mjt Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Driving on a local road yesterday and suddenly a chime and "Engine Malfunction" followed shortly after by "Reduced Power Mode". As it was a local road I didn't notice the speed limiting and as soon as I had to stop at traffic lights I turned engine off and restarted and it cleared it. The DTC's listed by Forscan are attached and it looks as if they're all due to problems with CANbus communication. I don't believe the fuel pump, brake switch and throttle pedal DTC's are "real". I've always assumed the car post-dates the cluster joint problems so maybe I've got to go round reseating connectors. At my advanced age that's not going to be easy . Mk2.5_16-06-2022.txt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL123 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Can bus wiring carries multiple communications from a number of modules so often throw up misleading dtcs. mk2.5 Focuses are known for the cluster issue and repairs are usually under £100 by a specialist. My son’s 2008 St did this and slapping the dash above the Custer enabled him to get it home as it can vibrate the connections back into life, although temporary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 59 minutes ago, mjt said: I've always assumed the car post-dates the cluster joint problems so maybe I've got to go round reseating connectors. I've seen quite a few Mk2.5 clusters fail over the years, it's not just a pre-facelift issue unfortunately. Those codes do look very much like a cluster fault, though worth reseating plugs as a first attempt where possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 50 minutes ago, RL123 said: Can bus wiring carries multiple communications from a number of modules so often throw up misleading dtcs. mk2.5 Focuses are known for the cluster issue and repairs are usually under £100 by a specialist. I don't think you're telling me anything I didn't know already. As a retired electronics engineer I'd feel reasonably confident about attempting the cluster repair. I've built boards with SMD's and QFP's with leads on a 50thou pitch. I've got a good Weller thermostatic iron and plenty of 0.7mm cored lead solder. I've also got a solder sucker, although it's a piston type and I know from experience the recoil can cause damage to pads if not carefully handled. I generally prefer solder wick. The only thing I'd be a bit nervous about would be getting the needles properly aligned afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 1 hour ago, TomsFocus said: I've seen quite a few Mk2.5 clusters fail over the years, it's not just a pre-facelift issue unfortunately. Those codes do look very much like a cluster fault, though worth reseating plugs as a first attempt where possible It definitely looks like there's a lot of electrical interference occurring on the bus, exceeding the allowed error rate. My guess would be one or more iffy contacts getting disturbed by vibration. I've cleared all the DTCs and will probably re-check after the car's been used again as some of them might have been historic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL123 Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 As a Powertrain Engineering Designer for many years, I thought that £96 was worth the test, resoldering all the joints, and lifetime guarantee and was good value as getting it wrong could cost over £1000 to fit a new cluster and programing good luck plenty of clips on youtube If not the cluster, corrosion in the connector to the module behind the glove box is also an area worth looking at 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 17, 2022 Author Share Posted June 17, 2022 One thing I forgot to mention was that when the fault occurred the IP lit up like a Christmas tree. I don't know if that points more towards the cluster rather than the GEM connector. Since this is unlikely to be an isolated fault maybe further instances will allow me to narrow down the cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 20, 2022 Author Share Posted June 20, 2022 Another occurrence today. Once again, though, I didn't notice any reduction in performance even up to 60mph max on the local roads. Again an ignition cycle cleared it but interestingly it came up again without the engine running whilst I was trying to read the DTCs. The car was parked with sunlight coming through the windscreen and the dashboard was quite hot so that might be pointing to the cluster. Also, as you can see from the latest log, in addition to the earlier DTCs it now also says "Theft detected" which has been said to be a pointer to the cluster problem. So looks like time to decide whether to Shell out to get a repair done or have a go myself. Has anyone got a link to a reliable repairer? MK2.5_20-06-2022.txt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl123 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 9 hours ago, mjt said: Has anyone got a link to a reliable repairer? Are you comfortable taking out the instrument panel and sending/mailing it to someone (takes a few days) or are you looking to drive it to a car electrician local to you? Sending