Need help to diagnose car not starting

[GreatShadow]

Hello Everyone,
I am new here, but wanted to see if anyone might be able to help me with an issue I am having with my Fiesta.
I have a 2011 Ford Fiesta SES.
The issue is that when I get in and push the button to start the car, center console powers one (IE: Radio) but the rest of the car is not getting any power (IE: not able to roll windows down)
When I attempt to start the car, the center console will say "push clutch to start" which I do, but nothing happens.
None of the lights on the dash are coming on.
This happened before, and after pumping the clutch a few times, the lights on the dash finally came on and then I was able to start the car with no problem.

I already changed the battery and also changed the clutch safety switch. We have check the fuses and those all appear to be okay.

What do I need to check regarding electrical / wiring that when you push the power button to start the car, ALL of the car's components get power. (IE: push power button and role windows down or look at dash console to get stats like miles)

 

[Handy Andy]

There are several grounding points - many of them are Bolted upon the interior of the car to ground the inside electrical system - to the frame of the car.

Then there are grounds - by main battery ground cable - that tie FRAME and BODY and Engine grounds into a common area - under and by the Master Brake Cylinder - you find wires with black and green stripe, Black and Purple (dark blue) Stripe and Black and Yellow stripe - these are common for Starting Charging and main power grounds.

These have to be kept free of corrosion



So, you'll need to take apart some trim off the floor pan drivers' side and passenger side to locate those electrical grounds.

They are under the carpet by the front seat bolts towards the door side. - Both the Passenger and Drivers side.


.

 

[GreatShadow]

There are several grounding points - many of them are Bolted upon the interior of the car to ground the inside electrical system - to the frame of the car.

Then there are grounds - by main battery ground cable - that tie FRAME and BODY and Engine grounds into a common area - under and by the Master Brake Cylinder - you find wires with black and green stripe, Black and Purple (dark blue) Stripe and Black and Yellow stripe - these are common for Starting Charging and main power grounds.

These have to be kept free of corrosion

View attachment 6769

So, you'll need to take apart some trim off the floor pan drivers' side and passenger side to locate those electrical grounds.

They are under the carpet by the front seat bolts towards the door side. - Both the Passenger and Drivers side.

View attachment 6770
.

I just wanted to thank you so much for this information. I am going to look into these places this weekend and see if we can get the car to start up properly.

 

[GreatShadow]

@Handy Andy
Thanks again for the information you provided. I have a little more info on the issue now and wanted to get your yours and/or others in the forms on what I found out:
"Battery junction block has ground reading for center leg of fuse block, PCM pin 8 has ground from relay instead of power." It was suggested "Vehicle will need to go to dealership for repair estimate and repairs"
Is this something that should be an easy fix that I could do or wouldn't maybe not to expensive to have the dealer to do?

 

[Handy Andy]

IT seems to me you have not found all the corroded or bad wiring yet.

The clutch "pumping" you have to do to clear the condition to get it to start, you might need to investigate the clutch pedal - make sure it's going up - back to the released position - or all the way up and the push rod is all the way out.

In this case, there should be two switches.

• one engages when you start to press down on the clutch, let's call that switch A
• Switch B is the one that when you have the clutch down all the way, pushes in that switch

So both the Switch A, and Switch B - need to in "short" (or on) condition to work.

The only other one that can override them is "Brake" and that is pressed at the same time you press in the clutch.

So "Brake" uses two switches, one for light, the other for overrides - like the cruise control coast or release - and the START condition.

Brake switch - one is light, the other is the Brake Override - let's call that Switch C

So as you press in clutch, Switch A SHOULD SHORT - so now the system is awaiting the condition of the other two switches - IF the clutch can't go all the way down or SWITCH B is bad, no matter what you do, it won't start - it will tell you in the information display Press Brake and Clutch to START - that is where Switch C comes into play - if Switch C is shorted out or bad, the START INHIBIT condition won't clear because the system can't see a change in condition of the switches since you got into the car. - so it won't turn over - but you should be able to push start the car by popping the clutch in 1st gear rolling forward.

Even BRAKE - if that plunger (switch) is also bad, the system can't determine "logical" state of the clutch or even NEUTRAL / PARK Safety function - so it just sits there. Brake Light may work, but that is not where the condition is occurring - it's with the 3 switches, at least two needs to be "ground" out but only as intermittent - if one switch is bad, as in grounding out all the time, the system won't start - the condition of bad switch needs to clear so the system can be thought of as safely in PARK or NEUTRAL - if that is Switch A or Switch B or Switch C - the vehicle may not start because the plungers or one of the key plungers, are faulty.


Switch A? IT is an "idle up" function when you press down the clutch to change the gear or keep the gear from engaging (neutral - Clutch in) so when you begin to release the Clutch (Clutch out) the load on the engine is changed, so this is part of its "Take off" assistance when you start out from a stopped position or shifting into another gear



However, the BRAKE plunger overrides this idle up - so the idle on the vehicle should change when you engage the clutch, but not the brake - once you engage the clutch - the brake is also used to stop the car from rolling so it "kills" this idle up take off feature - once you release the brake though, it idles up - lets you have more sensitivity to the throttle to help accelerate from the stopped position.

So, if idle up is always on, or at least your brake lights are working but it's not bringing down the idle - there's part of your answer - the plungers, or their aspects are going bad.