Focus Gone Mad!

JoeySully

Hi
Problem with Ford Focus 01,

Its my flatmates car so dont know a whole lot about it.

he showed me yesterday

turned on the ignition and all the guages on the dash go up to the max (yes the rev counter speedo fuel temp ) and then back down to the bottom. try and start and all that happens is a click and constant click from under the glove box? i tried a different battery. when i attached the battery the horn sounded for a second(but this was a previous problem he believes)
the car seems to have some extensive rewiring from subs and the like, but have all been removed.(cara has been fin for a year so id kida rulte this out)
any suggestions

Kimbot

Maybe the wiring was not put back correctly!!

JoeySully

jonny24ie wrote:

Maybe the wiring was not put back correctly!!

the car has been running fine for a year so i dont think its the problem unless some wire has sipped down somewhere and caued a short of some type

craichoe

Try un plugging the stereo all together and make sure no wires have shorted.

Dodgy wiring on the stereo iso leads can lead to all sorts of weird behaviour ... Electric windows opening by themselves and such.

Darragh29

Disconnect the battery and go out and get a cheap voltmeter and put it across the battery terminals and post the result you get back up here.

Sounds to me like a battery problem or possibly a battery connection problem.

TychoCaine

I had exactly the same thing happen to me in my '99 Focus with what turned out to be a dead battery. The dash dials sweep once when they aren't getting the full 12 volts. The click you hear is the starter solenoid. Are you sure the replacement battery was new? Try and push start it. If it starts then it was a dodgy battery. If it doesn't it's an electrical short somewhere.

Darragh29

Did you not try jump starting it???

Henry Ford III

Jump starting wrecks the cat. Don't.

maidhc

Look under the battery and see if the negative is making a good connection with the chassis.

JoeySully

Thanks for the replies,
The second battery i tried was a external battery jump starter box with a compressor on it and i believe it had enough power to do the JOB, it ran for about 5 mins pumping up a tyre after i tried it on the focus. The car started on a hill no problem (new cat fitted recently ooops) but was making and unusual whining noise ticking over, sounded like a slipping auxilary belt but i dont think it was!
So car is gone to the garage today so will find out the problem.

With the regard to the voltmeter post, checking for 12V, i believe that a battery can register 12V but not have enough power to start a car, it was something someone said to me in the past so what should be measured

TychoCaine

The auxiliary drive belt turns the alternator which charges the battery....
If the car started on a hill/push start, and ran fine afterwards then the problem is with the starter motor. Either it's dead or the battery isn't giving it enough juice.... which is possible if the aux. drive belt is slipping and not turning the alternator.

Have you tried the jump starter on another car? Some don't have the ability to start a car with a totally dead battery and will only start a car with a weak one. Your jump starter had enough charge capacity to pump tyres, but possibly not enough power (amps) to crank the engine.

JoeySully

Hi,
turns out that the starter motor had not dis-engaged and was stuck up against the flywheel so new starter motor was fitted and all is good,
but im not sure how this affected the dials going up to the max when the ignition is turned to on.