Focus DV6 Glowplug Circuit Issue!

[Toms306]

Hi guys,

So this morning I get in the car, it starts and drives as normal, bit jumpy but its a cold/damp morning so not unusual.

Few mins in I turn a corner and accelerate gently in 3rd when I should've really been in 2nd - engine malfunction light comes on. I pull over, switch off, switch on again and no light. Accelerate in 1st and the light immediately comes back on, it now won't go off at all! It's also in limp mode, lacking power and won't pass 3k.

Got home and got Forscan on it, few old DPF faults but the only current one is P0380-61. Glow plug control circuit.

Now live tests show that the plugs (or at least the circuit) is permanently on, I've been out the probably 15 mins and they haven't switched off at all!! Hopefully this is water ingress short somewhere, but I don't know where the relay(s) are for them? None in the engine bay fusebox look big enough for glow plugs. I should also add it really stinks of part burnt diesel, but theres no visible smoke due to the DPF. Now with plugs stuck on it should be burning really clean, so I'm confused here. Also worth noting the engine fan came on when I hit 3k stationary despite coolant and DPF temps being low - not sure if it was trying to start a regen while idling!

But yeah, firstly, where is the glowplug relay and any associated wiring? I don't really want to have to access the plugs themselves if I can help it as they're a bit of a pain.

Cheers
Tom

[vincent1]

maybe worth a read if you havnt already saw this tom
http://www.talkford.com/community/topic/...g-cirucit/

[Toms306]

I just don't see it being the plugs themselves, would be a hell of a coincidence after all the floods I drove through yesterday lol. Water ingress seems more like, particularly if its under the NS headlamp, will have a look now.

[vincent1]

tom see my above edit just incase yours dosnt have the relay im not sure that post i first made was for a dv6

[Toms306]

Thanks Vincent.

Too late lol, I couldn't find a relay under there though. That second thread is created by a guy off here, small world lol, but its not for my age or engine Focus unfortunately.

Havent really got time or battery power to read the 4 pages of the first one, is it just more of the same after the first page? The last post on it is what I need the answer to ideally.

[vincent1]

if it was my car i would treat it too a new set of glow plugs as you already say in post one you have had lumpy idel etc when first started but i guess there a pain to swop isnt connor of here a ford mechanic? maybe he will have a idea.
Yes that first link four pages long didnt apply to your car hence why ive removed it.

[Toms306]

Bailes isn't for my car or engine though lol, his was a 1.8 in a Mk1.5 iirc.

Connor is a Ford tech and I've linked him on facebook but he's probably busy atm.

Haynes is useless on this subject, just says 'take it a ford dealer' for anything other than changing the plugs. I could change them but it requires a bit of prep/stripping and they're a pain to reach, but the cost is more of an issue atm, doubt they're cheap!

Just seems such a coincidence that they'd break the day after floods, I'm pretty sure the water didn't get high enough to touch them lol.

[1616six]

Personally would leave it running for an hour on the drive/go for a longish drive in limp mode. You were saying last night you went through a lot of standing water & weren't looking forward to this morning... Let it get hot & it'll probably dry out.

If not I bet if you leave it a few days it'll sort itself out.

[Toms306]

Its been running for about an hour this morning, sat in the sun too, doesn't seem to be making a difference. Really needed it today as well. Whatever happens I've gotta take it into town this afternoon, just wondering whether to price up a set of plugs from ford on the way. No point using aftermarket as the connections don't fit properly so I've read.

[Toms306]

Ok so I've found and swapped the relay, not made a difference.

Can't see any damaged wiring casings so can only hope there's not.

Just limped to Ford for glow plugs...73!! . Even on trade they were 63. So just borrowed sainsburys WiFi and ordered some from ECP.. had a toilet issue though had to detour home anyway (where I am now). Now gotta make the hour round trip to ECP through town as I don't want to take it on the dually in limp. Will the wiring be ok though? Worried it'll catch light with the plugs permanently on.

[1616six]

Can't you pull the relay and run it without the glow plugs for that journey?

[Toms306]

Thought about that but then realised hopefully the fuse or relay would pop before the wiring caught. Was fine anyway, came back on the dually though...managed 85 in limp mode...until a hill... Never realised quite how much torque was needed just to maintain speed lol.

Anyway, I'm really fed up with this now, didn't know normal deep 8mm socket doesn't fit, so I've stripped the bay down (ridiciulous amount of shit to come off just for plugs!) and now no way to change them unless someone can bring me a glow plug socket. Also thought I might as well blank the EGR while I've got that off, but I can only find a Vectra blank, presumably the Focus one is in the garage at the parents place...

Really not been a good day today, now gonna see if I keep some food from falling straight through.

