[cte.matt]

How's it goin? This is my first post. I got on the forum to see if anyone else was having similar electrical issues that i'm having. Thus far i haven'e been able to pin point anything. Bought the car 3 years ago. Been running great till about 6 months ago. The only problem I had was cruise control didn't work.

It started with my door locks. Randomly, only my driver door would lock electronically. All the doors will unlock together with remote and front door switches but only the driver will lock. I have no clue where to start here.

Secondly, If i travel above 80mph for more than 20 min. I have "random cylinder misfires." I've heard it could be coil packs. But right now i just keep it under 80mph.

Thirdly(and most urgent), my left blinker started blinking rapidly. So, i figured my taillight bulb was out. When i pulled it out, it look OK. Seemed to have little blackening on the bulb but both filaments were intact. So i decided to switch with the right bulb and see if was indeed the bulb. Nope. left blinker still blinking rapidly. Then, the unexpected. The next day my right brake light went out too. Front and side blinkers are working, just no rear blinkers or brake lights. I've heard hazard switch could be the problem?? sidenote: reverse lights and third brake works.

Can someone please help me?? I don't have a lot of money right now to do too much trial and error so any direction would be much appreciated.

Matt

 

[pasta]

cylinder misfire prombably plugs or wires might as well do both for your blinker promblem check your fuses

 

[sailor]

Lots going on at once, as problems accumulated B4 dealing with them...

First, a "blackened" bulb is probably shot, even if it "looks" OK - only an electrical tester can tell ($5 at Harbor freight for a cheapo that'll tell ya).

Without a VOM (volt/ohm meter) you're just guessing when it comes to electrics - and a Dollar test light is invaluable....

Wiring issues for the doors crop up, MINE was solved by simply unplugging & re-plugging the driver's door connectors (one was loose). Sometimes the wires in that harness break from repeated movement & age, but that's a SECOND check... AFTER simply lubing the door mechanism.... (lubing the rear doors was a tsb from Ford...) Something NO-ONE seems to do.....

Mis-fire a speed is often found to be a coil - pack issue as you saw in your searches, you need to REMOVE the coil & check the base for cracking - any cracks seen, it's probably bad...

And lastly, back to the lights, cleaning the contacts AND the bulb contacts solves many issues... BUT you need that test light to see if you are getting power there.... AND the VOM to see if the ground is good.. (bad ground connections from corrosion over time cause issues as well).

Clean up & check over is a LOT cheaper than "throwing parts at it"...

LUCK!

 

[mainest]

05s have coil on plugs (four coils, one for each plug) You need to determine which cylinder has the misfire, and whether it is the plug or the "coil" that is causing the misfire. Much cheaper to try new plugs than coils. Good luck!

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Ignore the coil pack issues you read about, your engine has separate coils for each cylinder, not a pack, and you don't want to replace those if they pass resistance tests- each one is about $90.

When you remove the coils to change the plugs, remove the coil boot. Inside the boot you'll find a spring with a circular magnet in it. Check for corrosion at the bottom of the coil. To remove the boot, twist, then bend the boot, and it should come off easily. I have also noticed that the coil connectors sometimes have problems clipping shut and staying connected, so pull on the connector after plugging it back in.

We are not fans of Bosch plugs for these vehicles. Very few people on this board have been happy with those. Stick to Autolite or Motorcraft. Always check and adjust gap as needed, your gap should be .052-55.

The owner's manual has a list of fuses, and the location in either the under hood fuse box or the under dash fuse box. You'll probably find that to be the cause of your cruise control not working.

If you haven't done it, you should probably go through what's considered to be a "tune-up" on one of these vehicles. Fuel filters are often overlooked, but should be changed every 25k miles or 1yr. The MAF should be cleaned periodically with spray MAF cleaner, and plugs cleaned and checked every time you tune-up. There is no air filter to replace unless the factory air cleaner has been replaced with an aftermarket air cleaner. There is a method for testing the factory air cleaner detailed in the owner's manual.

The fuel filter is located under the vehicle between the gas tank and the exhaust near the passenger side rear door. It takes an 8mm or 5/16 and small extension to remove the screw that holds the bracket. We have How-To's on replacing the fuel filter, and the process/location is the same for all Foci up to '12. One thing to be sure of- do not remove the white clip in the fuel line!! All you have to do is put your thumb on the flat white side of the clip, and press it. If it won't press down enough, move the filter back and forth slightly to make sure it's not binding. Pull the filter off the line. There is a 6" section of line on the tank side of the filter that can be removed with the filter since you can't reach the clip on that side near the filter. Always discharge the fuel system before attempting to remove the filter. I've found that the best method is remove the passenger side kick panel, unplug the fuel cutoff switch, and then try to start the vehicle.