[Closed] Ford Focus issue - any experts/tips/knowledge?

Do the injector wells still fill up with water on that one?

What engine's in it?

In my experience and with no disrespect to your mechanic, if the diagnosis is entirely based on reading fault codes then get a second diagnosis from someone competent.

It’s surprising how wrong the cars computer can be about what is borked unless you sit down and work out what else could be causing the errors and check the evidence. It could easily be something upstream that’s at fault.

Also, recon ECUs are available on exchange for around a quarter to a half of the price you’ve been quoted.

This company was recommended by my mechanic friend when my Focus ABS was misbehaving:

http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/index.aspx

Didn't buy anything from them in the end as they suggested a simple fix that I could do myself - which is a recommendation in itself!

i have a 55 plate 16 TDCI that had all the lights flashing up on the dash
at random times and then going into limp mode ....after lots of good local garages looking at them it turns out most of the time to be the dash unit

im told all the electronics run through the dash unit and the guy that did get my car up and running was a auto electrition and all he did was re solder a lot of dry joints (as he called them) on the back of the dash

he said he has seen lots like it and most of the time the dash is the proplem (more so from around the 2004 to 2006)

this may sound silly but next time your engine is running and it goes into limp mode or you get lights flashing up on the dash ...just hit the top of the dash above the clocks with your hand , if its the same proplem as mine it may get the bad conection at the back of the dash sorted just to get you home

he did also say that the main wiring loom from under the dash into the back of the clock units on a lot of cars from new was very tight and at a very dodgy angle putting pressure on the joints

after the guy soldered my dash all was good for a couple of years and lots of long drives UK and Euro then it did it again and that time it was the same again and a set of glow plugs

have a look online lots to read

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ford+focus+2005+dash+dry+joints&rlz=1C1NHXL_enGB712GB712&oq=ford+focus+2005+dash+dry+joints&aqs=chrome..69i57.16486j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Cheers, folk. Great response. It's a 1.6 Petrol. Paid £2.5k from a garage a couple of years back so a bit disappointed the suggested repair isn't really worth it. Menchanic said I could get a second-hand dash but no guarantee that too wouldn't be knackered. Engine is probably fine he reckons - just electronics. Bit frustrating really. Plus I just paid out £250 for a bodywork repair after some so-and-so hit and ran. If I do just replace the car, any recommendations for similar? Needs to be similar size, reasonably cheap to insure and run, 5 door, big enough for a pram/bike, reliable. Won't be doing more than around 5k miles per year tho. Thinking another Focus, Golf or something similar (possibly Japanese). Tips welcome. Budget £1.5-£3k. Ta again!

i could be wrong but if you get a "new" dash it could involve a visit to the main dealer to get it all set up with your keys and ecu

This exact issue just happened to me.

My garage offered the option of sending the dash unit off for reconditioning for £110. Including reprogramming of the keys.

No idea of the name of the place that does this (the had to send it off) but might be worth a Google.

In the OP, you say "dashboard computer thing" - can you clrify which part you mean? Is it the instrument panel, ie, the circuit board with the dials and lights on it, or the actual computer, the ECU?

I thought you mean the ECU, but other posts suggest it may just be the instrument panel - in which case I can tell you that I sorted the one on my Mk1 Focus by removing it, cleaning the back with electrical solvent and a toothbrush, and putting it back. Takes a bit of care, but not difficult. If that IS where the problem is, I'll try to find detailed instructions.

My '55 Focus did this when it was only 800 miles old. Most of the electrics worked but it wouldn't start. Ford said the immobiliser module in the dash wasn't reading the key

If your unsure that the dash ECU has gone take it out and send it to ECU testing think they are in Nottingham ,they will test it for a small charge and either send it back or repair it for less than a 1/4 of the cost of a new one , just be careful with fault codes though they only lead you to somewhere near the problem , I had one the weekend code said a gear box sensor was faulty but it was a snapped selector shaft in the box , they are only there to give you a idea ,then it's upto the mechanic to use his knowledge to get the correct fault

[i]more so from around the 2004 to 2006[/i]

My BMW had this on the iDrive bit that runs everything and is of a similar vintage.

I read that it was the early days of leadless solder and a lot of joints are drying with age on cars made aroudn then. The solution is to run the board through a solder bath to remake all the joints. Saved me £600 having this done.

Thanks a lot for all this info/help. AA man plugged it in and sent me this report before I took it to the mechanic (took it because the problem wasn't fixed by the AA man's efforts)...

Patrol found the following fault code/s:System : Engine control 1 - 79S / SIM 28U0155 - CAN communication to instrument cluster. Error Message : Malfunction.U0001 - CAN data bus. Error Message : Malfunction. Cleared fault codes, if problem reappears advise to take to garage for further investigation.

AA bloke said he might have reset (and solved) the issue by plugging it in, but the next day the car wouldn't start again until the 20th turn of the key. Mechanic just kept saying the 'dashboard' needed replacing - never mentioned ECU, tho he might have meant it. He indicated that he meant the gubbins behind the steering wheel - speedo, instruments etc. I don't know if that's the same thing as the ECU? I could call him up again. He said that when he googled the codes the suggestion was issues caused by damp. He reckons he engine itself sounds fine. Hope that helps. Car won't start today so I'm a bit stumped. If it does eventually, I could try to get it to a Ford-approved dealer in nearby Halifax or a reputable local garage (with diagnostics) quarter of a mile away.

I did the same as greybeard but mine was a 2002 tddi . kept going in to limp mode etc. Ford wanted a fortune to sort. Fixed by removing instrument panel and cleaning corrosion off circuit board. was a well documented problem . Eventually I forced ford to replace FOC .
Whenever I had the problem , before I found the cause , I found the only temporary fix was to disconnect the battery for a couple of mins then reconnect.

Hmmmmmmm

Mine has had an intermittent battery warning light for a few years now, voltages all look right so I presume it's a bad earth in the dashboard giving a faulty reading to a sensor.

But recently everything has started lighting up (and the speedo/rev counter drop to zero) whilst driving. All back to normal after re-starting though.

Really hope the bloody thing doesn't die completely on me.

i was told that the instrument panel is the main junction box that all the electrics in the car run through ....nine times out of then its where to start looking .

when i had issues with mine it was chucking all sorts of fault codes up , needing new sensors and stuff like that

the auto electrician just took of the instrument panel and sat in the back of his van for about a hours cleaning and re soldering it

popped it back in and all was good