electrical issue

[mike from the rock]

I recently ran into some electrical issues that might be familiar to some. Posted this by mistake under new members. The short version is warning lights coming on and going off. Radio and convertible top working and not working. Think it's the Smart Junction Box as there was some signs of corrosion but can't be sure. Might also be a computer or cluster problem. Any ideas on how I could narrow down the problem before wasting money on things that are not gone bad?

 

[DieHarder]

Symptoms appear to point towards the SJB. Remove it and check/clean terminals and connector connections with electrical contact cleaner. An old toothbrush works well for this. After cleaning plug it back in. If symptoms change you're on the right track. If you need to replace/rebuild it some forum members who've done it may have sources they can share. Otherwise, you'll be lucky to find an exact year/model replacement. They're getting pretty rare anymore.

 

[86GT351]

Check under hood to see if the cowl drains are clogged. If they are remove them completely. If they are clogged you are almost guaranteed that the SJB is an issue.

 

[Pentalab]

Check under hood to see if the cowl drains are clogged. If they are remove them completely. If they are clogged you are almost guaranteed that the SJB is an issue.

Yank out both drains. They are on the firewall, and protrude into the eng bay. There is one on each side...they are black, and semi soft rubber. I pulled both of mine, and a ton of water came out. That's what's causing the SJB to get flooded out. My pass carpet was wet too.

 

[86GT351]

Yank out both drains. They are on the firewall, and protrude into the eng bay. There is one on each side...they are black, and semi soft rubber. I pulled both of mine, and a ton of water came out. That's what's causing the SJB to get flooded out. My pass carpet was wet too.

Correct. When the water gets trapped it goes through the Cabin Filter box which is under the cowl behind that battery. The box can only hold so much before it starts intruding into the car. Replace cabin filter and deodorize the box to get rid of any mold or mildew spore.

 

[Pentalab]

Correct. When the water gets trapped it goes through the Cabin Filter box which is under the cowl behind that battery. The box can only hold so much before it starts intruding into the car. Replace cabin filter and deodorize the box to get rid of any mold or mildew spore.

pull em out....then toss em. Put some pliers or channel locks on em, then yard em out. They serve no real function to begin with.

 

[mike from the rock]

I removed the drain plug on the right (passenger) side a couple of years ago when they did plug and let water in through the cabin filter. Didn't have any problems with electrical until this year. Besides issues with wires being burnt when they come in contact with the exhaust, does anyone no other places i should check for damaged or frayed wires?

 

[mike from the rock]

Symptoms appear to point towards the SJB. Remove it and check/clean terminals and connector connections with electrical contact cleaner. An old toothbrush works well for this. After cleaning plug it back in. If symptoms change you're on the right track. If you need to replace/rebuild it some forum members who've done it may have sources they can share. Otherwise, you'll be lucky to find an exact year/model replacement. They're getting pretty rare anymore.

I checked the SJB, bit of corrosion in the bottom connector. Took it apart but no damage inside. All the contacts were good and the board did not look like it had any water damage. At a lose on where to look next. Brake warning light and tire pressure warning lights are still on and dash lights, radio and convertible hood not working

 

[mike from the rock]

Update on where things stand. tossed the cowl right side drain plug a couple years ago. No watet intrusion since. The electrical issues only started recently with the brake warning light staying on along with tpms fault, no radio, convertible hood or night time dash lights. This problem would come and go at random. Then it started to change to Brake warning light, Traction control lights (both) with have advancetrac serviced and the radio and hood would work again. It would switch back and forth between these scenarios until finally ending with the first scenario all the time. I took apart the SJB and looked for damage or bad connections but found none. Any suggestions on what to check or do next would be appreciated. Thanks for all the feedback.
P.S. I also had the switch on the consul that controls Traction, Emergency lights and Trunk release go bad. Would this have anything to do with my present electrical issues?.

 

[mike from the rock]

Update on what where i stand on my electrical issues. I replaced the traction control/emergency flasher/trunk switch with a new one that cost me about 70 dollars. That took care of the traction light problem. Unfortunately, the other problems remained. Brake warning light and TPMS light on with no radio, climate control or convertible hood. Brought the car to the local Ford dealership to get the problem diagnosed before spending big money. They determined it to most likely be the smart junction box (SJB) so I gave them the go ahead to put one in and program it. When they tried to program they couldn't. just went into a continuous loop. Said that it was probably due to a mismatched wire where I had bypassed the C210 connector (corroded) and spliced and soldered the wires separately. I've since been trying to find a electrical diagram for the C210 connector for my 2013 V6 without luck. Found one for a 2012 from Charm but it has some differences. I need this to check that the wires are connected as they should be. Had pictures before the splicing and could identify most wires and the wires they connected to. However, a couple of wire connections I couldn't confirm this way. They were a grey wire and blue wire female connector that connect to either one of the blue/grey or blue/white wires on the male connector. Don't know which way they go. I could try to get this from ford but if anyone has a diagram for the C210 that would be easier.

 

[MrBhp]

Maybe @86GT351

 

[86GT351]

Sounds like an interna SJB issue!

 

[DieHarder]

Update on what where i stand on my electrical issues. I replaced the traction control/emergency flasher/trunk switch with a new one that cost me about 70 dollars. That took care of the traction light problem. Unfortunately, the other problems remained. Brake warning light and TPMS light on with no radio, climate control or convertible hood. Brought the car to the local Ford dealership to get the problem diagnosed before spending big money. They determined it to most likely be the smart junction box (SJB) so I gave them the go ahead to put one in and program it. When they tried to program they couldn't. just went into a continuous loop. Said that it was probably due to a mismatched wire where I had bypassed the C210 connector (corroded) and spliced and soldered the wires separately. I've since been trying to find a electrical diagram for the C210 connector for my 2013 V6 without luck. Found one for a 2012 from Charm but it has some differences. I need this to check that the wires are connected as they should be. Had pictures before the splicing and could identify most wires and the wires they connected to. However, a couple of wire connections I couldn't confirm this way. They were a grey wire and blue wire female connector that connect to either one of the blue/grey or blue/white wires on the male connector. Don't know which way they go. I could try to get this from ford but if anyone has a diagram for the C210 that would be easier.

Rough location for C210: https://iihs.net/fsm/?d=711&f=151 - Component Location Views.pdf&p=11

According to what I can find C210 is an interconnect or pass thru. Essentially, it's a convenient point to break the circuit so you can test/verify/replace parts and the like. Maybe there's a connector view somewhere but I can't find it in the electronic manual. Perhaps someone else does or has a different manual that shows that connector in detail?

 

[mike from the rock]

Thanks DieHarder

 

[mike from the rock]

Sounds like an interna SJB issue!

My thoughts too, but the dealer is having trouble programming a new SJB. That is why I'm looking for the wiring diagram for the C210 connector. Need to check that I have everything connected correctly.