Beyond Frustrated

[spedy7]

Just a guess, but could be a pin fit or connector issue in the column area being that SRS event codes are present.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

Started fine for the last few days. Today, it started and ran fine and drove it to work and then it didn't want to start when I went to go home.
Tried moving the steering wheel up and down and it didn't make a difference on starting. Only got steering fault this time, no immobilizer malfunction so at this point I have to assume its something in the teetering column somewhere?

Anyone had any other ideas? I checked the grounds over and nothing looked out of place at all. I have a motor mount so is it possible the vibrations are causing something to move and shift about?

 

[ryuken2k5]

Started fine for the last few days. Today, it started and ran fine and drove it to work and then it didn't want to start when I went to go home.
Tried moving the steering wheel up and down and it didn't make a difference on starting. Only got steering fault this time, no immobilizer malfunction so at this point I have to assume its something in the teetering column somewhere?

Anyone had any other ideas? I checked the grounds over and nothing looked out of place at all. I have a motor mount so is it possible the vibrations are causing something to move and shift about?

up and down, like the tilt angle? did you try pulling towards you or pushing it back(telescoping)? Wish I could help you out more, I know how frustrating this problem is.

 

[Rocketst]

Perfectcreature, what was the last thing you touched before you started having this issue? In my experience, new issues are almost always connected to a change made to the car by the person (especially myself) is there anything you can think of you changed prior to having this issue? It would narrow down the areas your searching for problems. Also it appears to me that you could have a short in a wire passing through the firewall and that could cause an intermittent issue that's dependent on where the steering wheel is adjusted to. Those wires are stupid hard to check though so I wonder if you could talk the dealer into removing the dash in hopes of finding it.

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[NorthLightingConcepts]

Perfectcreature, what was the last thing you touched before you started having this issue? In my experience, new issues are almost always connected to a change made to the car by the person (especially myself) is there anything you can think of you changed prior to having this issue? It would narrow down the areas your searching for problems. Also it appears to me that you could have a short in a wire passing through the firewall and that could cause an intermittent issue that's dependent on where the steering wheel is adjusted to. Those wires are stupid hard to check though so I wonder if you could talk the dealer into removing the dash in hopes of finding it.

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I have tried adjusting the steering wheel and it doesn't make a difference. I brought it back to the dealership on a flatbed and left it there. They have had it for almost the last month and keep telling me its fine, and are having no issues with the car. At this point I am just ready to toss parts at it and see what happens.

Its done it off and on for several months now, getting progressively worse but never consistent.

 

[Rocketst]

So you didn't touch anything prior to it starting this issue? I mean you didn't add a mod or anything?

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[NorthLightingConcepts]

So you didn't touch anything prior to it starting this issue? I mean you didn't add a mod or anything?

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Nope. Just started happening out of the blue. At first it was just like a blip, but would start and it progressed. It currently is at the dealer being diagnosed...again, for the 4th time this month. This time they said it actually won't start at all, so maybe they will get their butts in gear and fix it, as I have no idea at this point.

 

[NorthLightingConcepts]

Dealership has had it for a few days. I called them and inquired and they advised they think its a vampiric draw, something draining the battery as it was dead dead, like 5 hours to charge dead and its brand new battery.
They are going to do some more diagnostics. Currently they have 14 hours into this vehicle....at $109 an hour and we haven't even figured out what it is.
I.Hate.This.Car.....

Seriously.

 

[HardBoiledEgg]

DON'T BE THAT ANNOYING CUSTOMER CALLING AND CALLING AND CALLING

LET THEM DO THEIR JOBS AND STOP BUGGING. ELECTRICAL IS THE HARDEST PROBLEM TO FIND.

 

[Ford ST]

I've never heard of a place just continuously charging hours and not actually solving anything.


Basically you are saying you have paid over $1,400 in labor for nothing?



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[Rocketst]

I've never heard of a place just continuously charging hours and not actually solving anything.


Basically you are saying you have paid over $1,400 in labor for nothing?



