[2003Peaches]

Hey all,
I have an '03 ZX3 that I'm trying to re-register for the year here in Salt Lake County Utah. When I took it to get the I/M done there was at least 7 "not ready" responses from my computer. The service center didn't believe me that I hadn't disconnected my battery for any reason so they sent me to the Salt Lake County Environmental Health Department to get it inspected. When I went there they told me the this is a known issue with the focus where it loses it's keep alive memory when you turn off the key... so their is no way to get it to pass without getting the issue fixed. The next thing I did was to call a dealer and ask them what this "known" problem would cost me to fix. 2 dealers weren't aware of the problem and one told me that it was "either a fuse or the PCM" that needs to be replaced. I asked which fuse and he said to "check the fuses under the dash, or the fuses behind those fuses which are a real PIA to get to or check the fuses on the firewall". Not very helpful. I really don't want this to be a problem with my PCM but I really don't want to check every fuse in my box either.

Does anyone know which fuse I should be checking or, alternatively, what this problem normally is?

Thanks

 

[Weldman0730]

hmm never heard of that....I got my emissions checked in Georgia the past 6 years and they have been easy, never had a problem.

I would try and go to another place to have it done, to make sure the problem isnt the tester, as I have had problems at certain testers with my old truck.

You havnt had any problems with your battery have you? I think the car would run pretty poorly if it forgot everything every time, I know my car feels like it looses power when I am forced to reset, that is until it re-learns everything(sometimes it takes 250 miles to re-learn). There is a certain way to drive the car to get it to re-learn, I got the procedure from a kauffman tire belive it or not(unfortunatly i dont have it otherwise I would write it for you).

 

[ArcticMynx]

ok Wow this is new to me but must be due to that Im in Canada...
do they actually hook up your car to the computer through the OBDII port ??? just curious

I just had mine done ( nearly decked the guy testing it he was playing around with one of the O2 Sensor plugs told him to back off)
they hooked up a clip to my #1 wire stuffed a 3 foot long rod down its exhaust and ran it through its steps and it passed...

 

[Weldman0730]

ok Wow this is new to me but must be due to that Im in Canada...
do they actually hook up your car to the computer through the OBDII port ??? just curious

I just had mine done ( nearly decked the guy testing it he was playing around with one of the O2 Sensor plugs told him to back off)
they hooked up a clip to my #1 wire stuffed a 3 foot long rod down its exhaust and ran it through its steps and it passed...

I dont know about Colorado, but in Georgia, they read the OBDII port, and they test the gas cap for leaks.

 

[ArcticMynx]

o.o well that scary that they read the cars computer.. personally I wouldn't trust anyone plugging anything in the port... what there doing is basically testing the cars emissions control functionality by purposely faulting the car and testing its exhaust emissions then resetting it back for the test ( there way of calibrating the machine)

and I just read, they fault cars in Canada by just unplugging the O2 Sensor and thats how it graphs the high limits of the cars exhaust

Personally i think emissions is a crock of crap.. it doesn't really help the ozone/air ( in the 10 years they have had it the air quality warnings are worst every year)
Imma stick it to the government tho my van had its 18th birthday a few months back when it went in for its emissions which over here its every 2 years for the tests so in 2 years my van will Legally be exempt from this crap WOOT


either way back to the original question I agree try somewhere else I have never heard of a car loosing its memory unless something in its ignition circuit failed and every time its shutoff the standby power to the computer is cut.... but still it shouldn't read "not ready" when plugged in the only way it the car won;t ready itself is that whatevers plugged into it isn't compatible or the cars ignoring it...
the only time I pull of NOT READY is when I use my OBDI or 1.5 readers on older cars and forget to trip its test mode before its plugged in

 

[penguin]

> what there doing is basically testing the cars emissions control functionality by purposely faulting the car and testing its exhaust emissions then resetting it back for the test ( there way of calibrating the machine)

No, they are not purposely faulting the car.

They are simply checking for any codes, or pending codes, and whether or not the readiness codes are set. They are not purposely faulting the car.


The readiness codes are there to prevent people from resetting the MIL just before having the vehicle tested.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/us50326.htm

 

[jrn146]

I don't know the bulletin number but there's a service bulletin on this. You need a pcm reflash to fix it. If your dealer doesn't know about it try another one but there's definitely a bulletin.

