Ford - Focus :: 2004 - Lights Keep Going Out?
Mar 6, 2011
I have a 2004 Ford Focus with 120,000 miles on it. In the past 8 months I have had to replace both rear brake lights twice and both of the head lights. I also had my mechanic replace one break light in addition to the ones I did. On one occasion some one told my wife her break light was out at a traffic light. When I got home and checked the light was working. The only other electrical problem I have noticed is that the emergency break light goes on now and then and also the check engine light. If this is a wiring or electrical problem is it something that will be able to be fix or even found? Also is it going to cost more than it is worth for an older car?
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Ford Focus 2004 manual 150K miles. Most days the car runs fine. Other days it will start and run until it warms up, then stumbles or hesitates at speed. When this happens the headlights and dash lights are also flickering. Sometimes i hear a clicking sound behind dash, left side. I have the sure cure: turn the heater fan to high. This works every time. When the engine is hesitating, i turn the fan to 4-high, the engine smooths out. Turn the fan down, engine again hesitates. Hesitates at 3, worse at 2, worst at 1. It seems to need the extra load.
But after few minutes of high heater fan, the alternator light comes on. I flick the heater switch down, endure the hesitation for a few seconds, the alternator light goes out, engine still hesitating, flick the fan to high, engine smooths out. A few months ago i could get it to fun smoothly with the fan on 3, didn't need 4-high. Now seems to need 4.On the days when it is always running smoothly, the heater fan can be on any speed, the alternator light does not come on.
Next few days or even weeks the engine will run smoothly, no hesitation, with the fan on or off or any setting.
The car has been to three shops in past year, one of them a major Ford dealer, who kept it two weeks. The problem has been diagnosed as battery (replaced), Battery connections (checked), plugs (replaced), fuel pump controller (replaced), fuel pump (replaced - ouch!), alternator (replaced twice - ouch twice), grounds (checked). Every time they "fix" something the car runs ok for a week or so.OBD shows P2004 (intake manifold runner stuck) but all agree it can't be the problem.
There have been a few times when i flicked the heater fan to high that all the dash lights died, fan went off, headlights off, turn signals didnt' work, but the engine ran smoothly. Not so good on the highway at night!There have been a few time, not recently, when the car wouldn't start. No dome lights, no dash lights with key turned to ON, no clicking or starter with key turned to START. It acted as if my battery was missing. The cure was to turn the headlights on. All normal after that.
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2004 Ford Focus ZX3. Manual Transmission. Alternator replaced 1-2 years ago for different symptoms/issue.
My problem is that the headlights dim or flash (pulse down to very very dim then back to full) when accelerating or decelerating. Pretty much only when in gear.They will go back to normal when I depress the clutch pedal (usually I think) or am coasting in neutral. The fan in the car and other electrics/indicators seem to suffer from same power fluctuations too.
A little while after seeing this, I noticed a faint then more pronounced clicking coming from left side of dash. (Fuse/relay box?) It seemed to click when the "shift" light would pop on and off about 20% of the time the light did. Otherwise mostly when accel/decel.I started pulling relays and driving around a parking lot to see if it was one. The click seemed to disappear after pulling the horn relay. (And not the "Battery saver" relay next to it. Odd) The clicking issue does not happen all of the time when driving. The power dimming does.
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Ford Focus Station Wagon 2006 - Seems to have electrical problem. Warning lights for check engine and ABS come on randomly. Also when car is parked and temperature is low, Clock time is lost and radio stations are lost. Is there some type of grounding issue?
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2005 Ford Focus : About 10 months ago noticed my battery light was faintly visible with car off and key out of ignition. It was faint and erratically pulsing, it also did this when car was running. This issue would last a week or so, then go away for a while...then come back.
Then it spread to include the ABS light too, and eventually became permanent. But six weeks ago, after driving from CA to WI, it went away...for a few weeks, but came back.
