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Mile30

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
I was driving home the other day, and as I went up a hill the car started stumbling and losing power... it was in gear and moving, so the engine was still making noise; but pressing the accelerator wasn't eliciting a change in engine noise. It stopped happening and worked as usual; and then I got a few miles further and closer to home when the gauges blinked, the needles fell and the digital readout changed to dashes all the way across!

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I used an Actron code-reader to try and pull codes and figure out what happened, but there is no communication with the PCM through the OBDII port!

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I still wanna get the car in the air and feel around for the cables between the battery, starter, and alternator... iirc; the PCM was thought to be fried last time something like this happened and it turned out the cables had gotten fried when the alternator ess'd the bed. I'm hoping it's as simple as that; but assuming the cables aren't crunchy and destroyed: what could have happened?!?
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
Djzx3 said:
Check that ground wire running from the neg side of the battery, to the side fender wire loom.
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Would that stop communication? The car's electronics work (radio, windows, trunk solenoid, lights, etc) except for the gauges... nothing happens when you turn the key!
 
#4 ·
There was a guy who came on here not even a week ago with the same problem, and we told em about that wire, and Tom ended up coming on and saying that wire is a ground wire for the ECU fault, and that it would affect the things you are talking about.

I'll see if I can find the thread.

EDIT: ah here it is, see if this helps.

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289343

IDK if they found a solution for him.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
I'm gonna get under the car this weekend and check some shit out. Thanks, community! I'll check back in once I snoop around! Any other tips/pics please pass 'em along!
 
#6 ·
had this problem happen to me as well turned out to be a bad cable from the starter to the battery so i changed the whole cable from the starter, alternator and to the battery. Also swapped in a crown victoria starter motor internals into the stock focus starter so that could have fixed the problem
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
I was working and traveling up ta PA to pick up my Matco 5s tool box... I didn't get a chance to crawl under it. Graduating school (HELL YEAH Boosted Olds; we effn' made it!) and starting a regular day schedule should afford me the time I need this week.
 
#15 ·
Mile30 said:
I was working and traveling up ta PA to pick up my Matco 5s tool box... I didn't get a chance to crawl under it. Graduating school (HELL YEAH Boosted Olds; we effn' made it!) and starting a regular day schedule should afford me the time I need this week.
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Boosted olds said:
yes we did mang, feels good. now to get that focus running again broski
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Congrats guys! No more long drives to columbia right chuck? lol
 
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#16 ·
Congrats Chuck!!! Once you get your car figured out, we still need to get mine squared away... If you need anything on yours...let me know.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
Buddy4679 said:
Congrats Chuck!!! Once you get your car figured out, we still need to get mine squared away... If you need anything on yours...let me know.
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I gotta give you a call so we can get synchronized for this. We can definitely get yours done while I beat my head against the wall because of mine!
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
Boosted olds said:
updates????
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focus_family said:
Agreed..Whats going on with the car?
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I'm trying to get it all squared away! The inspection ticket has me painted into a corner, though! I have it in the air at work so I can get the exhaust swapped back for the inspector, so that's first on the list... once I get the fuzz off my back and ensure no interruption in my licensing occurs; I gotta go all-in on the no-start issue.

I'm poking around for both the jobs, and trying not to get flustered by the wiring! I can't feel anything untoward with the small cable between the starter and alternator, and I still haven't found the main cable from the battery... I've only been able to put 5 minutes of looking into this on my lunch break. I need to find the ground wire that goes to the fender area that ___ referred to, and track down which cable is the power to the alt/starter; everything is in those looms, so I can't get a good look/feel at much yet.

5pm I'm doing the mani and cat...
 
#19 ·
well its to the right of the battery, I know because I had to try and make a new one for this girl. She didn't take care of her care (but thinks she does) and it broke right there at the terminal. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the speedometer would act like a tach. It's called the redundant ground and ford likes to use it a LOT for their computer system. A lot of people buy replacement battery cables and don't understand why that one is there so they leave it off and wonder why their truck doesn't start (then they don't believe me when I tell them that's what it is [facepalm])

check it out though, it's pretty easy to find.
 
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