My Puma 1.7, more than a year on (A works in progress)

[tuonokid]

Hi Sinisa
Yes this system seems to be the dogs! I can't see me getting in so deep as to be coding diesel injectors or messing about in PATS but I can see me using it on my Westy as the ICV needs setting on that as it nearly stalls sometimes when I dip the clutch at junctions. Does this system work on EECIV and EECV1 ECUs as well?
Barry
PS I can't do rolling tests as yet as the laptop battery is kaput so I will either have to buy a new battery or an in car charger if one is available.

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Please, refer to the list of supported models here: http://forscan.org/download.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[tuonokid]

Cheers Sinisa
It looks like the earliest vehicles listed are EECV the same as the Puma. Ah well never mind at least I can use it on the Puma and my Fiesta 6A.
Thanks again for your help :grin:
Barry

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

TBH, I don't think earlier cars are eqipped with an OBD connector?

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Sinisa
Yes it has an OBD connector but the EEC1V set up is very basic. When I first got the Westy it was stumbling on acceleration so I went to a local Ford garage for diagnostics and they only thing it picked up was it was running on<95 octane rating (retarded ignition?). So I went through some old workshop manuals and worked out the electrics were probably from a 95 Escort then found in the diag that there were 2 plugs that should have been plugged together which enabled the 95 octane rating. Turns out in the end it was the MAF as when that was taken away the car run really well so every year for MOT day I have to reconnect the MAF to get it past emissions test.
Barry

 

[tuonokid]

The car's been running pretty well lately, including the trip to Ford Fair but lately the door open light's been flashing on whilst I've been driving. I knew it was the bonnet switch as when I first started working on the car I kept catching it on my clothes until it eventually started self destructing every time I caught it and I lost count the number of times I had to search for the plunger in the garage. The last fix had been to put some double sided sticky foam and a piece of aluminium on the bonnet to press the switch down further but this barely worked now.

So I had a look through one of my boxes full of grommets and other stuff and came up with this;

So now the plungers got a little rubber hat and no more warning light

Still rummaging about in the engine bay I noticed there was some antifreeze staining below the coilpack on the cover I'd taken off and cleaned up previously.

When I managed to get my hand underneath the large house I could feel that it was wet and I could see anti freeze crystallization around the end of the hose (as I'd cleaned off earlier)
I managed to tighten it a little more with a 7mm socket and it seemed to do the trick so it's fingers crossed time.

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Nice one, Barry!

 

[tuonokid]

Cheers Sinisa :grin:

 

[XAF]

Well, tonight I went round to see Barry for him to read the fault code for the ABS light. Barry did the important stuff (make the tea) whilst our technical director for the evening (Barry's son!) fired up the laptop and Forscan. Thanks so much to Sinisa for helping Barry get it working as without it I'd have been stuck.

So, whole bunch of tests done and turns out the ABS fault is the front right sensor, but it also chucked up a few other strange faults.

Error with fuel tank sender - gauge is working fine!
Bad earth to instrument cluster - also working fine..
And lastly a fault with the power steering switch.

The last one got me thinking as I've thought for a while that the steering has felt overly heavy as slow speeds. Getting the FRP only made it seem even worse as the steering on that is really light as slow speeds. Does anyone know whether a faulty pressure switch would cause this, and is it easy to change?

I think I may even have a brand new one in my parts hoard.../

Any idea folks?!!

 

[tuonokid]

Hi James
I'm sure you'll find a spare switch in your ceiling of OCDness, I wouldn't mind doing a supermarket sweep up there! :grin:
To be fair to Forscan as well you didn't mention that you had a non standard instrument cluster in your car which may have been giving the codes.
Glad we found the ABS fault, though and it beats grovelling about underneath the car.
Barry

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Does anyone know whether a faulty pressure switch would cause this, and is it easy to change?

I think I may even have a brand new one in my parts hoard.../

Any idea folks?!!