is usually cheaper but local is usually quicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL123 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 Essex Recons did my son’s but as we live close, they did it while I waited, about 1 hr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 If you're posting out, worth asking Ashley for a quote. I've known him through car forums for over a decade and would trust his work. Electronic Repairs | AJ ElecTech | England 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 On 6/17/2022 at 2:53 PM, RL123 said: I thought that £96 was worth the test, resoldering all the joints, and lifetime guarantee and was good value as getting it wrong could cost over £1000 to fit a new cluster and programing good luck plenty of clips on youtube I'd be happy with that kind of price and the guarantee would give peace of mind. I've had a look at a few YouTube clips. One showed how to remove the cluster which was a lot better than the description in Haynes. Another showed how to dismantle the cluster but I was surprised to see the guy just pull off the needles without marking their rest positions. I thought one should rotate them to the limit of the steppers, which is beyond the 'zero' point, and mark that position with, e.g., masking tape. I see dismantling also involves removing the LCD display and my only worry with that would be not getting reliable contact on reassembly. There seem to be plenty of companies offering a repair service with the equipment to test afterwards so maybe that's the best way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RL123 Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 10 mins to remove, 2 screws and a credit card to release the top centre of the cluster the soft cover above wheel unclips. wiggling the connector when live should generate errors. lever on connector secures it to the cluster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 21, 2022 Author Share Posted June 21, 2022 2 hours ago, RL123 said: 10 mins to remove, 2 screws and a credit card to release the top centre of the cluster the soft cover above wheel unclips. wiggling the connector when live should generate errors. lever on connector secures it to the cluster Yes, saw all that very clearly on one of the videos . I noticed the guys were unplugging and plugging in the ICs without disconnecting the battery, just turning off the ignition. That must mean the PATS is being disconnected/reconnected live. I was planning on disconnecting the battery but wonder now if that's necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdci-Peter Posted June 21, 2022 Share Posted June 21, 2022 9 hours ago, mjt said: I was surprised to see the guy just pull off the needles without marking their rest positions. I thought one should rotate them to the limit of the steppers, which is beyond the 'zero' point, and mark that position with, e.g., masking tape. Although I carefully marked the needle positions when I dismantled mine, after I put it back together one had shifted, which annoyed me. But after quite a few start cycles it settled to the correct location. I think that on each start cycle, each needle is driven back a little, then brought to its zero or operating point. There is a mechanical stop on the front of the cluster faceplate, and the needle hits this and stops, which re-calibrates the needle, but only by a small margin per cycle. It does sound a bit dodgy reconnecting the IC with the battery on, there is a permanent 12v supply to the IC, and if this makes connection before the 0v ground lines there is a danger of sending +12v down wires to stuff only intended to take 5v, or less. I doubt if the Ford connector has the extended ground pins in the connectors needed to ensure 0v is made first. You could just remove the IC supply fuse if you don't want to power the whole car down for some reason, possibly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 22, 2022 Author Share Posted June 22, 2022 I thought the steppers had internal stops which meant that you could just rotate the needles to this point then mark the positions but what you've described makes more sense. Of course the Mk1.5 might be a little different to the Mk2.5 in this respect. I imagine it would be difficult, if not impossible, to pull off and refit the needles without something moving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrizzo1uk Posted June 23, 2022 Share Posted June 23, 2022 A friend of mine sent his cluster to AC Tronics who I believe are in thr essex area. Can't remember exactly how much but he had it back in 3 days but did have to send the ecu with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 All done. Getting the cluster out of the car was the easy bit. Getting it apart less so. Trying to release all the clips is a bit like herding cats. You really need about four hands and three screwdrivers! Anyway I got there in the end. @Tdci-PeterThe mechanical stops are in the steppers as I suspected. There are no stops on the dial face in this unit. It turned out the true zero points were very close to the dial zeros but nevertheless I marked their positions before removing the