Random Electricial issue (May be related to onboard RV Tow package)

[mountainman182]

Hello,
I love my Fiesta so I hate it is doing this.

But over the past couple weeks, my Fiesta has suddenly had issues starting. Like I put my key in the ignition, and it makes a funny noise (like a dying cat) and the dash goes dark.

But then I open the door and close it again, and it'll start up just fine. I checked the battery with a multimeter and it came back normal. It's holding a charge etc.
I did remove the battery and clean and reconnect the terminal connectors so those aren't loose.

Now, to complicated matters, when I bought this used, it came with an RV tow kit (complete with tow bars and plug in) to tow behind an RV. But as part of that, I think it has an ignition interrupt wired in and I'm wondering if that is what's making a mess of my ignition, especially since that wiring is more exposed to the water and such from the road than the rest of the wiring system.

 

[scotman]

You will have to isolate the added harness and confirm that the connections are sound.
I would also have the battery load tested to confirm that it doesn’t have an internal short that would cause the battery voltage to crash under cranking load. I would pull the battery and tray out and then closely inspect the ground connections that reside under the tray. If the car spent a lot of time rolling behind an RV, chances are it was given an intensive amount roadspray, possibly salty.
That is what I would try first.

 

[mountainman182]

If the car spent a lot of time rolling behind an RV, chances are it was given an intensive amount roadspray, possibly salty.
That is what I would try first.

High chance of it being salty since I live in the Puget Sound Region.

How exactly do I isolate the harness (I wish I could take it out since I don't plan on towing my Fiesta) with disassembling most of the engine compartment? Like it disappears behind the radiator.
But there is an un capped connector at the front grille at road level, in freaking Western Washington, there's no way water isn't getting in there.

Would a battery on a car with less than 20,000 miles already have a short (granted it is a 2019)?

I do have an appointment with Ford next month (but like 4 weeks away) to check the electrical system, but if can resolve it on my own, I'd rather not have to pay to take it in (even though I love my local Ford shop, they had my 2009 Focus running like a champ)

 

[scotman]

You just need to confirm the connections are clean and intact. I would be very careful about just pulling out any added wire harness and electrical equipment.
Often, added equipment has been installed with a nasty item called a “Scotchlock”. It’s basically a quick and dirty way of making connections into a vehicle harness. They really suck for reasons that you are relating here.
If the battery is the original one, odds are that it is not 100 percent anymore. Modern cars are very electrical intensive. Many strange things begin to occur when battery voltage is not stable and the alternator gets the signal to produce the juice. It makes for a high potential for voltage spikes and drops that the canbus networks have a heart attack trying to cope with.

 

[mountainman182]

You just need to confirm the connections are clean and intact. I would be very careful about just pulling out any added wire harness and electrical equipment.
Often, added equipment has been installed with a nasty item called a “Scotchlock”. It’s basically a quick and dirty way of making connections into a vehicle harness. They really suck for reasons that you are relating here.

I HATE those!!!!
I had a less than stellar shop install a rear view camera on my 2009 Focus using those and it ended up killing up right rear reverse and turn signal and of course the camera stopped working on the aftermarket head unit. I went to a more reputable shop and they rewired the entire connection from the head unit to the camera to make it more OEM (they do package add on for the area Ford Dealers so they know the wiring like the back of the hand) rather than the old scotchlock method.

I did check the front connector yesterday and it was clean (i did use some compressed air just in case there was sand or dirt i didnt see)
I have noticed the issue seems to be happening after taking the car through the touchless car wash or days when it's heavy rain, which has me concerned there's an exposed wire somewhere that's getting shorted (but doesn't explain why it works fine when I open the drivers door and close it again).

Like first time it did this, I had take it through the touchless car wash with the underbody wash. And today when it did it, it had been pouring rain since about 2am.

 

[scotman]

At least you have taken the time to figure out the wider situation of “when” the issue happens. Now you just need to narrow it down to “where” it’s happening. Being that it is moisture sensitive, I would wager you a burger and a beer that the problem is in the engine compartment

 

[mountainman182]

Where's the most likely culprit area within the engine compartment? (I mean the bottom is fairly open so road spray could get in anywhere).

Would it be more on the left side (if you were sitting in the driver's seat) by the battery? Or more the right side over by the engine/alternator where the belt would be kicking moisture up? There's a LOT of electrical connectors (and then my power steering is all electrical as well)

Moisture sensitive and living on the West side of Puget Sound (an hour from Seattle by ferry) don't exactly mesh lol but the car is AMAZING otherwise.

 

[scotman]

Under the battery tray are several ground connections.
It’s possible that the starter interrupt installer may have added his ground connections there.
Once you get everything cleaned up and tight, I can recommend good old fashioned petroleum jelly for protection on your ground connections. It’s the perfect combination of highly effective and dirt cheap.

 

[mountainman182]

Under the battery tray are several ground connections.
It’s possible that the starter interrupt installer may have added his ground connections there.
Once you get everything cleaned up and tight, I can recommend good old fashioned petroleum jelly for protection on your ground connections. It’s the perfect combination of highly effective and dirt cheap.

