Sometimes my car wont start it’s a 2014 Ford focus. I normally need to jump start it 2 times a day one in the morning and sometimes lunch or at night. It’s not the battery as I have replaced. Or the starter or alternator. I have took it to 3 garages including my local Ford, they did a diagnostic and said everything was fine mainly. Worked for a week then didn’t. Done the same thing. Just wondering if it could be a loose earth or something similar. My local Ford garage has someone that can come out to do a diagnostic. He’s comes when Ford or any garage can’t figure it out. But that might not be until the end of December. Had to jump start it for the past month and it’s just a hassle. Does anyone have and ideas. Thank you
Is this car “new to you”, or have you owned it a long time, and this problem is new?
Has your driving pattern changed, do you now only do short drives each time you use it?
Yes, the ground (earth) could be bad. Find where the negative goes to the engine/chassis and clean it. Both connections to the battery should be clean. The shops you have had check your car should have done that. I don’t know what your dealership charges but mine is around $150 for a diagnosis.
Having said all that, the battery needs to be fully charged for a diagnosis. That might be why it worked for a week.
The other thing, did any of these shops check for parasitic draw?
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Just because you have a new battery doesn’t mean the battery isn’t faulty. I had a dead battery on a car several years ago. It was replaced but it wouldn’t turn over after a couple of weeks. I took it back to the shop that installed it and they replaced the battery. This happened again. Finally on the third battery it worked.
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The reason battery’s have warranty’s, is because they can go bad in a short amount of time, or be bad from the get go… If nothing was ever defective or went bad early, nothing would have warranty’s… Ever look in a new car dealerships shop, new cars having major work done, warranty repairs…
When it doesn’t start, what does it actually do? Strong crank? Weak crank? No crank?
Do you have a basic multimeter? I’d be curious to know the battery voltage on a no-start.
Presuming this is a no-crank problem. When I’ve had that problem the first test I do is measure the two input voltages to the starter motor during attempted cranking. The results often make the culprit obvious. Both should measure at least 10.5 volts. Disclaimer: I’m a knucklehead diy’er, not a pro mechanic. Both of my vehicles crank robustly every time.