Hi All,

I wonder if you could help please. My wife has a Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.25 MK4, 2000 registration.

It's been off the road for approx 3 years due to a change in work. We've since tried to get this back on the road. Other than a flat battery (completely dead) it runs perfectly OK. It needs a little work to get it through the MOT, but that's to be expected.

It was driven about 7 miles with the dead battery (after it was jumped by our mechanic) and no problems with the driving.

However when the mechanic (a friend in a nearby industrial unit) replaced the dead battery within about a minute, and without the key in the ignition, the car filled with smoke and popped one of the 7.5A fuses, which I am told is for the instrument cluster.

As soon as the fuse is replaced it would burn out the fuse again - no more smoke.

The instrument cluster has been removed, and I had a look at the rear. Two of the high current components have completely burnt out - probably causing a short.

The car will function without the instrument cluster, and when not installed the fuse doesn't burn out. The car also starts and functions perfectly OK - of course minus the instrument cluster. The engine runs, the interior and exterior lights work, the radio etc.

My thoughts were to replace the instrument cluster - they're about £20 on eBay. However my concern is that there is a short in the wiring loom somewhere and that will be a quick waste of money.

The mechanic suggests that the fuse didn't immediately blow, but rather about 10 seconds after being installed and he believes that the immobiliser may be kicking in after a specific time period, and due to a short or fault somewhere it is then blowing the fuse.

The instrument cluster is the same one on this eBay auction here - which is what I am looking at potentially buying; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MK-4-5-Fie...item2a4b6ebc4b

Has anyone come across this before and any ideas? Thanks for your help!

 

Quite possible that it got very damp whilst sitting and caused a short to earth. I would give a new cluster a go see what happens. Not sure weather the mileage is stored in the cluster or fed from the ecu, so you may need to get this changed afterwards.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I dont think the property got too damp, as it was stored in a car-port. The brakes weren't rusty in any way and well away from any rain/weather.

Is this a potential common fault?

Do you think there is anything I can try and trace the fault? The mechanic is worried that a mouse may have got into the car and potentially chewed on the loom? There was no evidence of this though.

 

Could the battery have been connected wrong when replacing or jump starting?

 

Never run a car with a flat battery for any distance as it will try to charge it at full power and will burn out the alternator if the battery is unchargable is your alternator OK it could have overloaded the system and caused the short