A few days ago I went to my car, and it spread to include the checkfuel cap, oil, and door ajar lights. Also a loud beep occurs at erratic intervals. The lights all flash and pulse individually. Most are faint, but the oil light and door ajar light seem full strength. When I turn the key to second position, all the lights light up full strength and solid, like they're supposed to (for the testing phase).
Then once car is on, they go back to flickering faintly...but the loud beep goes away. I'm concerned about the beeping running down the battery with car off-so I pulled out fuse #36, which is for "a/c swith, instrument cluster". This stops the beeping and flickering, cuz the lights no longer have power to them.
The battery voltage is 12.3 volts, and while running it's a steady 14.35 volts.
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A couple years ago my car got stuck in Park, in which I had discovered my brake lights and a few other electrical fuses blew at the same time. It has happened randomly about 4-5 other times since, in which I take it back to the dealership and they "fix it" temporarily. After about a 1 1/2 years of no trouble, it happened again, and the dealership traced it back to the GEM module, which they replaced for me. Electrical components I forgot I had (like automatic locking doors) came back- for about a week. I got stuck in Park again, lost my break lights, as well as some other functions. I haven't noticed this problem on the focus with other discussions. Now it has added to much time in the shop, multiple FORD dealerships unable to fix it properly, and lots of wasted money. Shouldn't a new electrical unit fix the problem?
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Occasionally my 2004 Ford Focus will not start. I put in the keys and turn them. The lights and radio fire up and there is a click, but the engine won't turn over. To resolve this, I remove the key, open the hood, loosen the battery cable on the positive terminal, wiggle the cable around, and then tighten it back down. I then go back in the car and turn the key. The engine starts. Is there a bad connection somewhere? Should I replace the battery cable?
Long version of the problem: I've been having these problems intermittently for almost a year now. After the first or second time I had the car towed to a local shop. They couldn't figure out what the problem was because the car was starting just fine at the shop. The mechanic said that some of the cables might have shifted around in the towing process. So I tossed an adjustable wrench in the glove box in preparation for the next time. The next day, it happened again. Through some quick trial and error, I narrowed down the problem to be the positive battery cable (or something that's connected to it).
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So I just took my 2004 Ford Tauraus into the shop. I have about 155,000 miles on it. I was told as part of the repairs that my air conditioner pump was bad, and that I should have it repaired, as it would affect my power steering and battery. The total cost of the repair and the part I was told would be $1100, money that I do not currently have and that I would not like to dip into my 401K for. My question is if this repair is absolutely necessary, and if I don't get it fixed can I still drive the car as long as I don't use the AC.
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My 2004 Focus passed its emissions test in Maryland in the late fall last year. Shortly thereafter, the check engine light came on. My mechanic put it on the computer and said it needed a new catalytic converter. It only had 86,000 miles on it. I watched and waited for a few months and had the fuel filter changed during a routine oil change. A couple of days after the fuel filter was replaced the check engine light went off and stayed off for 4 months, but it came back on a couple of days ago. I have been watching the mileage carefully and it has been steady at about 26 MPG for years.
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I have a 2004 Ford Focus. I had the battery replaced in May. Two months ago, the battery light came on for 10 minutes than went off. A week later the dash lights dimmed and then rebrightened. Talking with people they thought the alternator was the issue. I had it replaced three weeks ago. I got it back from the mechanic and it worked for two days.
On day 3 it would click and the dash lights would flash but it would not crank. Mechanic jumped it and brought it to the shop and found nothing. Two days later the same problem. Took to another mechanic and they found the radio was draining power so they unplugged the fuse. Again, it worked for two days, then the same problem. They have had it for a week and have no clue what is wrong.
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My 2004 Ford Focus Hatchback has 152,000 miles on it. At the end of last year the engine started dying/stalling as soon as I started it - I would have to keep my foot on the gas to keep the engine going. I took it to the dealer and they put in a WHOLE NEW THROTTLE BODY. They also told me I needed a new battery and updated the car's software. Total $700. About a week to 10 days later, the car started doing the dying out after starting thing again - intermittently - didn't matter if the engine was hot or cold, fuel high or low, weather rainy, cold or clear and warm.