needles. I didn't bother with the gauges as they don't need pinpoint accuracy and I just judged it when putting the needles back. It was a bit fiddly getting the other two properly aligned. Even though I set them up whilst they were still loose enough to adjust as soon as I pressed them down they moved. It took several attempts to get an acceptable result. Even then the tacho is slightly off zero when they go to zero. At least the speedo is right and that's the critical one. One thing the YouTube tutorials (at least the one I watched) didn't make clear is how the LCD unit is connected. It has a flexible printed circuit strip that slots into a connector on the main circuit board. This connector has a bar that must be prised up to release the flexible strip and pressed down to lock it in. Fortunately I'd encountered this type before so knew what to do. This was my main worry as the contacts of the flexible strip and connector are extremely narrow and closely spaced but it all went back together ok and is working. I tried the "wiggle test" with the ignition on before removing the cluster but it didn't throw up any faults. Nevertheless inspection of the main connector solder joints revealed several suspect looking ones. I removed the old solder from all joints using solder wick and then resoldered. The cluster is now back and all working so if the fault reappears I'll know I need to look elsewhere. Here are a few photos. The before-and-after ones of the solder joints were taken with a cheap USB microscope so the quality is not very good. The only remaining problem is I now need the radio code for the CD6000 as I disconnected the battery. I was sure it had been written in the Audio System handbook but I was mistaken . 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonovAN12 Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 10 hours ago, mjt said: The only remaining problem is I now need the radio code for the CD6000 as I disconnected the battery. I was sure it had been written in the Audio System handbook but I was mistaken . There is a website that can generate a code for free using the radio serial number. Although I had a copy the code, I tried it on mine last year and it does work. https://radiocodeford.com/6000-cd-radio-code Ford wanted £35 to provide a code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 24, 2022 Author Share Posted June 24, 2022 Thanks A. I've actually found a couple of sites that provide codes FOC although if you choose not to pay they make you wait 24 or 48 hours. That's fine as we rarely use the radio anyway and I should have the first code by tomorrow afternoon. If, for any reason, that one doesn't work I'll have a second chance with the other one 24 hours later. I also found out how to get the CD6000 to display it's serial number which is just as well since I don't think I've got suitable tools to get it out and look at the label. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 11 hours ago, mjt said: I also found out how to get the CD6000 to display it's serial number which is just as well since I don't think I've got suitable tools to get it out and look at the label. Hold buttons 1&6 I think? The headunit on the facelift model doesn't use radio removal keys though. You just 'peel' the silver fascia off using a flat tool, and then the radio is just held in with screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 3 minutes ago, TomsFocus said: Hold buttons 1&6 I think? Correct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonovAN12 Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 13 hours ago, mjt said: Thanks A. I've actually found a couple of sites that provide codes FOC although if you choose not to pay they make you wait 24 or 48 hours. The one I tried was free and provided the code straight away. I had a slip of printed paper in with the owners handbook that said "Keycode" with a four digit number. I wasn't sure if that was the radio code or a replacement key code. The number from the radio code generator matched the number on the paper, and unlocks the radio as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted June 25, 2022 Author Share Posted June 25, 2022 I've got a slip with "Keycode" but it's an 8-digit number and says it's for replacement door keys. I couldn't find a 4-digit code anywhere in the user documentation. I should be getting the code this afternoon so will post the result. If it doesn't work I'll try yours. I also want to connect up Forscan again to check the state of CANbus communication and clear the DTCs that I forgot to do last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 3 minutes ago, mjt said: I've got a slip with "Keycode" but it's an 8-digit number and says it's for replacement door keys. I couldn't find a 4-digit code anywhere in the user documentation. I should be getting the code this afternoon so will post the result. If it doesn't work I'll try yours. The card for the locking wheel nut is also labelled 'key code'...didn't I feel a wally taking that into Ford to have a new door key cut... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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