[Rodriguezhu]

Hi guys Im new here but I see there are alot of people with alot of car smarts on this site. Thanks for having me. I hope I am posting on the right section. Heres my question. I have a 2005 Focus ZX4 that has been having some electrical issues that have been driving me crazy. Im not a Pro when it comes to cars but I would much rather learn to do it myself then take it to a shop. So for the past couple of months when starting my car the clock always resets to 12:00 plus my radio stations reset as well. When I drive the clock light and dash board lights flicker on and off real fast. So my first guess was the battery. I took my battery in and had it tested and my battery was fine. Then I had Autozone do there diagnostic check. They said my alternator and my regulator were fine and they dont see a problem. I replaced my alternator with a brand new one anywayss because of some advise a person gave me. That worked for about 2 weeks. it started happening again. This time I checked my connections. There was no corrosion on the battery but I could seethat there looked to be some corrosion inside the main power wire. So I took that wire off and split it down opening it up and looking at the insides. I could see there was about a foot of corrosion inside the wire where it hooks up to the positive part of the battery. Then I noticed a whole lot more corrosion where my power wire met with my starter. The fuse on that power wire was not blown so at the time I didnt have the money to fix it so I just soaked the wire in a bucket of coca-cola.lol Desperate times call for desperate measures. I taped it back up perfectly and put it back on. It worked Great for about 2 months. Until about 2 days ago. Now when I turn my key it hesitates to come on and when it does my "Bright Light Sign" on my dash board flickers like crazy along with my clock resetting and flickering as well. When I tried to drive it like that while pressing on the gas the car would die for a split second and then it would catch again while causing a jerk in the car. It would only die for that split second while pressing on the gas that I noticed. I drove it this way for 10 miles hoping I would make it home which I did. I feel like Im answering my own question and that I have to buy a brand new power wire but wasnt sure if it was more then that. I know forsure I need all new motor mounts on my car and the car has a bad shaking to it. I was thinking my bad motor mounts and the shaking were causing my lights to flicker and plan to change that within 2 weeks but was not sure. Beside that I keep it in good condition. I recently changed all my spark pluggs, replaced my valve gasket, fuel filter, recent oil change. I hear my fuel pump coming on when I put my key in, None of my fuses seem to be blown as I can tell. Had my transmission inspected and they said my transmission was fine. Please help me diagnose this problem. Thanks guys.

 

[sailor]

Check the ground near the battery to the frame, and positive wire to the harness first.

When you get to motor mounts, use a Ford one for the passenger side. That fancier one only seems to work well & last in the Factory version.

 

[Rodriguezhu]

Thanks ill do that. Ive seen the passeger side motor mounts on Amazon for really cheap but the reviews on it were not to good. Ive checked ground cable on the negative part of the battery. Theres no broken wires or sign of corrosion. And on the poitive wire it only seems to be 2 wires, 1 of them that goes down to the starterand the other that goes inside the fuse box. I dont see where it connects to the engine harness. Thanks for the reply.

 

[FocusKnot]

You can buy a replacement harness for the battery cables. They are about $80 to $100 and should be available locally at a parts store or eBay.

Some decide to upgrade battery cable wiring by doing a "big 3 upgrade"...just search forum for that.

The OEM battery wiring harness will look something similar to this:

 

[sailor]

Yes, the positive goes to the fuse box there - it's the main power for the car so it's a good one to double check.

The negative to the body often has a poor connection where it grounds, needs to be unbolted there & cleaned up to be sure of good contact. You should look for a harness ground there as well, most have one in/near that location.

 

[Rodriguezhu]

Thanks guys, Im going to get that harness forsure and clean my ground wire. I will let you all know what the end result is. Hopefully this new harness is the problem with the loss of power, then quick load of power its been giving me while driving. Thanks again.

 

[FocusKnot]

Good idea to do that based on your description of your cables.

Also, best to totally remove the battery from the car while you are replacing the battery cable harness. Makes it easier and safer to get to things.

 

[dirtbrown]

i recently had a cable issue...but check the small thin ground wire on the negative terminal...my battery would slide around...stupid me never really figured out that battery thing with an aftermarket battery and it move move maybe an 1" side to side freely and one day my ground snapped...but besides that check for corrosion...maybe get the battery checked and clean the battery cables and make sure there nice and tight but for sure sounds likea ground issue but when my negative had issues my dash would show ----

 

[onlycodered]

Definitely clean up those ground contacts. You'll want to brush the spot on the fender and the actual ground connector with a wire brush and put some dielectric grease on everything.

 

[Rodriguezhu]

Thanks guys all these suggestions seem helpfull. Ill be doing all these things when I get paid this Thursday. Ill let you all know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[Rodriguezhu]

Hey guys any Idea what the whole Negative battery wire harness is called in case I need to replace the whole thing?

 

[FocusKnot]

Not sure what you are asking, but the harness shown in post #4 is both positive and negative cables.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

You can buy the + or - harnesses together or separately. As far as grease goes, mechanics of olden days used regular old wheel bearing grease. The only grease that I know which conducts electricity is molybdenum. The grease is there to resist oxidation.

 

[dirtbrown]

^i think its all 1 piece I just replaced them on my car..people were saying they make there own so maybe you can buy them seperate but iono I diddnt wanna risk it

 

[Dmperfection]

I have an '02 SPI and had some crazy electrical problems like you. At night, all the power would flicker, including headlights. Transmission would shift really hard. Check engine light flashed. My speedometer and RPM gauges peg and come back while in was driving. I was convinced my car was possessed. For months I kept messing with ground connections, cleaning all connections, checking for any sign of damage to power cables. Nothing was making my situation any better. One day, I bit the bullet and got myself a new main power cable harness and it took care of all the craziness.

The main power harness is a combination of both ground and power.

 

[Rodriguezhu]

UPDATE: I Replaced my Power cable and went ahead and replace my whole negative cable. I also cleaned the ground cable area where the negative attaches to the car. Car works Great. Thanks guys for all your help.

 

[FocusKnot]

Great!

Thanks for letting us know.

 

[Dmperfection]

That's a beautiful thing! Enjoy your drives now, knowing all that electrical craziness is fixed.