I took it to the auto parts store for the free battery check (just in case I did it wrong) and it showed good, needed charge. We took it out and found some of the ground cables under the battery tray were loose with all sorts of gunk in them (mud, sand, leaves, dried road shit, etc). We cleaned them and tightened them and it seems to have gone away. I'll take the car on a long drive tonight to charge the battery up.

 

[econoboxrocks]

I took it to the auto parts store for the free battery check (just in case I did it wrong) and it showed good, needed charge. We took it out and found some of the ground cables under the battery tray were loose with all sorts of gunk in them (mud, sand, leaves, dried road shit, etc). We cleaned them and tightened them and it seems to have gone away. I'll take the car on a long drive tonight to charge the battery up.

Like scotman said, these cars are very sensitive to electrical snafus. You can't keep those connections clean enough.

 

[Handy Andy]

All of you are so right on this.

If anyone has the time, take a look at the bolt itself - the electrical ones have a special nickel plating that makes them look a dull silver-ly appearance even when aged - like they don't rust. That's due to their coatings to keep the electrical contacts well and good, for a longer period of time.

So as you "fix" one mans mess, you'll be also fixing another that as you locate those bolts - even the one used for the 8mm Frame - Bond point the Battery Ground uses - those types are important and are electrical bonding points.

 

[mountainman182]

I discovered this morning (while checking for damage after running over a board that fell out of a truck in front of me that i couldnt avoid because why would people properly secure thier loads), that my right fog lamp is like half way full of water (not condensation but like legit water.
I can't find any areas where the seals are broken so I can only assume there is a crack somewhere near the mount or near the lens seal that I cant see.

I'm not a fan of a light housing having water in it, in an electronics heavy car like mine (like my power steering is all electronic, there no fluid involved)

 

[scotman]

I like E6000. It’s water clear. Very flexible and works equally well as a glue or a sealant. You will have to remove the lamp assembly and drain it/dry it out. Then inspect it for cracks or voids

 

[Handy Andy]

You may also want to look into the splashguard housing - the front passenger one.

That keeps road debris from knocking out the motor or the belt and pulleys.

...and your Fog light ...

That front fog also gets a lot of abuse from the potholes and road gravel and marbles left behind from other vehicles.

You know that the fog light housing has a vent - it can take in water - surprised it has not burned out or blown the lamp in it.

You have to gently pry off the plastic trim cover housing that thing uses - you'll see the fog lamp housing is pretty simple.

The housing I'm talking about is under the main cover for that Fog lamp inset. The outer black part is just the cover - the housing itself holds the light.


Those tabs act a lot like your license plate tag - you have a square hole punched and the bolt uses a square insert that holds the plate to the rear panel.

Just unbolt the lamp - the back side is what I wanted to show you - that blue cap holds the vent - so when you have water in this - you either had a rock gash a hole into the wheel wells plastic housing - or you have a drip line that when it rains it drips onto and into that cutout the trim inserts into to provide a plastic protective cover trim for that lamp.

The clue here is it clear water, not foggy (yet) or has dirt - so it's not throwing water into it - you just may need a new housing for the lamp - something broke it. Recently.

But I'll leave these posted here so you can see the lamp in more detail to help you make choices...


Just make sure you don't have water or dirt building up inside that housing - behind that trim cover.

 

[mountainman182]

So this is going to sound stupid. But I took the fog light out, and soaked out the water with some auto detailing rags I had (actually worked very well).

It appears like the previous owner had replaced the lamps (the the damn towing wiring harness pulled on it) and didn't get it in tight, as the water was splashing up through the light hole (kinda surprised the light didn't burst) as it wasn't sealing. When I got back there, the light was jiggly loose (I'm kinda surprised it hadn't popped out honestly) and I could manipulate it around by just touching the cables (which were damp, but that might have been the undercarriage wash from the car wash today)

So once I got the water drained I put on some gloves and checked the light (no signs water ever actually touched the bulb).
I got the bulb back in (I'll need to run the fogs on a road to make sure I don't need to adjust the beam).

I won't know if it's fixed though as the Puget Sound region is in for some sun for the next few days (it's supposed to be in the 70s tomorrow)

one question i did have though.
Is the blue tab supposed to go on the left or right hand side on the passenger side fog light? (If you are looking at it from the wheel well. And does the beam adjuster face the hood or the road?

 

[scotman]

I believe that the fog lamp housings are marked for L and R positions. I understand that the adjustment screws are pointing downward

 

[Handy Andy]

It (Blue cap) orients so the adjuster can be accessed - so usually the mess is opposite - so the blue part is "up" compared to the adjuster location and ease of access to it.

I think of it as "venting" steam - since it rises out of the pot, the blue cap vents above the lamp.

 

[mountainman182]

That's actually a helpful way to think about it (like a tea kettle needing to let the steam out).

So I took the car to my local Ford dealer (already had an appointment for the electrical issue that resolved with the negative terminal cable fix) and they found 3 cracks in both the assembly (the plastic area around the light) as well as the housing itself.
But, I found out that the previous owner had bought a Ford extended warranty that is still active with the lighting add on, so I only have to pay for the parts for the car, Ford will reimburse them for the labor.