Car died - update... Still dead!

katebl

Thanks all,

The car isn't throwing out any codes when plugged in but I have read that you can do a self-read somehow - just worried about running the new battery down if I keep turning the ignition?

If I could find a mobile mechanic (who knew what he was doing!) I'd be over the moon, but considering the guy yesterday said an auto electrician would be needed to fix it at £60 p/h as he couldn't see a mechanical issue, these suggestions are mostly mechanical and he did none of this!

gardnt1

If you are in the RAC etc...get them out...if they cant fix it then at least they can tow it to a garage that can...Ford themselves sometimes arent that expensive Ive found...

mcjordi

katebl wrote: »

Thanks both,

Mcjordi, the mechanic reckoned the coil pack 'looked alright', is it worth a shot then?!

Killerwatt I wasn't too sure about this guy but he was able to see the car today (everywhere else has a week wait) and I thought this is probably a bit too in-depth for an RAC call out so just wanted to see what he thought - hadn't used him before!

if its not sparking then it would be worth a try for a known working one.. an autoelectrician would test the multiplug to see if its getting power..

they can look alright and still be !!!!!!ed..

where about in the country are you?

katebl

Just typed out a long reply and then lost it - this forum drives me mad sometimes :mad:

gardnt1 I have RAC but this would be my 4th callout and 2nd tow in about 5 months (different issues!) - not sure how many they allow?! Will need to be at home during garage open hours in case it needs a tow and haven't been able to get time off work yet. If I've not had it sorted by next week I will have to call them!

mcjordi I will try and find a cheap coilpack from a spares place and if it works I'll be over the moon - if not at least I haven't lost out too much. I think the one near me does do returns so will give them a call. I'm near London. Would have got stuck in tonight trying to find out what's up but it's been bucketing down most of the evening

gifted1

a coil pack being faulty will not make a screeching noise. in fact it will not make any noise at all. it would also bring up a dtc. so would a faulty ckp or cam sensor. i know that garages can be expensive but as i proved to a customer today, sometimes trying to save some money actually ends up costing more.

any decent garage would come to your car and have a listen to the noise and perform a scan. the cheap crap scanners that a lot of "mechanics" use are only obd compliant and do not do the same job as a scanner that has "makes and models" software installed.
anyone can pick up a scanner and plug it in but it takes training and experience to make sense of the data when there is no code.

we only charge £25 to perform a scan at our premises, and on most cases may not even charge to perform one at the house if it was close enough.

trying to diagnose over the internet is impossible, especially when there is a "noise" present that none of us can hear.

my advice is to get a real mechanic to have a look for a reasonable charge and then make an educated decision from there

atrixblue.-MFR-.

katebl wrote: »

Just typed out a long reply and then lost it - this forum drives me mad sometimes :mad:

gardnt1 I have RAC but this would be my 4th callout and 2nd tow in about 5 months (different issues!) - not sure how many they allow?! Will need to be at home during garage open hours in case it needs a tow and haven't been able to get time off work yet. If I've not had it sorted by next week I will have to call them!

mcjordi I will try and find a cheap coilpack from a spares place and if it works I'll be over the moon - if not at least I haven't lost out too much. I think the one near me does do returns so will give them a call. I'm near London. Would have got stuck in tonight trying to find out what's up but it's been bucketing down most of the evening

electricals are non returnable in the motor factor trade.

anyone actually thought of checking the ignition relay? had a propper look at the HT leads? coil pack sounds like the norm to go, but not on all cylinders at the same time unless it had a powersurge and shorted it out (but thats what a ignition fuse and relays are for to prevent).

check the engine grounds, gearbox to bat -bat to fusebox-starter-gearbox, and the mini grounds around the cylinder head also.

katebl

Thanks all. Have been out and bought a multimeter which I understand is good for checking the coilpack, so assuming the weather is good tomorrow I'll be rooting around under the bonnet.

I have no problem with using a garage or a mechanic, but my usual garage can't see it until the middle of next week, the mobile mechanic I called had no idea and is now on holiday, and the autoelectrian he recommended apparently 'works at his own leisure' and may have the car for 'a week or so', which I am not willing to pay £60 an hour and wait a week! if I can narrow down the cause I'll be in a position to then look for a garage/mobile mechanic who will know exactly what they're dealing with and tell me upfront if they can sort it or not, saving us both time, and me money!

asbokid

Workshop manual on CD for the Puma (and other Fords)

Not checked but would expect it to contain a full wiring diagram and a thorough explanation of the ignition system.

http://www.cannell.co.uk/Ford_Workshop_Manuals/FORD_TIS_CD.zip

Have you ruled out a seized starter motor? Are the auxiliary drive belts spinning round when you crank it?

If it's an ignition problem, it will be comparatively easy if time-consuming to solve..

You've got a multimeter so you're pretty well tooled up. An auto-electrician would probably use an oscilloscope for checking for pulses from the crankshaft and camshaft position hall-effect sensors. The pulse duration may be too brief to measure on a digital multimeter.

Haven't tried it out yet, but got a USB-based five channel digital storage oscilloscope from China for £40. Could be really useful for these sorts of auto-electric jobs. Oscilloscopes for the auto market cost hundreds from people like Picotech.com

katebl

Hey everyone, thanks for your thoughts so far. An RAC diagnosis is that the coil driver has blown the ECU so that needs repairing and then new coil pack, HT leads and plugs.

Am now debating just getting rid of her due to the costs involved and other work that needs doing so have started a new thread -

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3266162

I've seen a 2006 focus 1.6 sport, 45,000 miles, £4,800 from a local ford dealer which I'm considering - lower insurance is also a plus point!

I do love the puma but in the past 6 months she's been anything but MSE - in fact more of a moneypit! Any thoughts are welcome....:beer: