Ford Scorpio Forum - Print Page


    
      
        Ford Scorpio Forum
        (https://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl)
      

        General >> Problems >> Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
        
(Message started by: Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 8:14am)

Title: Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 8:14am

Hi: My 12v Scorp is misbehaving!!

Went out this morning. Key in ignition. Turned key to start, and nothing. Dials swinging madly round the dashboard, and then nothing at all.

All the dash lights light up, and the battery is reasonably charged. Tried disconnecting/re-connecting the battery. still nothing. Tried with the red master key. Still nothing.

When I put the key in, the PATS stays lit for about 5 secs and then goes out, which is normal.

I've checked all the fuses and relays on the fault finder page, and they are all sound.

Car was running fine yesterday, and this has happened overnight.

The ONLY thing I have done to it this week is changed the bulb in my clock. Could i have disturbed anything. Only had the fascia off, so think it's unlikely, but........

ANY ideas VERY welcome. Fortunately I'm on a day off work but I need the car running by tonight...cos i aint off tomorrow!!

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by OHC on Sep 7^th, 2006, 8:48am

Hello!

Your battery seems to be dead! Dancing needles are the clear sign of that. Overnight drain is a common thing for Scorps. Also check ground connection between engine and car body.

Best regards,
OHC

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 9:45am

Thanks OHC. I've just run a check by holding the mileometer trip switch in, and then going round to Battery. Showing 7.8 but not sure if that means volts. strange that it should have lost power overnight. It's never done so before, and the battery has never given me any problems.

Anyway battery on charge for a few hours and will try later.

I have also (again) removed the radio and fascia panel, which I did yesterday to do the clock bulb, and checked that no wiring got trapped. All SEEMS to be OK and even with the panel completely removed, there was still no way it would start.

Is there anything that I could have disturbed which would cause this fault? All I did was remove the radio, and then remove the two screws on top of the radio surround, and the two at the top ofthe instrument panel which gave me enough access to get the clock out. The panel went back without any fuss, and the car started again last night when I moved it to let my wife out to work.

Just trying to give as much info as possible.

This car has been 100% reliable so this is definitely completely out of character, I wish I had never bothered to replace the clock bulb, because I can't help thinking that the two things must be connected, although I was very careful not to disturb anything. Maybe just a coincidence, but....... :(

Any further ideas very welcome. keep those ideas coming....PLEASE!

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Highlander on Sep 7^th, 2006, 9:57am

Definitely sounds like a dead battery, the volts reading is too low. New battery i think

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by howiedintheplace on Sep 7^th, 2006, 10:03am

Yeap battery.

They can fail with out warning, o.k one day, dead the next. :-[

You could try charging it up as maybe you drained it when you did the work yesterday or is there something pulling a current?

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 10:11am

Hi Howie

Still working on it. Just got the battery on charge at the moment, so will have to wait until this afternoon.

I'm going to give the starter inhibitor relay a wee tap when I get the battery back on, just to eliminate that.

Thank you for your help. ;)

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 10:13am

Hi Highlander.

YOU know what this is. This is because I said to you the other day that 24v Scorps seemed to have a lot of problems.

That will teach me to keep my big flap SHUT!!

Think I'll go bury 'ma heed' in dung!! ;D

Thanks for your idea.

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Highlander on Sep 7^th, 2006, 11:19am

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 1:11pm

Well done guys. Up and running again. Many many thanks.

Just been over to Newton Abbot. Had the battery heavy discharge tested, and cell checked.

Although it's not faulty, it IS very low, and certainly not enough power to start this beastie.
So I've bought a new one. 3 Year warranty, £42.00 trade price, and I can keep the other one charged in the garage, which, with winter coming up, may not be such a bad thing.

I think my 6 mile journeys to work (headlights again now) were the final straw. Not enough time to charge it up, but I will be up a wee bit early tomorrow just to make sure that somehow, I haven't got a battery drain.

UPDATE....Think I've found the cause.....but it's weird!!
See below.

Thanks again. .............................Now Highlander......about 24v's........... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Dead. Won't do anything.
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 7^th, 2006, 7:30pm

I think i've found the cause of this. My radio previously only worked when the ignition was either on, or with the key in position 1.

For some strange reason, it will now switch on and off even if the key is out of the ignition.

Can't work that one out. It's really weird!!

So...........I wonder if I left the radio on all night on a very low volume quite inadvertantly, and in doing so, the battery was losing voltage all night ???

I must remember to turn it off when I park from now on, but how it's re-wired itself to do this, is not clear to me............not clear at all................Quite spooky really. :-/ :-/

Title: Re: Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
Post by TiberiuS on Sep 7^th, 2006, 10:15pm

What model radio do you have? The 7000 will run without the ignition switched on but turns off after an hour, to get it back on you have to either switch it off/on again or turn on the ignition.

Sounds like a classic dead battery to me, 7.8 volts is way too low, 10-12 is the norm, more with the engine running. I wouldnt rely on that one, even as a spare :). Our Mondeo has a habit of consuming batteries, no one could ever work it out; the longest we've had a bat on that one is 2 years, no probs with the Scorpio though.

Regards, Bruce ;).

Title: Re: Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
Post by Highlander on Sep 8^th, 2006, 11:42am

I remember someone had a problem with the on/off switch of their radio where it didnt go off or go on with the ignition but had to be done manually, something had broken or blown I think, maybe they'll read this and remember

Title: Re: Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
Post by DazRSK on Sep 8^th, 2006, 1:42pm

You say you had the radio out/facia off to get to the clock bulb?

Did you disconnect any of the wires or was there a multiblock connector that you merely detach from the back of the stereo? Did you ever notice this issue happening before - ie leaving the radio on ? It would have been something you surely would have noticed.

The reason I say this - have you rewired it back wrongly? I have not looked behind the Scorpio radio but all the Ford radios/wires I have worked on previously have 2 live wires - a permanent live for the memory for the radio stations and the ignition key position 1 live wire - to turn the radio on. You could have placed the permanent live into the switch live - if you see what I mean. Which basically means you have to turn the radio off at radio switch.

See if this helps.

Title: Re: Dead Car. Now sorted, but this is WEIRD!!
Post by Spannerdemon on Sep 8^th, 2006, 7:23pm

Radio is a 7000 RDS model.

It's not possible to wire it incorrectly because all the connections are factory loom fitted multiplugs which will only go into the correct sockets on the back of the unit.

Radio has never worked without the key in up to this week, so maybe it's been a fault that taking it out, and replacing it has solved. I am now making 100% sure that I turn off the radio at the end of each journey.

I think the battery must be on its way out, even though testing said otherwise. Anyway, the new one started the car fine today, so all's fine again.

Thanks for all your interest, and help. :)