 

[ArcticMynx]

Ive just omited what I just wrote I don;t want this a debate but please bear in mind I'm from Canada they do things differently here.. and for emissions in Canada there not allowed to tap the OBDII.. my van has a always on Cel from the faulty temp sending sensor that im to lazy to change ( been 4 years and 2 emissions tests)

P.S. whats a MIL light.. is that another way of saying Check Engine Light


** reads the above posts and tries to find it

 

[VdanielW]

Did you have a code for your KAM (it would have been a p06xx code). If not (no memory codes except the p1000) then tsb 06-7-5 would be the tsb for you. Some 2003 Focus vehicles may exhibit incomplete inspection/maintenance (I/M) readiness status during state inspection, If the vehicle exhibits this concern reprogram the powertrain control module (PCM) to the latest calibration.

 

[penguin]

> whats a MIL light.

The service industry calls the Check Engine light on your dash an "MIL" or Malfunction Indicator Light. Some vehicles have "Check Engine" lights, other have "Service Engine Soon" lights, etc. In the industry all these lights are referred to as a "MIL," Malfunction Indicator Light.

 

[ArcticMynx]

Well I just tried that MIL light thing and got laughed at by my buddies (licensed mechanics)

CEL/MIL - or to my buddies its the "your to late its screwed light"

and I just realized
1990 Ford Aerostar + CEL ON + Emissions test back in June with light on + pass = I no longer have to emission my Van.. the CEL on my van has been lit for quite a few years now ( at lease 5 years)
this is why I asked about it cuz Ive taken many cars for emissions and passed with the check engine.. the majority were on for something other then engine control/sensor errors

as for the MIL light the Focus has 2 the Exclamation and the Engine Outline (better known as Check Engine)

 

[penguin]

> Well I just tried that MIL light thing and got laughed at by my buddies (licensed mechanics)


http://www.google.com/search?q=obdi...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

"Results 1 - 10 of about 97,200"

 

[ArcticMynx]

> Well I just tried that MIL light thing and got laughed at by my buddies (licensed mechanics)


http://www.google.com/search?q=obdi...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

"Results 1 - 10 of about 97,200"

lol are we playin tennis here ?!?!?!

CEL, MIL, SES and Idiot light pretty much mean the same thing fix something in your engine LOL

Ill call it CEL or SES you can call it MIL hows that it all works out in the end[popcorn]

 

[2003Peaches]

Can't pass I/M

I'm sorry, I'm a noob, so can you explain "did you have a code for a KAM...no memory codes except the p1000"...

reading this tsb it sounds EXACTLY like my problem. I just don't want to take it to the dealer if it's not because they'll find something else to bill me big time for.

One point of annoyance...i described the issue to the dealer and asked if any tsb's existed for the issue and the guy told me no.

and btw, i've not had a CEL, MIL, HELL or any other light come on in my dash since i had a bad gas cap before my inspection last year.

grrr...

thanks all!

Did you have a code for your KAM (it would have been a p06xx code). If not (no memory codes except the p1000) then tsb 06-7-5 would be the tsb for you. Some 2003 Focus vehicles may exhibit incomplete inspection/maintenance (I/M) readiness status during state inspection, If the vehicle exhibits this concern reprogram the powertrain control module (PCM) to the latest calibration.

 

[penguin]

> lol are we playin tennis here ?!?!?!

Apparently.


You asked what a MIL was, and I told you, by cutting and pasting a sentence verbatim from an OBD-II reference document:

http://www.google.com/search?q=serv...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


To which you replied, for some unknown reason, "Well I just tried that MIL light thing and got laughed at by my buddies (licensed mechanics) "


Not quite sure of why you posted that, or what point you were trying to make.


Call it whatever you want, i simply answered your question.

 

[ArcticMynx]

I know but in Canada that light is not referred to as a MIL light thats why I asked...

 

[VdanielW]

I don't think FERAL understands that an emmision test tests your vehicle in the state it comes in to the shop in. Here in California- you would have failed an emmision test for the check engine light being on. Also, your van is an OBDI vehicle, not an OBDII-again, california smog inspection 1996 and newer vehicles equiped with an OBDII sys (CAN sys.are excempt from this test) the monitors must be set *on most fords you can have 2 of the monitors not set and it will still pass* your 1990 does not have monitors to set.

KAM (keep alive memory). The specific code that I was talking about is p0603 Powertrain Control Module KAM Test Error. If this is the code that you have in memory then yes, you may have a blown fuse or even a bad pcm. code p1000 OBD (On Board Diagnostic) System Readiness Test Not Complete. this code is present after the memory has been cleared in all obdii ford vehicles.

If you want just the reprogram performed as per the tsb, go in and ask for a pcm calibration update. We charge 1.0hr to perform this. If the dealership doesn't know what you are talking about then- stay the hell away from there. Or take a trip to lovely Indio Ca. and I could take care of it for you.