually bumps

also everynow and then but more times than before i get pats code 13 come up and when i have engine systems fault i get 12 come up also

i have booked it into ford to look at it as im totally lost and i do not want to buy a new battery or starter motor until i know it could be this.

i have also checked fuses and swapped relays

this fault was once just a monthly thing but is now turning into a daily more than once problem

thanks paul

[jeebowhite]

When you start to turn the key, does the red light on the middle top of the dash go nuts?

[paul112004]

Hi only sometimes but it is getting worse the only thing. Pointed it to is key needs reprogramming

But would this make the battery flat symptom surely if the key needed doing it just wouldn't start at all and not every now and then plus if the key was broken why would it work sometimes and then not at overs

[jeebowhite]

Sounds like the immobiliser isn't reading the key properly. Best bet is to get the spare key out and try it.

The flat battery symptoms you describe tend to be because the immobiliser wont release the car to you. If you keep getting clicks in the footwell fuseboard, flickering headlights, or sweeping instrument cluster as you try to start the car then these indicate a fault with the battery, but I think the spare key will temporarily resolve the issue. If it does, you probably will need a new key cutting, and perhaps coding if you have an issue with the chip.

[paul112004]

Hi

Spare key does the same but I do get flickering headlights on startup and all my instruments go all over the place when I have the system fault the whole electrics act very funny quite scary sometimes

I checked the battery and got the correct parameters from it but maybe it is stuffed

[paul112004]

Currently in ford battery stuffed has a broken cell so replaced that and some codes appear that are for a PCM board??? Hopefully can clear without costing me 2k

[paul112004]

Thanks for your help was the battery and few codes needed clearing apparently was a dead cell in battery now running ok

[jeebowhite]

Glad you got it sorted Paul, I was wondering if it was attery (seen plenty that show they are OK but they arent) but as the red light went nuts, thought it was a good place to start!

What was the total bill?

[paul112004]

In total cost me

£65 diagnostic

£52 battery

£30 fit battery and clear codes

So not to bad but they did say the codes would of had to be cleared even if I just put a battery on

It does seem to run a lot better now and smoother I was quite lucky as before I changed battery they thought it would be my motherboard that runs the cat which was 2k to replace so glad it was all ok in the end