12V battery really that critical?

[FXT]

In the process of diagnosing a failed steering system on my 2014 FFH SE. I read around that the 12V battery is fairly critical to running all the electronic systems and at quick glance there was a reading of 10.x volts in FORScan somewhere.

My question is that if the 12V battery was an issue with contributing yo the FSCM failure, wouldnt there be other modules failing also?

 

Just a general question as I dive in the deep end to try and diagnose this issue myself before having a dealer dip into my wallet. Thanks

[eGuru]

What are the symptoms of your failed steering system - failure codes, etc.

 

Absolutely,  a failing 12V battery will cause all kinds of issues.

10.x volts is definitely a bad value. If the battery is over 3 years old - just replace it. Don't bother to have it "tested".

 

If your battery is newer, invest in a DMM to get a proper voltage measurement and help with this and future diagnosis.

[FXT]

Well the initial symptoms are that the electronically assisted steering is null. its like a tank to drive. This happened when the wife was driving in Heavy rainy conditions last weekend.

The left display has "Steering Assist Fault", "Service AdvanceTrac" prompts as well as hill start assist, lane keeping disabled etc blah blah

When i started it after she returned it seemed fine until i touched the steeering wheel then it was triggered again. same with the 3rd time and now it just lights up all those upon starting the car.

 

I have FORScanned it but have not delved into it much further because there was a lot of other stuff related to my my initial visual inspection so Ill get to that later but the reason i ask about the 12v battery is that if its output was that low under load driving, wouldnt it most probably display other issues as well?

 

I have looked at the battery physically and there is a 12 and 13 on the bottom which is the only indication that it is the original 12v.

 

I do plan to replace it but want to try and clear all the shit that is thrown in the modules so i can hopefully get a pinpoint to where the problem is and work from A>B

 

Thanks for the reply, ill post back with some more information soon!

[FXT]

So I was able to get a laptop with forscan and an adapter to get information from the car.

After clearing all the codes and waiting for the system to recheck or find a fault, these were the issues:

PSCM contained code U3000:49-8A with symptom "Internal Electronic Failure"

ABS U0420:86-AB "Signal Invalid"

ABS U0420:00-AB "Invalid Data Received from Power Control Module A"

PAM U0415:00-2B "Invalid Data Received from Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Control Module A"

Im assuming the PAM issue is related to the ABS issue and the ABS issue is related to the PSCM issue. These current codes are after clearing ALL of the codes the program initially pulled where I will not post them all to avoid confusion but as I mentioned, there were some lower voltage readings and it seems the battery has never been replaced.

I have obtained a new battery from ford today which will be installed tomorrow, have everything reset again and the failure attempted to be replicated.

The steering currently shudders and is "squeaky" after the initial resets and eventually fails again. Unsure if this is mechanical or because of a low voltage supply but time will tell.

 

If I do need to replace the steering gear/rack is it possible for forscan to backup the module and flash the new rack with the same values or that a different thing or capability forscan does not have?

I have searched and looked at the forscan website but have not found anything relating. Obviously if I needed to take it to the dealership to get it programmed, i would.

 

Also, having replaced the battery should I reset any of the modules or only if it continues to present a failure?

I see some videos around saying to reset the PCM after having the battery disconnected for lengthy periods of time.

Some experienced replies would be more advantageous rather than throwing shit to the wall and seeing if it sticks!

 

Thanks again for any replies!

[FXT]

replaced the battery and now it seems the steering side of the rack is not getting power. The steering wheel angle is not reading and module supply voltage is none. The torque sensor is reading though.

but it seems like all the fusion forums i have visited are pretty much dead? It only like one or two people replying and im sure that is undesirable for a few people to be answering all the questions.

[bbf2530]

54 minutes ago, FXT said:

replaced the battery and now it seems the steering side of the rack is not getting power. The steering wheel angle is not reading and module supply voltage is none. The torque sensor is reading though.

but it seems like all the fusion forums i have visited are pretty much dead? It only like one or two people replying and im sure that is undesirable for a few people to be answering all the questions.

 

Hi FXT. Unfortunately, your issue is on the more technically intensive level. Not one that most Fusion owners will have tackled on their own.

 

eGuru is one of our several technically oriented members. Hopefully he may be able to point you in the right direction with the bit of information you have so far.

 

Good luck.

[eGuru]

8 hours ago, FXT said:

replaced the battery and now it seems the steering side of the rack is not getting power. The steering wheel angle is not reading and module supply voltage is none. The torque sensor is reading though.

but it seems like all the fusion forums i have visited are pretty much dead? It only like one or two people replying and im sure that is undesirable for a few people to be answering all the questions.

Hi FXT. Are all these symptoms being reported by ForScan or are you making measurements with a DMM?

Have you examined the connections/wires at the rack for corrosion damage - especially since you mention that the problem first surfaced during wet driving conditions.

 

There are many pin-point tests that can be performed using only a DMM but they would require significant amount of effort on your part.

 

Unfortunately I am in the middle of moving to a new house and don't have access to the documentation to perform the tests at this time.

It will probably be a week before I will be able to dig them out.

 

In the mean time, keep us updated and good luck.

Edited December 3, 2020 by eGuru
typo

[FXT]

13 minutes ago, eGuru said:

Hi FXT. Are all these symptoms being reported by ForScan or are you making measurements with a DMM?

I have just used the FORScan program not a DMM. Ive never used FS but while it seems daunting at first have found it to be very useful.

Initially I was able to clear all the codes, in fact after clearing just the PAM DTC, visually on screen that as well as the ABS and PSCM were cleared also. I dont know if this is normal?

