Beyondonedge

Today I realised there is no way to read the FCIM data or its DTCs while the issue is present; an error appears in Forscan (therefore no power?). So I waited for the issue to go before doing a read and taking a picture so I can code the replacement FCIM. I haven't swapped it yet. But I compared the Asbuilt values to the ones from the ford site and noticed they are not the same. I am curious what you make of that and if it is of any significance.

Well, not what I was hoping for. I was driving back from the airport this evening and A/C was on. For the last third of my journey it stopped working and all the other errors/symptoms appeared too. So a new battery did not fix the issue. I think my next step will be to swap out the FCIM. I was thinking if faulty airbag sensors could cause this too but I am praying to fix it before I end up replacing every component in the car.

After all this time I guess I should update everyone on my progress. I have not done much really. The spare (used) FCIM I bought has been sitting in the garage since October. What motivated me again is the recent warmer weather. I had one or two occassions where the issue presented as expected, i.e. hot day so symptoms appear and components do not work. What surprised me was: 1) one night while driving home on the motorway again the airbag light lit on the dash and stayed on for a good hour then went away 2) one hot day with the car parked in the sun so hot inside and out, everything worked as normal which was a nice surprise 3) daytime motorway driving on two separate days with the AC on as it was 32 degrees Celsius outside. One was while on the motorway and the other after exiting and gettimg stuck in traffic. The cabin was cold from the AC but out of nowhere the symptoms appeared. Systems along with the AC stopped working I probably had not noticed it before but along with the other components the buttons that toggle the park assist, parking sensors and start stop on/off become inactive along with their functions even though they remain lit if they were being used. All this brought to my mind what enigma-2 said. A bad battery can cause a lot of seemingly unrelated errors. So I swapped the battery out for a new one about a week ago. Now I am waiting for a chance to test things again.

Hi. Thank you for pointing this out. Is it easy to do with Forscan?

I had a bizarre (or maybe not so much) encounter with the issue today. I was driving and had the a/c temperature set to 25 degress Celsius. As the inside of the car began to get quite warm the issue presented itself with the same exact symptoms mid drive. When I got to my destination I had to unload everything by lowering the back seats as the tailgate would not open (which was fun). The car was left for about 20 minutes. When I returned and started the car again the a/c turned on straight away. I am thinking like you guys mentioned maybe start by replacing the FCIM. Do you think it is best getting a used one or see if I can get it new from Ford?

Thank you both for your suggestions and advice. I'll keep looking and update if I find anything.

Hi. So I did all the tests I could. I started off with another CCA test, then Cranking test, Charging system test, Ripple test. At the end I did another CCA test and noticed it said 661 from 636 at the beginning. Not sure if that is good or not. Would a few minutes of engine running make such a difference?

Thank you for your reply. The tester does indeed offer a few other tests so I will do them all and provide an update.

I believe 800CCA. That is what I put in the settings to test.

Hi. I finally got round to testing the battery with the tester you recommended. I have a photo of the result. I guess this means it is good? Any further ideas? Now that there is no hot weather there is no way to recreate the conditions to check if any solutions work; which is annoying.

Thank you for your reply. I just ordered myself one which will arrive end of next week. Is using this device self explanatory?

Well, checked all connections both on BCM and the power distribution box in the engine compartment. No signs of corrossion, sprayed them with contact cleaner anyway. Still not working. Starting to regret buying this car. Any ideas?

I also forgot to mention, I also noticed when the symtpoms appear, the park assist system will not work, I get the malfunction error. I do not use it hence why I did not notice it before but I got curious yesterday. If everything else works, the park assist seems to work too.

Update: This morning it happened again. Interestingly, I drove with the windows down (I had to, too hot) and it sorted itself mid-drive. However, I go back to the car after work and it has been like that since. I had a bit of time so took it to halfords to check the battery but they said it was good (see photo). I guess next step try replacing FCIM?

Once again this morning it is back to normal (a bit cooler today). I am really puzzled by this.