Electrical Troubleshooting a 2017 Focus

20

Asked by DWolfer Oct 28, 2020 at 08:32 PM about the 2017 Ford Focus SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Earlier today my wife tried to go out for a simple trip to the gas station and
found that our focus would not start or even turn over.  This is after the car
drove just fine only two hours earlier.

I spent the evening trying to find the exact cause for this and here are the
details.  The dash gauges seem to twitch and at the same time the dash
lights flicker on and off randomly when the power is turned on.  Some of
these symptoms continue even after I turn power off and remove the keys.  I
do not believe it to be the battery as all these electrical systems seem to get
plenty of power, just behave eradicaly.  I tried jump starting it with no change
in results.  I have also attempted wiggling the wires from the alternator while
my wife observed the dash for any changes to ensure that its not a lose
connection.  I disconnected the battery to ensure it didn't die from all the
systems that kept running.

Long story short; the car won't start or turn over while at the same time the
electronics are random and unresponsive.  Jump starting had no results.

Tomorrow I plan to go out and get a multimeter so I can test the battery and
make sure there is no short to the frame.  My current theories are as follows.

-The instrument cluster, though I can't explain why that would not allow the
car to start.
-The voltage regulator.
-Alternator

I would appreciate any thoughts from someone who is a bit more car savvy
than I am.  Ill give updates tomorrow after some continued work and playing
with the multimeter.
Thank you!

5 Answers

157,465

My first suspect is the battery. Especially if it's original to the vehicle. You need to have it load tested at your local auto parts store. It's not uncommon for a battery to just drop dead. I've had it happen to me a couple of times over the years. Check your battery cable connections. Make sure everything is clean and tight. Hopefully that will get you going again. Hope that helps! Jim

20

I was having the same thoughts earlier, but I figured if that were the issue then jumping it would have at least gotten it running. I'll unhook it and drop it by an autozone tomorrow. Thanks for the input!

1 people found this helpful.
20

Took the battery down to the local autozone today and had them test it. Initially the battery read a full 12V, but dropped to almost nothing after a couple seconds of being connected. Bought a brand new battery and hooked it up and my Focus runs as if none of this ever happened. Amazing how such symptoms could come so suddenly from an old battery. Thanks for the help Jim!

1 people found this helpful.
157,465

You're welcome. Glad to help! Thank you for letting us know! Very glad to hear you're back on the road! Jim

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