This morning I worked for 20 minutes to keep the engine going, made sure the engine was warm, and it STILL stalled out. I called in for a tow, called the dealer and said I'd be coming in, went back out to the car ... and it started right up without stalling. Drove it to the dealer and they've now told me they can't find anything at all wrong with the car. They are keeping it overnight to see if they can duplicate the stalling tomorrow morning. Any thoughts? The new throttle body cost me about $500 in December. (Don't know if it matters, but the defroster fan was super loud this morning, but once the engine was able to idle, the loudness disappeared ...). It's been a great car, but maybe it's time to start looking.
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In January, I had the alternator replaced on my 2004 Focus after it died in the middle of the street. It's been fine since then, but yesterday I was driving it and it suddenly seemed to lose power - the dashboard battery light came on, there was the dinging noise that indicates that a seatbelt is unbuckled or the headlights have been left on when you open the door, and the fuel needle dropped to empty (even though the tank was 3/4 full.) Then everything kicked back on. Then it happened again. This cycle repeated three or four times. I parked the car, restarted it, and after that it was okay. BUT - I have two long trips coming up, to remote areas of the Rockies, and I want to make sure it's okay before setting off on these journeys.
It seemed like the alternator was bad, or maybe there was a loose connection, but I took it to the mechanic and he couldn't detect anything wrong. The alternator is under warranty, so he's suggesting that I just replace it, but also wants to run "other tests" to see what's going on.
Of possible relevance: it's been pretty cold out here for the past week (-5 F), I don't drive the car that much, and it was the first time I'd started it in several days. The heat and radio were both on when I started it. I left it running in neutral while I scraped off the windows, which I usually don't do. Generally I scrape off the windows first, then get in, start, and just drive. Sometimes it's sluggish in the cold when I do this, but usually it's fine.
Is it possible that this was just the cold? I'm wary of getting into a situation where the mechanic starts finding a bunch of stuff wrong with it that isn't actually wrong.
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2004 Ford Focus, 2 Liter Zetec engine.0. Situation: Car initially running well but want to improve mileage, so I installed premium plugs.1. Ran roughly on test run, so headed home. Check Engine light came on before fully warmed up.2. Found and corrected loose plug wire.3. Engine now purrs like a kitten, but Check Engine light stays on.
What should I do now?
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my 2000 focus se, 2.0L SPI, with 82k began to recently run rough at idle then progressed to stalling at longer lengths of idle. The condition starts once the engine warms after 2-5 minutes. I 1st tried gas treatment. I replaced the ignition coil as suggested in the other threads, but it has not improved the problem. I had the fuel pump recall-replaced 2 years ago. I would guess that a bad fuel pump would exhibit loss of power at all engine speeds? Before I proceed to replace plug wires and plugs.
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I've replaced the fuel pump, relay, drive module, and the filter. The fuel pump still refuses to switch on when I go to start the vehicle.
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I've had a grinding noise coming from the front passenger side, sounds like the wheel area of the car, for many months. I've driven thousands of miles on it like this, mostly because I'm broke and the car otherwise runs fine, but also because when I've taken it to mechanics, they are stumped.
I took it to a shop about a year ago and he had it for a week, had different specialists look at it and ruled out anything mechanical (wheel bearing, etc.) In the end, he threw up his hands and didn't want to give me any more free labor for his non-diagnosis, and thought he ruled out everything but the transmission. I took it to a transmission shop recently, and the guy ruled out right away that it was the transmission. He tried to diagnose the problem and was stumped too.
Here's what it is doing. It makes a grinding noise around the front passenger wheel when I accelerate. Only when I accelerate. It seems to be more active when it is cold, and after I've been driving the car for about an hour or so, it goes away. It used to only really happen when taking right-hand turns, and that is still when it is at its worst, but now it does it anytime. However--some days it is very bad and some days very light. One day--of course the day I designated to take it to the shop--it stopped altogether and drove like new. Just until I got it home. It is worse in low gears, and used to only happen in first, second and third, but now on an active day I can hear it on the interstate in fifth gear.
