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Ford Electrical Problems

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  • benenglish

    Just Another Boomer
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    7   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    23,934
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    Spring
    I'm not great with cars and I know some of you are so please forgive me for imposing with a question. I have a mechanic I generally trust but I like to have at least a little knowledge before I call the shop.

    Short version:

    Huh?

    dashlights2.jpeg


    Long version:

    Some electrical glitches have started happening with my 2009 Mercury Gran Marquis.

    About 6 weeks ago, the passenger side power window started intermittently failing. Sometimes it wouldn't roll up. Sometimes it wouldn't roll down. I'd fiddle with switches, try every combination, give up, and try again 30 seconds later and, suddenly, everything is fine. That's happened 3 or 4 times.

    Within the last 3 weeks, something similar started happening to the windshield wipers. I couldn't turn them on. After no response to the switch for a minute, they'd start working. Once, they stopped in the middle of the windshield while I was driving in heavy traffic and rain on 45. That was no fun. I turned them on, off, went through all the speeds. Nothing for about 30 seconds...then they started up again. Stuff like this has happened 2 or 3 times.

    Today, I accelerated hard onto the freeway and suddenly it seemed all the lights on the dashboard lit up and some stayed lit up. The picture above was taken a couple of hours ago. Apparently, I was accelerating so hard I was losing traction while my ABS was trying to save me from locking up my brakes, all while the parking brake was on. The parking brake wasn't on and the car was sitting still at a red light.

    I took it to my local Auto Zone for the basic plug-in diagnostics. There were no error codes and everything on their computer screen was green check marks. The guy that did it said that sometimes this can happen when the alternator is going bad so he hooked up a different tester to check the battery and charging. Both checked out as in perfect working order.

    He and I both reached the conclusion that this will require a much more experienced electrical diagnostician than either of us.

    This combination of three lights stays lit after multiple re-starts. Nothing feels wrong; the car seems to be working fine.

    Now, my questions -
    • Is there a known, common reason for this? Or at least an agreed-upon best course of action to find the problem?
      • My search engine inquiries have turned up dozens of different answers to similar (but not exactly the same) problems. I don't trust any of that. Heck, one guy said he'd fixed his dash light problems by replacing his seat. I'm dubious.
    • Can someone recommend a good electrical diagnostician?
      • I'm located in Spring, north of Houston, but I'd drive up to 100 miles to find someone who really knows what they're doing. Yes, I trust my usual garage but weird electrical problems are, in my experience, a different kettle of fish. Frankly, I've been burned with "mysterious electrical issues" before, so badly, in fact, that I wound up selling a Ford LTD because no one could ever figure it out and fix it.
    TIA for any insight or help.
    Hurley's Gold
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Disconnect the positive battery post. Wait about 5 minutes and reconnect, resets some programs. Just mho. I am NO MECHANIC.

    Actually on the newer vehicles that doesn't work anymore. It will reset to default things like the clock, radio pre-sets, certain memories of some items.

    @benenglish, electrical issues can be very difficult sometimes to diagnose when they are intermittent and not happening when a mechanic is looking at the vehicle.

    AutoZone is only checking codes that relate to the PCM of the driveline. With it involving the windows and wipers, those are possibly controlled by a body ECM. Which requires a different type of code-reader or scan tools.

    If possible, take the vehicle to a mechanic when the actual problem, or problems are occurring.

    There is a chance it could be the charging system or the battery, without either actually being bad. As in possible ground connection problems, like corroded or loose. Ground cables are very prone to corrosion where they attach to the engine, chassis or body. They can cause what some call "phantom" codes when scanned at times.
     

    contender buff

    TGT Addict
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    Mar 29, 2011
    23,934
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    ft worth tx
    I’m not familiar with your type of vehicle however my Ford Expedition had similar problems and it wound up being a relay of some sort. Try researching it on utube they have some good geeks that post .
     

    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Dec 15, 2019
    47,022
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Thanks...

    It was going to be my secondary recommendation!

    Many times people clean the battery cables at the battery, but forget that the other connections can get dirty or corroded as well. I have seen battery corrosion creep and migrate the entire length of the cable, and you never see it because the insulation hides it. IF that is the case, it can compromise ground connections and the only sure remedy is to replace the battery cables.
     

    striker55

    TGT Addict
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    Jan 6, 2021
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    Katy
    Guy I know thought he had a bad battery, battery tested fine, thought he had a bad alternator, tested fine. Turns out a bad battery cable.
     

    Brains

    One of the idiots
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Apr 9, 2013
    6,905
    96
    Spring
    The lights indicate the brake module has disabled all of the assists. So you have no ABS, no adjustment of the front/rear brake proportioning, and no traction control. Since the MIL (check engine) light is not lit, most generic code readers aren't going to help. Even if it were, the generic scan tools typically won't pull codes from modules other than the Engine Control Unit.

    The brake module issues, by themself, would have me looking at something like a wheel speed sensor, but taking in the additional symptoms of the windows and wipers being intermittent leads me to think it's elsewhere. I'm thinking either a bad common ground, or the ignition switch. Ford likes to run a lot of stuff through there, and often has a few circuits on that switch. Probably why every single Ford I've ever owned had a recall to replace them due to a fire risk ;)
     
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