Focus Fanatics Forum banner

This is odd

4K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  Sapperstang 
#1 ·
Hey fellas. Car is a 03 ZX3 w/160K miles. Bought new. Wife went to leave for work and car was dead. Yesterday she was cleaning the interior and took a long break and left the doors open. Figured the interior light killed the battery so I jumped it off my truck. Started right up.

I let it run awhile to charge the battery but when I went out after about 30 mins the car was not running and the battery was dead again. Painters were coming to I jumped it again to move it out of the way.

Noticed right off that anything electrical that was on caused an odd clicking near the fuse panel area as well as a noise that sounded like static (with car running). Hatch wasn't latched so the dash light for that was on which caused the noise. Pushing the brakes (lights) caused it too. Turn the headlights on and it immediately killed the engine. Battery was dead again as well.

Any thoughts fellas? I found the clicking at the fuse panel odd. Hopefully something simple. Never have had an electrical issue with this car before. Thanks in advance. [scratch]
 
#4 ·
There are several relays at the fuse panel.

If one of them was experiencing an intermittent open (or short) condition, you would hear the relay(s) clicking on/off.

I am going with loose connection or bad ground, the clicking is just a symptom of the general problem.
 
#6 ·
would suggest checking the alternator first,its an easy check if you have a multimeter to see if it is charging, are you sure the interior light is off ??? (just checking) and you could also check to see if there is a draw from the battery by disconnecting the negative battery and using your multimeter to check that, if it is a draw from the battery well that a hole different ball game but dose sound very like the alternator only had a Renault last month doing the exact same thing

hope this helps

the phantom
 
#7 ·
I jumped it again when I got home. It started right up and seemed fine. But after idling for about ten minutes it started to act up again. Popping static noise over the speakers and the clicking from the fuse panel. Try to move it and the engine stutters. I turned it off and when I went to try to restart it it was dead.
 
#8 ·
Sounds like the alternator. Jump it and let it idle for a few minutes. Put a multimeter on the battery terminals. Anything less than 12.5vdc means it isn't being charged. If it is over 12.5 then shut the car off and check again. If it is at 11 and dropping before your eyes then you have a faulty battery.
 
#9 ·
If the alternator is good it should hold at 14 volts on a 12 volt battery. It does sound a lot like an alt issue. Do you have am aftermarket head unit/speakers/amplifier?
 
#12 ·
True, forgot mines an aftermarket alternator. To the op the battery is good but acts dead and the altenator is charging. This leads me to believe a bad ground or maybe a bad fuse.
 
#17 ·
I ended up replacing the alternator (major pain in the ass). Today wife went out and the car was dead. I jumped it from my truck and it started right up. However, that ticking in the dash is back and the door ajar and seatbelt warning lights flashed with the clicking. Any major electrical draw immediately kills the engine and there is no power to start the car again. So I guess replacing the alternator did nothing. Not sure what else to do. Electrical issues just are not my expertise.
 
#18 ·
Sorry to hear that you are still having problems. If it is not the alternator, pigtail or battery you might have a bad connection somewhere else, like the BCM. If you don't have the electrical chops to go further with this then it is time to get a shop involved. Try searching for a shop that specializes in electrical repairs (depending on where you are located). Dealerships are too expensive and small shops might not have the training and experience. I wish you luck.
 
#19 ·
Well I read a few threads here with somewhat similar issues and I went out to look at all of the applicable electrical connections. The positive battery cable was loose. Not very loose, but it was and had some corrosion. I cleaned the cable and the terminal and tightened them up good. Checked all of the other cables and wiring and nothing seemed to be loose. I could swear I had checked all this stuff last time I had this issue.

Hit the key and it started right up. No clicks or anything. Earlier when it died it had no power at all. Could that slightly loose cable have been the culprit all along and cause symptoms months apart? Doesn't seem likely but the car seems fine now. I'd hate to think I replaced the alt and went through the hassle of wrestling the old one out and the new one in for nothing. Either way I guess I will wait and see. The radio is dead though for some reason. It had been acting up anyways so good time to replace it.
 
#22 ·
The external of it does bit matter, you need to pull back the boot and actually look at the wires. Good chance that they are broken in areas. Even with it fixed you should try to pull the boot off and take a look. Good luck.

Nevin
 
#24 ·
Replacement batteries seem to have smaller diameter posts on them than the OEM battery - at least SEARS batteries do. This makes the battery terminal clamps a potential 'lose' fit.

The battery terminal bolt can be fully cranked down and you may still have a loose fit - especially if the terminal/post has been cleaned many times or excessively.

They make a battery post product that fits over the post to enlarge it for a better fit to the OEM terminal clamp. I don't know how well they work/fit but it might be easier than replacing the terminal clamps. It also may just be another point for corrosion to enter a connection - unseen.

Dielectric grease is always good for a battery connection to keep corrosion to a minimum.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top