The shops I've taken it to can't seem to figure out what it is. Reading threads online, I've learned that people with similar problems found the problem was a bad passenger side motor mount. I have the car at a new shop right now, and I asked them to replace the motor mount, even though it looks fine. I had a long talk with the mechanic there today and he seemed a bit skeptical, but thought it was a possible solution.
Should I spend the money on a motor mount even if it looks okay? (I've also read that the Focus mounts look fine from the exterior when they are bad because they have a gel interior that busts). Especially if this doesn't work, I'm going to be back at square... um, zero.
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I have a ford focus (2004) 4cyl 2.0 L. One day, the car would stall only moments after the engine would turn. It would just shut as if fuel was ceased. I could however rev the engine and keep it running if I had my foot on the gas. After awhile, I tried again and it worked! Everything was normal, then it stalled after trying to start if up again. So this was intermittent at the time.
So, I swapped my fuel pump relay with the a/c one- and it fired right up! I'm thinking great, its just the relay and not the actual fuel pump. So went to the parts store, got a relay, and (me being me) wanted the new relay in the original fuel pump relay plug in the fuse box. As I was taking it out, a really really small piece of plastic chipped off of the plastic cover of the relay, and fell in one of the slots where you put the relay. How in the world?? I couldn't get it out. So I ended up putting the relay in anyway, and my car has the same problem originally (stalls), but now I have these check engine codes: p0460 and p0463
I also noticed, its running really rough when I hold the gas now. Could the plastic piece that fell into the relay be causing a strange short from my fuse box? Or, could it be my fuel pump this whole time? If its messed up because the plastic, Is finding a fuse box at a junkyard and replacing it feasible?
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The rear tail lights on my truck have been out for a while now. I wasn't doing much driving at night so it wasn't much of a bother but the new job is getting me home a little later and having to drive with my hazards on is getting old fast.
My radio wasn't working either and I disconnected it a while back hoping maybe it had something to do with my lights shorting out but no luck. It remains disconnected. Just in the past few days my front running lights have went out as well.
I've tested all fuses multiple times (and replaced a couple of them) and checked and replaced bulbs. My brake lights, headlights, dash lights and hazards all work fine. I have the trailer light hook up on the rear bumper and disconnected it at the wiring harness as well hoping it was the problem but it wasn't.
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I had just picked my kid up from school, as I turn out of the parking lot my A/C stops blowing cool air, I check the A/C screen and it still says it's set on High with temp at 68. However, it is blowing very low with warm air. Seconds later the dash lights up with numerous warning lights. I'm on the highway and I'm able to gather speed, but each time I do I hear the engine revving like crazy. We only live a few miles from the school so I am able to make it home. Once home, I turn off the car and turn it back on. The only warning lights displayed now are the red triangle and the yellow check engine light. I turn the car off, pop the hood, I check the belt and it was fine. I checked the oil and it seemed fine. I check the coolant overflow and it was empty.
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My 2004 Honda Accord wouldn't start this morning. Immobilization indicator was blinking. After a bit, it started just fine, as the indicator stopped blinking. My thinking at this time was that it had rained torrentially the previous night, maybe some moisture had got into the circuitry and caused a little 'hiccup.' Then, as I drove, about 5 minutes later, the car started trying to stall. The check engine light came on, then the battery light came on and flashed. The engine ran erratically. Both check engine and battery lights started blinking erratically. At one point the dash beeped at me, like the warning sound it makes when the emergency brake is on while the car is moving. This got worse as I drove. I pulled over to the nearest shop. 2 hours of looking at the car, they said the camshaft sensor and the alternator needed to be replaced. .
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I'm new to modding and I've been having a really hard time finding a forum that gives a good DIY instructions on how to wire the map lights to function as the dome lights so they (the map lights) turn on when the doors are opened.
Any parts required (relays or anything else of that sort)
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