FocusCanada Forums

For the past few months my Dads car has had this electrical problem that keeps getting worse and worse. The car runs fine, he uses it everyday, however it does quirky things.

It started as a click in the dash, a random light would come on and off.

Then the dash started turning on/off/on/off, then it started maxing the gauges out and freezing there, then reseting, then freezing randomly in places. Plus the previous.

Then the radio started randomly making LOUD noises when the dash clicked on/off regardless of volume level (aside from 0). Plus the above.

Now it does all that, idles weird, the headlights flicker, the dash almost never works, lights on the dash come on and off on it at random, the wipers only work if you flick them on manually, the auto timer screws up with everything else. Oh, and if you leave the door open, the interior light turns on and off.

And it all does it when something in the dash clicks, it's always some random combination. But the car always starts, always runs, always 'works'.

Any ideas what the issue might be? has anyone else had this?

Thanks
Aka

(I didn't know which forum to put this in)

Start with the basics, a battery load test. My '05 started doing weird stuff like the ABS/TCS lights doing teh hula dance and the dimming dash thing. I thought it was the alternator but it turned out to be the battery (That's the next thing you should check after the battery, the alternator)

The Focus apparently loves getting weird electrical gremlins like that as the battery ages...

NefCanuck

my E-brake light comes on sometimes and then goes away....i checked my ebrake and everything.....must be my battery....its old

make sure the grounds are working(no rust), also make sure the connectors on the battery are tight. I had a problem similar to yours with the gagues and it was one of the smaller terminals on the battery negative that caused it.

Remove the battery cover and make sure all the small nuts and bolts and tight. There are couple of the positive and negative side.

to me if it's a clicking or every minute or so I'd say maybe (if equipped) your aftermarket security feature is failing, I've heard of issues like that related to aftermarket security systems in dodge products causing the same issue.

I would put money on the alternator connector. Where the alternator connector plugs into the alternator one of the wires will break off or come loose and cause exactly the symptoms you describe.
The part # I believe is 1U2Z-14S411-TA or WPT 118.

It clicks a couple times a minute, sometimes like once a second. It varies greatly.

I would have thought that if the battery had an issue, or the alternator, that over ~4 months the car would just stop starting, as it wouldn't be getting a charge. It however starts fine every time.


I will tell him to check these things though, thanks guys!

Oh yeah, and no aftermarket security system.

Aka,Apr 5 2008, 08:22 PM Wrote:It clicks  a couple times a minute, sometimes like once a second. It varies greatly.

I would have thought that if the battery had an issue, or the alternator, that over ~4 months the car would just stop starting, as it wouldn't be getting a charge. It however starts fine every time.


I will tell him to check these things though, thanks guys!

Oh yeah, and no aftermarket security system.
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That sounds logical, but if the car is clicking because the wire is loose, it may connect, recieve correct amperage and start recharging and then click as the wire disconnects again.
I am not an electrical genious(ask OAC Sparky), but it certainly sounds like a loose wire somewhere.

My Dad just told me he'd bought a new battery last year, and that it's an Optima like mine. Which reminded me of when my car's alternator was dying. It did similar dash things, though, no where NEAR as often. Once or twice lights lit up on it, and twice it died. The car probably ran for a month off the battery and 8 volts off the alternator. It did start to get sluggish, and then eventually wouldn't start.

Difference between his symptoms and mine, his occur much more frequently, affect more of the car, and his has continued to start for much longer.

But it's starting to idle weird, and even drive weird, accelerate/slow down while you maintain constant pressure on the pedal.

I think you guys must be right.

Dad took his car in today. $130 problem. That was it. Pretty good for a dealer visit. Think my last dealer visit was $1000, and my next one will be 'round there too.

Says it was just a connector burned out, and something to do with the car 'requesting' more power from the alternator constantly, which is why everything was surging.

Thanks again guys.