# Electrical problems in 2002 Ford Focus **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** focus, batteries, electrical-wiring, ford\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092 "2010-02-25T03:40:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jbwright003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@jbwright003](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jbwright003)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/1 "2010-02-25T03:40:50Z")
I have a 2002 Ford Focus and I have been having electrical issues for a couple of years now. I’ve taken it to repair shops and no one can find anything wrong with it but of course they suggest changing the battery and alternator which I have done on 3 seperate occasions. The problem I am having now is that on cold mornings my car will not start. I’ll jump it, it will start, and it will be fine the rest of the day. The next morning the car will be dead once again. The battery was only 2 years old but I went ahead and bought a new one. Everything has been fine for the past couple of weeks but tonight when I put the car in park my check battery light came on for about 1 second went off and my car started sputtering. I had to keep pressing the gas pedal to keep the car from stalling. I went ahead and shut the car off and started it up again to see what would happen. Things seemed fine after that. Any thoughts to what might be going on? ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/2 "2010-02-25T03:54:35Z")
You probably have a loose or corroded ground connection, or corrosion through your main battery cables. There is nothing much to do with that except start looking. Trace out the battery cables and find any and all ground points. Pull them, clean them & reinstall them wrench tight. If that turns up nothing start peeling the insulation from your battery cables and look for corrosion. You may need to replace them. ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/3 "2010-02-25T06:36:38Z")
If the battery is being drained while the car is parked then have a shop check for a parasitic current drain on the battery. Normal current draw should be around 25 milliamps while the car is parked. ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/4 "2010-02-25T12:14:10Z")
One big drain that happens sometimes is that minuets and hours after the engine is shut off, the radiator cooling fan may come on, shut off, and maybe run again. This action will kill the battery. You could pull the radiator fan relay, after you shut off the engine; Then, the next morning, put the relay back in. If this cures the problem, replace the fan relay. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_s\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mark\_s\_Dad](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mark_s_Dad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/5 "2010-02-25T14:46:08Z")
Had a somewhat similar problem with a Tempo. It wouldn’t start when it was cold and damp. Turned out to be the coil. ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/6 "2010-02-25T20:28:58Z")
When it doesn’t start it doesn’t crank at all? Leave it with a mechanic who knows how to use a voltmeter. ---
**Author:** ![Jonibeth\_Pierangelino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@Jonibeth\_Pierangelino](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jonibeth_Pierangelino)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/electrical-problems-in-2002-ford-focus/45092/7 "2020-02-29T00:47:28Z")
why is battery light still on after changing the alternator and had the battery tested in a 2002 ford focus > [@jbwright003](#): > > I have a 2002 Ford Focus and I have been having electrical issues for a couple of years now. I’ve taken it to repair shops and no one can find anything wrong with it but of course they suggest changing the battery and alternator which I have done on 3 seperate occasions. > > > > The problem I am having now is that on cold mornings my car will not start. I’ll jump it, it will start, and it will be fine the rest of the day. The next morning the car will be dead once again. > > > > The battery was only 2 years old but I went ahead and bought a new one. Everything has been fine for the past couple of weeks but tonight when I put the car in park my check battery light came on for about 1 second went off and my car started sputtering. I had to keep pressing the gas pedal to keep the car from stalling. I went ahead and shut the car off and started it up again to see what would happen. Things seemed fine after that. > > > > Any thoughts to what might be going on? _[strong text](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-charger-or-battery-maintainer/16708)_