The steering system came back to life albeit with a whirring sound and vibration/jittering through the steering wheel when turning before failing again.

After replacing the 12V battery, FS will not clear any of the 4 codes. It cycles through the process and after re-reading the modules they are all still there.

 

 

13 minutes ago, eGuru said:

Have you examined the connections/wires at the rack for corrosion damage - especially since you mention that the problem first surfaced during wet driving conditions.

I did examine what I could (its fairly tight in there, lol). I am going to attempt to get further with it the next warmish day available as Im in the NE and im working outdoors on the ground.

 

13 minutes ago, eGuru said:

There are many pin-point tests that can be performed using only a DMM but they would require significant amount of effort on your part.

If you were kind enough to provide anything I would definitely give it a try. Am proficient with a DMM and have worked on all my cars myself with the exception of a few times. But am having a mechanic friend help out best he can depending on what tools his shop has available so I might still be in need of some help.

 

13 minutes ago, eGuru said:

Unfortunately I am in the middle of moving to a new house and don't have access to the documentation to perform the tests at this time.

It will probably be a week before I will be able to dig them out. 

 

In the mean time, keep us updated and good luck.

Ill post some more info I have found out below, if you wanted to go over it at your own leisure. I will definitely post what I have through to the end as it may help someone else without finding an unfinished dead thread!

Appreciative of any advice or assistance anyone can give me

 

This is the Oscilloscope from the PSCM Module first time i played with FORScan.

As you can see Module Voltage (RED) is reading correctly. The troughs are when i had turned the wheel and let it go to self center. Just a minor drop in voltage. Most probably normal.

And there is adequate readings from the Torque Sensor (LIGHT BLUE) and Steering Wheel Angle Sensor (PURPLE)

I can not remember if this was performed with the codes clear or not. I'm assuming when they were clear.....and this was with the original battery.

BECAUSE NOW

after changing to a new battery (Motorcraft BXT99RT4A) the Module Voltage (RED) and Steering Wheel Angle Sensor (now LIGHT BLUE) are dead

Codes mentioned in previous post that were clearing are now not.

 

I'm comparing the results in the tests from this video while not the same faults to determine that the PSCM has failed but that is not 100% confirmed

 

 

[FXT]

So I ended up getting the problem fixed. In a nutshell it WAS the steering rack that had failed.

The way that i tested it was to take the chance and purchase a used steering rack, subsequently from a 2013 fusion hybrid.

By unplugging the failed unit still in the car (two outer plugs on the rack motor side), the harness has enough slack to allow another unit to be plugged in underneath the vehicle raised on ramps or similar.

Using forscan to clear the codes allowed the vehicle to do its re-testing thing and the codes disappeared. Manipulating the steering shaft with some vice grips as seen in the video above didnt throw any codes so I took the chance yesterday and installed the used rack.

I purchased one on ebay for $120 from a damaged vehicle that had rear end damage only!

Other thing I did because I could was used the free 2 month full trial version of forscan to pull the Asbuilt data from my broken rack and flashed them to the used replacement.

So far everything seems great and fingers crossed it lasts some period of time.

Overall it took me and a mate about 2 hours with a lift (not on the ground)

One other thing I noticed was that the replacement rack had the wax protectorate sprayed around where the motor attaches to the rack so im presuming that it either had it applied at some point or the rack was actually replaced in the donor car previously. Mine did not have the wax applied.

 

Hope this helps someone in the same situation.

[ErnieB]

On 1/17/2021 at 3:28 PM, FXT said:

Other thing I did because I could was used the free 2 month full trial version of forscan to pull the Asbuilt data from my broken rack and flashed them to the used replacement.

 

On 1/17/2021 at 3:28 PM, FXT said:

Using forscan to clear the codes allowed the vehicle to do its re-testing thing and the codes disappeared.

Thanks a lot for sharing FXT, I have the same problem. It started when we had a lot of snow and I was running thru drifts so I thot it was snow/ice making problems with the steering unit because I lost my splash shield but now that it's all melted I can't find anything messed up and from my research I'm guessing it's simply a bad unit. My question is, do I need to do all that forscan deleting codes and reflashing like you did or can I just swap out the unit and be good to go? Or maybe you don't know, if you did all of that before trying out the new unit.

[FXT]

9 hours ago, ErnieB said:

 

do I need to do all that forscan deleting codes and reflashing like you did or can I just swap out the unit and be good to go? Or maybe you don't know, if you did all of that before trying out the new unit. 

I wouldn't know exactly to be honest. From what I have read, the values in any cars electronic devices can be specific to that vehicle depending on what options it has. What variances a steering rack would have over any other vehicles would be any ones guess. I suppose things like the lane detection would be an option depending on which model? I just did it to be safe and learn a little I suppose. A lot of the YT videos I watched they were just straight swaps with no reprogramming.

Edited February 27, 2021 by FXT

[ErnieB]

Alright thanks, I have a replacement gear ordered but it'll probably be at least a week until I get it installed. I'll try just doing a swap and let y'all know what happens.

[FXT]

Just for reference sake:

Ford sell the replacement rack for $1500 and about $500-$1000 in labor to install

CARiD have remanufactured racks for about $500

and as mentioned above, I bought mine in eBay from a vehicle that only showed rear damage for $120

[FXT]

17 hours ago, ErnieB said:

Alright thanks, I have a replacement gear ordered but it'll probably be at least a week until I get it installed. I'll try just doing a swap and let y'all know what happens.

This was the video that I found easiest and most helpful, Goodluck!