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Well there's an obvious issue. They should only be charging you the set price of 149.99 unless you agreed to pay by the hour... I mean if they couldn't find it the first couple of times I don't blame them for charging per hour. Your now going the no expense spared avenue of trying to find a problem. People have families to feed and as long as the hours for diagnostics are true hours, regardless of whether they've found it, that's the cost of diagnostics and I feel that's fair. Now if it comes back as a factory defect ford should pay your bill. But if not, if op did something to cause it, op should have to pay the bill. Remember, any Ford warranty must be proven it was Ford's fault before they'll cover it and the way they go about it is it's always the customers fault until proven otherwise.

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[Ford ST]

Well there's an obvious issue. They should only be charging you the set price of 149.99 unless you agreed to pay by the hour... I mean if they couldn't find it the first couple of times I don't blame them for charging per hour. Your now going the no expense spared avenue of trying to find a problem. People have families to feed and as long as the hours for diagnostics are true hours, regardless of whether they've found it, that's the cost of diagnostics and I feel that's fair. Now if it comes back as a factory defect ford should pay your bill. But if not, if op did something to cause it, op should have to pay the bill. Remember, any Ford warranty must be proven it was Ford's fault before they'll cover it and the way they go about it is it's always the customers fault until proven otherwise.

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Well first I'll say I used to work in a shop and we fixed things other shops couldn't. We would have never charged someone continuously for a problem we couldn't solve. Yes people should get paid for diagnostics to a point, but you don't get paid continuously just to scratch your head.
At some point you have to say look this is above our ability we don't have anyone here that can properly figure this problem out.

At a certain point you set a limit on diagnostics some places put a one-hour cap which is ridiculously low, but maybe cap it at 3 hours and at that point you use it as a learning experience.

Just going to have to agree to disagree. I will say again I used to work in a shop this is what I went to school for. I believe people should be paid for the work yes but you don't abuse your customers.



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[PunkST]

I wonder if the brake pedal switch is making the tail lamps have power to them when the pedal isnt being pressed. Has happened on a couple cars. Or it could be a wiring short between the hatch and the car. ( the wiring gets flexed every time the hatch is opened. And can cause an electrical nightmare... Coming from experience with first gen foci having that issue) could also be corrosion in a terminal causing a "Completed" circuit and drawing power.

 

[Rocketst]

Well first I'll say I used to work in a shop and we fixed things other shops couldn't. We would have never charged someone continuously for a problem we couldn't solve. Yes people should get paid for diagnostics to a point, but you don't get paid continuously just to scratch your head.
At some point you have to say look this is above our ability we don't have anyone here that can properly figure this problem out.

At a certain point you set a limit on diagnostics some places put a one-hour cap which is ridiculously low, but maybe cap it at 3 hours and at that point you use it as a learning experience.

Just going to have to agree to disagree. I will say again I used to work in a shop this is what I went to school for. I believe people should be paid for the work yes but you don't abuse your customers.



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When you put it that way I can see how that would benefit both the shop and the customer and I can agree with that. But Ford's not in the business of teaching people problems they can't understand. Luckily anything my Ford dealer couldn't figure out, it was an immediate turn around and just as you said I've never been charged for something they couldn't figure out. I think the op should take it to a specialist who deals exclusively with wiring, and automotive electrician. But he's already this deep... I'd hope it was Ford's fault in the end but it's a tough call whether to suck it up and back out now and pay the bill or leave it there for an uncertain amount of time and hope they find it.

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[Rocketst]

This is just an overall shitty situation I hope no one else has to go through.

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[NorthLightingConcepts]

Well, the vehicle has been in multiple times for starting issues. Ford Customer Care has an active claim number and has assigned an engineer to the case. This was two weeks ago. It went from there no issue we can find, to checking for a rough idle to telling me it’s fine to me bringing it back twice to me leaving it in the parking lot because it won’t start to them finding out it really won’t start to having the RFA being bad, then not the RFA to a dead battery which was brand new, to parasitic draw and at this point I’ve just left it at the dealer and will forget about until they call me with a fix. I’ve no other options as I don’t have the ability to work on it day and night nor do I have diagnostic tools a dealer would have.
We will see where things end up and I may just sell it outright to an auction company if it doesn’t get fixed and cut my losses.