[vtec power gt]

Might be worth you checking each plug before you remove them with a multimeter first before removing them if you dont need them have had a couple of these snap off removing them and and caused a real pain in the ass to sort I think on the one we had issues with was a fault something to do with the dpf system causing them will try to find out next week at work if you want just saves wasting money on plugs if it wont fix it

[Toms306]

Forgot I had two threads on this lol. Have changed the plugs and it seems to have fixed the issue. They're only £35 for OE Beru from ECP, so the Ford mark up must be good lol, £73 for the same set there!

Had no issues removing them at all despite what I've heard/read lol. But the engine was properly hot after driving everywhere with foot flat in limp mode beforehand haha. Also soaked them in WD40 over night, would've preferred plusgas but its all I had. Copper greased the threads on the new ones and torqued them to spec so hopefully they won't seize if they ever need replacing again.

How do you test plugs with a meter? I've put a probe between the top (positive?) and the threads (negative?) and don't get any reading at all, like maximum resistance. Couldn't get them to glow with a direct battery feed either. Not sure if I'm being thick or if they really are completely knackered. If they are knackered, that could partly explain why my regens aren't completing properly!

[Seb_Ryan]

Power to top and hold threaded bit against the negative terminal.. Should glow in a few seconds

[Toms306]

Hmm, that's basically what I did but with a couple of old wires.

[306carter]

Use some jump leads.

[cully]

to test with a multimeter set to ohms
measure the resistance between body thread and tip termination
for a 20amp plug it should be less than 2 ohms

you can do this with them still in the head
but you will need to disconnect the link bar on the tip terminations to be able to test each individual plug for soundness

[Toms306]

Don't own any jump leads.

Cheers cully, sure that's what I've already done but I'll give it another go.

[welshpug]

time to buy some

[bashbarnard]

Might have an old set of jump leads lying about for you somewhere that or buy a compact jump pack. We have one at work. Tiny little thing. Jump starts our buses no problem if they've been sitting.

[Mattcheese31]

Doesn't own jump leads...... WTAF? lol, can't get my breath, that's Cray Cray baby Tom

[Toms306]

I don't own a 306 any more, can't jump modern cars without electrical shit breaking... As I found out at college with a jump pack and a corsa, all electrics came on them nothing ever came on again... Oops...

But also, I did have a set, they weren't even man enough to jump the 106 nad so I scrapped them.

[Toms306]

Oh also, no issues this morning with a cold start so can only hope that's fixed now. Such an odd coincidence after the floods though! Had to go through local flash floods again last night as well, popped the bonnet when I got back and was surprised how high the water had splashed, but nothing was 'soaked', was literally just splashed a bit.

Have also ordered another EGR blank lol.

Was going to order a hand primer too as veg killed mine. But there are tonnes on ebay and I have no idea which are decent? XUD guys recommend any particular make? These don't have a lift pump so if I run out of fuel I'll be f*cked atm lol.

Also have a plan for 'sorting' the DPF without it costing anything in the long run...may or may not work out.

[Jonny81191]

I don't own a 306 any more, can't jump modern cars without electrical shit breaking...  As I found out at college with a jump pack and a corsa, all electrics came on them nothing ever came on again... Oops...

But also, I did have a set, they weren't even man enough to jump the 106 nad so I scrapped them.

Utter bollocks. Sure, they're more susceptible to electrical faults, but that doesn't mean you can't put a 12v feed to a 12v battery

Good to hear it's sorted though!

[Toms306]

Lol, tbf I majorly cocked up, put like 500 volts through the Corsa, no-one had explained how the jump pack worked. I daren't try it on anything else modern since, rather whip off the battery and charge that separately lol.

I'm sure I've read you can't jump calcium batteries also? Has to be calcium on the Focus due to SmartCharge - which likes to spike various modules now and then, another excellent system.

[Niall]

I don't own a 306 any more, can't jump modern cars without electrical shit breaking...  As I found out at college with a jump pack and a corsa, all electrics came on them nothing ever came on again... Oops...

But also, I did have a set, they weren't even man enough to jump the 106 nad so I scrapped them.

Utter bollocks. Sure, they're more susceptible to electrical faults, but that doesn't mean you can't put a 12v feed to a 12v battery

Good to hear it's sorted though!

This. Just jump the fucker! Just make sure you have a good solid clean contact on both cars with the clamps and away you go.

[procta]

Lol, tbf I majorly cocked up, put like 500 volts through the Corsa, no-one had explained how the jump pack worked.  I daren't try it on anything else modern since, rather whip off the battery and charge that separately lol.

I'm sure I've read you can't jump calcium batteries also?  Has to be calcium on the Focus due to SmartCharge - which likes to spike various modules now and then, another excellent system.

I am not surprised the electrical system on the corsa bit the dust, if you ran 500 volts threw it! i bet the full works was smoking too!

[Jonny81191]

What sort of jump pack runs 500 volts?

[cully]

What sort of jump pack runs 500 volts?

13amp extension real type will be rated at 500v