The faulty PSP switch is manifesting in engine revs dropping when you turn the SW. It is telling the PCM (ECU) that you are turning the SW and to rise revs a bit to make up for the extra effort of the steering pump. The servo pump is working all the time, it is a hydraualic system run by the engine. For puma the pump is modified so the assistance drops off as the revs (i.e the speed) rise for maximum steering wheel feel in comparison to fiesta of the same age.

Lubricating all the components in steering will make your steering lighter as the resistance within the system will be lower.

The PSP is dead easy to replace, it is below the front right light. The biggest problem you will face is undoing it and not bending the rest of pipeing. Once you undo it, have prepared thespare one as the steering fluid will start dripping out, but if you are quick (engine off!!! so no pressure by the pump in the system) you will swap them and have only few drops of fluid escaped.

The PSP switch can be checked by multimeter; it?s default state is closed, IIRC, when in operation it should be opened. So on idle you should read a short circuit, and when the SW is turned it should read open circuit i.e. 0 Ohm. Will check later and come to you with correct information

PS: Glad that you made a good use of Forscan

 

[XAF]

Lovely. Thanks Sinisa.

The revs do drop when you turn the wheel, but from what you've said it won't be that that's causing the heavy steering.

It's had new wishbones, drop links and struts, any other key joints to lubricate?

 

[tuonokid]

Hi James and Sinisa
I would have thought that the PSP switch when the steering operated would have (through the ECU) opened the idle control valve to raise the revs (hence why operating the steering is one of the tests on the ICV reset on Forscan)
But I could be talking complete bo***cks. :grin:
Barry

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Barry, you need to operate the SW during that test. The rise in pressure opens the PSP switch and PCM (ECU) acts accordingally. Whether it opens ICV or not, I don't know. Possibly. Probably. The point is that PSP is just what it is called: a switch that opens-closes :wink:

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

The PSP switch can be checked by multimeter; it's default state is closed, IIRC, when in operation it should be opened. So on idle you should read a short circuit, and when the SW is turned it should read open circuit i.e. 0 Ohm. Will check later and come to you with correct information

Confirmed. Default state (i.e. low pressure) is closed, high pressure opens it

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Sinisa
All useful information. Just been out and checked my car at tickover when warm and when operating the steering the tickover decreases slightly until the wheel has been turned more than 180 deg at which point the ICV kicks in and increases the tickover. This is exactly the situation asked for in the ICV reset on Forscan.
Barry

 

[tuonokid]

I've not done much with the Puma lately but it was always on my mind about constructing a splash shield for the cat to stop it from giving an EML if I splashed through a deep puddle as it did on the way to the RS National day.

As can be seen from the photo the sports cat is underneath the car and prone to water splashes and generally running cool. I did check on the net to see if the cat could be heat wrapped but the consensus I got on there was that it was not a good idea.

There wasn't anything suitable under the car to fasten the shield to so I decided to hang it off the exhaust using these parts, 2 jubilee clips, 2 s/s strips and 2 s/s nuts and bolts.

Mounting brackets in place. When I heat wrap the front pipes and seal the cat I'll get rid of the jubilee clips by welding the brackets to the exhaust

Aluminium sheet bolted in place. The only trouble now is that I really need to get under the car to make a nice factory looking fit so it looks like I'll be looking for a four poster or a pit I can borrow for a bit. Note the clearance between the cat and the aluminium as the cat can run up to circa 900 deg and the aluminium can melt at 660 deg

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

How about putting a SS plate instead of aluminum? If you polish it to a high gloss, the heat transfr will be at its lowest and the cat will run hottest possible

 

[tuonokid]

Hi Sinisa
Good idea in theory but I don't have a sheet of S/S and I think it may be far harder to bend it into the complicated shape I need without creasing it.
Barry

 

[Wild E. Coyote]

Ok, I see your point. But, polish the aluminum to high gloss to reduce the heat transfer. It will make it's life easier :wink: