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I'll dig out my user ID for a Ford forum later but has anyone got any suggestions here on cause or way forward.
2011 SMax with an intermittent electrical fault affecting all the LED lights on the near side (i.e. they all stop working but the filament bulbs still work so brakes, reversing and indicators).
The dealer has run diagnostics which have yielded nothing concrete, Ford head office tech team have apparently not shed any light (ahem!) on the issue. The dealer replaced the boot lid light unit which had 3 LEDs out and was flickering and has checked all of the connections on things like the body control module and all major loom connections all appeared good for a day or two and then the issue came back but it's still intermittent.
Next suggestion from the dealer is to start tracing wiring which could be hundreds of £££ in seat and trim removal down the near side.
Do I now pass this issue to an auto electrician or is there anyone who has experienced this and has a better idea what might be fubar in my car? Do I let the dealer start dismantling the whole near side of the car? Any home testing I can do?
This needs resolving as I can't be playing tail light roulette when travelling with family or for work.
Topic appearo?
i had some electrical gremlins on a similar era galaxy. There were codes available (in my case it was the dpf pump) telling me which circuit was on the blink. I downloaded the wiring diagrams with a bit of googlefu, found the various sections of the curcuit (ie main->fuse, fuse -> relay, relay -> junction and so on), identified which was rough (some grounding to earth, but could just be high resistance) and got a sparkie to put a new wire in that bypassed the old one. nothing needed lifting up, but even if it did if you're happy for a new wire to be routed lazily on a vehicle that age, its not so bad to get it in.
I have seen a similar issue where the LEDS to the rear were hit and miss, most of the time would just flicker like on and off. Admittedly this was a Galaxy possibly 60/61 plate IIRC. I traced it back to a loose pin on one of the connectors to the BCM. Traced it back on the history and the theory was that someone had unplugged it to move the module to replace the pollen filter, and been abit hamfisted refitting. Unfortunately i cant remember which wire from which plug it was but hopefully it can give you some direction
Have you tried forscan? Usb OBD2 tool with modified CAN switch for £20. You can basically see what the dealers see then. Far more in-depth than a cheapo obd tool.
Where are you based?
Nice. Sounds a horrible job regardless if it's a dealer or sparky.
My gut feeling is the dealer maybe best bet.
I'd only echo above check the module that controls it. As one of the 1st things
Wiring tends only to be damaged if it's been disturbed as it doesn't go back the same or where it moves.
Does it have LED door courtesy lights? I'd be checking door looms 1st if so.
Check out the bundle of wires that run from the car to the tailgate - theses are prone to failure on many cars due to the way they flex each time the boot is opened.
Check out the bundle of wires that run from the car to the tailgate – theses are prone to failure on many cars due to the way they flex each time the boot is opened.
Yep, had to replace/insert about 15cm of harness on my ‘99Focus, though that was just wiper, number plate lamps and boot release.
Is it’s all LED lamps on one side (side, indicator repeater, tail lamps) or just ones at the rear? If all, as above, likely to be poor connection towards the BCM end, if just one “lamp unit”, I’d be focussing at the lamp end, including checking that ground connection is still good.
If you’re unplugging connectors, check that there are no bent or pushed in pins.
Thanks all.
Trying to clarify a couple of things people asked about...the SMax has two tail light clusters one on the hatch itself and one on the bodywork.
The LEDs on this particular vehicle are I think just the tail lights and the daytime running lights (DRL) and not the brakes and indicators.
With fault present and lights switched on (whether the switch is in the on position or auto) all of the LEDs on the near side are off i.e. both tail lights and the DRL.
If the lights are then turned off at the switch the near side DRL comes back on.
The dipped headlights and head beam still work - all are filament bulbs.
The near side DRL is on when the lights are off even when the "POSITION LAMP FAULT" message is showing.
If it faults this morning I'm going to try a filament bulb trailer board on it just to see if the juice gets through to the bulb tail lights.
To shut down the whole of the LEDs on one side of the vehicle seems to suggest some kind of self protection is kicking in. I suppose it's then a question of is it the BCM or towbar module that's faulty or the wiring itself. I don't believe it's a lamp unit. The thing that makes me think it could be a module is that the near side doors and hatch often haven't been opened between working and faulting so the wiring isn't getting pulled about.
We have a winner! So much for the dealer checking all the obvious stuff. One popped off rubber cover in the boot! 🤬
Thanks to a combo of here and ford owners club forum
I'm fuming this was an obvious check that doesn't seem to have been done. This is the entry of the loom into the boot lid.
Of course now I can't get the dam cover back on but that can be someone else's issue when they replace that bit of the loom.
I’m fuming this was an obvious check that doesn’t seem to have been done. This is the entry of the loom into the boot lid.
I would be asking for a refund of anything paid to the dealer on that one.
Basic check that.
Any loom that moves 1st point of call....
Needs a section in. Just dont repair the break as itll be brittle n fail again
If your doing it cut a section out of a scraper...
My gut feeling is the dealer maybe best bet.
I was going to say “yeah right that’s the last place I’d ask” after reading this post and it seems I would have been right!
Dealers only have technicians that read a set of instructions to replace expensive bits until everything is new or you run out of money.
I've worked in a few dealers and some of their master tec lads have been the best techs I've seen. Also on their own marquees the have the technical resources of all the other dealers experience and the manufacturer via the help platforms like one call. And all the wiring diagrams.
Buy hey only 20yrs in the trade so what do I know.
Unfortunately you get shit techs in every garage
Ooh, since you have a solution do you mind a little thread hijack?
S-max, 60 reg. Windows.
Using driver's door switches, all windows go down fine. Front go up fine too, rears don't move, no noise, hint of anything. Lean over and use rear door switches, they go up fine. Obvious starting point is a secondhand door switch panel off the 'bay, but does anyone know of any gotchas or other hidden bits that might be worth a look first?
Obvious starting point
Is remove door card and check the wirings even connected .... Check the switch functions then trace to the relay.....
Basic checks before parts darts
Midlifecrashes I've got a couple of idiosyncrasies with those switches too so you hijack away. 🙂
Based on current experience I am going for switch unit or door loom but since I rarely open any windows (noone wants to hear my taste in music!) it is way down the priority list. Especially as I'm having a "stick or twist" moment on this car as it is.
after checking they're still plugged in I'd take the old ones off and spray a load of switch cleaner inside them whilst working the switches up and down, might clean them of if they just got gunked up. I assume they work from the switches in the rear?
This is going to be the same answer isn't it. Ford Electrics and moving parts.
A very timely thread. Hope you don't mind another semi-hijack!
I've got a 2014 c-max, which today has presented its first gremlin.
There seems to be an electrical fault with the driver's side wing mirror. Normally it folds when locked & vice versa, today this suddenly stopped working (passenger side still works).
Also the electric mirror adjust doesn't work (again only the driver's side is dodgy, passenger side is ok).
Have had a poke around but it's hard to access the loom and plugs without taking the whole door apart.
Any tips? Just take to a dealer?
If you actually look at mirror/window controllers they all have the same layout whether Ford, PSA or A.N.Other, would put money on them all being the same unit with different plugs.
A good clean with contact cleaner usually works but sometimes you just need to replace.
Some windows need to relearn top and bottom for the front switches to operate them. Send them all the way down the back up using the rear door switches. The front one should then operate them.
Switch cleaner on order, I went out and tried again and it's working again but stuttering. Might be worth taking it out and giving it a good hoover first, the car has been a builders and landscapers van for months, so there's likely more muck in there than it was designed for.