Ford Focus radio buggered

Finally something's gone wrong with the Focus. Radio has been getting a bit tetchy the last few months and has finally died. All the facia lights come on so power is getting to it. Just won't switch on. Anything an electrical ignoramous can check?

Reply to
Dave Baker
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Might be worth looking inside for blown capacitors. See if any have acquired domed tops, or even have electrolyte drying around the cuts put there to allow them to explode in a less-dangerously-than-usual fashion.

Nearly everything electronic is susceptible to this sort of thing. I managed to fix an inexplicably rebooting PC recently, just by replacing a few of these things on the mainboard.

Reply to
Etaoin Shrdlu

Might be worth looking inside for blown capacitors. See if any have acquired domed tops, or even have electrolyte drying around the cuts put there to allow them to explode in a less-dangerously-than-usual fashion.

Nearly everything electronic is susceptible to this sort of thing. I managed to fix an inexplicably rebooting PC recently, just by replacing a few of these things on the mainboard.

Yes, very common problem, but fortunately easy to detect visually, even by an ignoramus.

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Gareth.

Reply to
Gareth Magennis

Finally something's gone wrong with the Focus. Radio has been getting a bit tetchy the last few months and has finally died. All the facia lights come on so power is getting to it. Just won't switch on. Anything an electrical ignoramous can check?

Reply to
Gareth Magennis

Hmmmm. Engine check light came on today as well. I did the fault code thingy using the mileometer trip reset button and fault code 9318 came up on the dash. Battery voltage low according to google. Not surprising seeing as the battery is 14 years old and the car has hardly been used for weeks. However - after the fault code thingy had cycled through its options the radio came on again. Yippee!!!! Maybe the low battery voltage had screwed something. Anyway, battery on charge overnight and fingers crossed.

Reply to
Dave Baker
[...]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but I've not seen a Focus of your generation without DTC 9318 on. (I believe there is a software glitch that doesn't take sufficient account of low voltage when cranking, but that's just a personal theory.) If you have disconnected the battery to charge it (and you should), the DTC codes will be reset. You might be interested to re-test after running the car for a while.

The faults logged within that system are not considered serious enough to bring on the check engine light, so you have another potential fault.

WRT the radio, you reported it as an intermittent fault, so maybe it's just come on again of its own accord?

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

About 10 years ago when I'd not had the car long I partially flattened the battery somehow, can't remember the details, but that definitely also raised code 9318 and brought the check engine light on and it stayed on for two weeks or so after the battery was recharged before finally going out. So I'm pretty sure that DTC 9318 does illuminate the light. Google seems to think so too. Anyway I checked the battery voltage and it was down to 12.0v ambient which is pretty grim so I stuck the battery charger on overnight. If I can get it back up to anywhere near 12.6v I'll be well chuffed.

I'll tell you who's to blame though! Bloody Asda is who. Since starting having my shopping home delivered every couple of weeks for a quid a pop instead of driving to Tesco I hardly ever need to use the car so the battery isn't getting charged much. Plus this colder weather won't be helping a 14 year old battery. However I'm determined to see how long it will soldier on for and even in its current condition and at about zero degrees outside the car always starts first touch. It was definitely a tad slow to crank yesterday though when I made a rare trip out and the engine light came on.

Seems so. It's dead again this morning. Ah well.

Reply to
Dave Baker
[...]

That code is active on my current 2003 car, and was also on my old 1999 one, without the MIL lit. It might be that if you have a genuine low-volt condition, the ECU also monitors it.

First sign of a dying battery on early cars is usually dashboard re-boots at start. The dash instruments go through a similar process as when you access the DTC codes,

They are not the most reliable. Worth asking around if there is a local specialist if it bothers you; if not, start to sing!

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Oh it's definitely a genuine low voltage condition not just a software error. The battery has been on borrowed time for probably five years now and after a week of freezing weather without starting the car up once it's obviously dropped the voltage a bit too far down. I'm just too tight arsed to buy a new battery. Anyway I'm wondering if I can get it to last 20 years and maybe set some sort of record. 6 years to go! 14 years is pretty bloody awesome already though. I used to struggle to get three or four years out of normal replacement batteries from Halfrauds but this sealed for life silver calcium Ford thingy seems to be nigh on indestructible. As so it seems is all the rest of the Focus. Alternator, suspension, catalytic converter, brake fluid, brake lines, coolant, cambelt still all original since 2001.

I've got a spare cd/radio in a scrap X reg Mondeo I bought for its engine. Just need to borrow the removal tool next time I see my mate so I can swap them over. I haven't got a single bloody wire coathanger in the house I can make one from.

Reply to
Dave Baker

Couple of small diameter screwdrivers work a treat.

Reply to
Scott M

I ditched the ford radio in my 2001 Focus in favour of £35 Adli special that has a CD player, Bluetooth, MP3 etc. I did also have to buy a blanking plate and ISO wiring harnesss from Ebay for little money.

Reply to
alan_m

my 02 1.6 focus radio just had medium and long wave stop functioning although the fm works ok.Still tunes to stations and shows frequency but thats all. By the way Dave mine is still on original exhaust and oil pipes alternator and cambelt at 148000 miles. Clutch has started slipping, how much that will cost I don't know, and I must be near a catastrophic failure.

Reply to
critcher

With an original cambelt at 148,000 miles, you've passed the imminent catastrophic failure stage. Now you're just doomed.

Reply to
The Revd

Buggered 5000 series radio cassette now replaced with working 6000 series radio cd from the Mondeo like my car had originally. Yippee. I've got my tunes back. It also works the controls on the steering wheel again to change channel and volume although that's not exactly the biggest thing I ever missed.

Reply to
Dave Baker

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