Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays

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Mon 31 Oct 2022 21:43
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - Topdude

Hi, looking for some advice with a problem on my Focus.

Drove home this evening in torrential rain, had no problems.

Then a couple of hours later with car locked on the drive and still raining noticed indicators flashing, wipers juddering across the screen, dash lights flashing, relays clicking on interior fusebox. Started the car and everything worked as normal, turned engine off and it went crazy again. Started car again and drove a short distance with no problems, turned off and it was mayhem again.

Have disconnected the battery and left it until the morning to have a closer look.

Must be lots of Focus owners on here so any suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

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Mon 31 Oct 2022 22:00
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - elekie&a/c doctor

Any evidence of dampness or water ingress on the passenger side?

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Mon 31 Oct 2022 22:08
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - Adampr

Open the fusebox (inside the passenger compartment) and look for damp.

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Wed 2 Nov 2022 09:05
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - Topdude

Thanks for the replies, there was indeed water in one of the connectors on the Passenger fusebox. Stripped it all down and dried the fusebox and connector and luckily no serious damage. Will be reassembling and testing it today so hoping it is fixed.

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Wed 2 Nov 2022 10:34
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - elekie&a/c doctor
Water likely to be entering the cabin via the pollen filter housing . Remove the left side windscreen scuttle panel and check the rain deflector is fitted correctly. Also the plastic panel at the base of the windscreen needs to be silicone sealed to the glass .
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Thu 10 Nov 2022 08:49
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - Topdude

Final update in case it helps anyone else in future.

As advised above i removed the exterior plastic panel from below the windscreen and the one underneath it. This exposed all the wiper mechanism and the air intake for the heater blower.

I could see several weak points which could allow heavy rain to drip down into the heater assy. So i modified the shape of the air intake duct and applied silicone to seal it to the metal bulkhead. Then refitted the plastic panels making sure the top one engaged correctly on the bottom edge of the screen and sealed with silicone.

Hope that's it for this problem. Now on to water leaks in the boot !!

[nothing edited, I clicked the wrong button... Mod]

Edited by Xileno on 10/11/2022 at 09:20

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Thu 10 Nov 2022 09:20
Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays - Xileno

"Now on to water leaks in the boot !!"

Several common entry points on the MK2:

On the side where it's leaking into the boot:

Remove the rear of the rubber roof strip using a strong and lengthy screwdriver - it will be well stuck down. When you can expose about six inches of metal you will see where the outer wing joins the main body the sealant has deteriorated. Put some silicone or roof/gutter mastic in there.

If you've ever had roof bars on, make sure the screws under those little flaps have some gutter sealant on the hole.

Remove the rear light and put gutter sealant under and over the little plastic plugs where the screws go in.

If you can be bothered do both sides of the car, when one side starts leaking the other isn't far behind.

I prefer gutter sealant, it's strong and flexible enough but if you ever need to remove it then it's much easier than silicone.

Edited by Xileno on 10/11/2022 at 09:23

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