Way back in October or November last year I had an electrical issue with my 3.8 v6, it was a problem much discussed on this forum. I had just started the engine and engaged gear when suddenly the engine died, thinking it was something I’d done I just selected neutral again and cranked the engine, no start, I then noticed the odometer no longer showed numbers just a series of dashes and the immobiliser was flashing the code 1-6 .
Firstly I thought it was just the anti theft system acting up and tried many ways to re set the theft light all to no avail, searching on the net brought me to this forum, and I’m very grateful for the information and advice I received from here. After checking the fuses as suggested all clues pointed to the ccrm.
It’s not as easy in the U.K. to buy parts for mustangs other than the usual service parts and most parts are quite expensive compared to what they are in the USA , I decided that as the ccrm seemed to be faulty them there wouldn’t be harm in taking it apart to see how it works or in this case doesn’t work.
After gaining access to the ccrm I unplugged and unbolted it and removed it from the car, I removed the screws holding the top cover and opened it up, this exposed the circuit board together with the relays but I couldn’t access the under side of the board so the securing rivets were very carefully drilled out the circuit board was then lifted out.
I could now test the circuits through the relays using a multi meter set to ohms testing on the under side where the relay connections were soldered in. I quickly found the failed relay, no circuit through the switching side of the relay, to remove the relay was another matter, trying to melt out the solder to free the relay proved difficult but with patience the relay was removed. The relay itself had to be modified as in the spade connectors were too wide and had to be cut down at the edges of the connectors to get the relay to fit into its position, it was a simple matter then to re-solder the connectors to the board. The circuit board was put back into its position and bolts used to secure it in place of the rivets, the cover was refitted and the whole package put back onto the car. Then came the moment of truth, I switched on the ignition and was greeted with numbers on the odometer and the theft light working as it should, I cranked and engine and was happy to hear it fire up.
I hope this is of some help to people suffering the same issues, but I accept no responsibility for any damage that may be caused whilst attempting repairs, just wish I’d took more photos of the process. Good luck.
Firstly I thought it was just the anti theft system acting up and tried many ways to re set the theft light all to no avail, searching on the net brought me to this forum, and I’m very grateful for the information and advice I received from here. After checking the fuses as suggested all clues pointed to the ccrm.
It’s not as easy in the U.K. to buy parts for mustangs other than the usual service parts and most parts are quite expensive compared to what they are in the USA , I decided that as the ccrm seemed to be faulty them there wouldn’t be harm in taking it apart to see how it works or in this case doesn’t work.
After gaining access to the ccrm I unplugged and unbolted it and removed it from the car, I removed the screws holding the top cover and opened it up, this exposed the circuit board together with the relays but I couldn’t access the under side of the board so the securing rivets were very carefully drilled out the circuit board was then lifted out.
I could now test the circuits through the relays using a multi meter set to ohms testing on the under side where the relay connections were soldered in. I quickly found the failed relay, no circuit through the switching side of the relay, to remove the relay was another matter, trying to melt out the solder to free the relay proved difficult but with patience the relay was removed. The relay itself had to be modified as in the spade connectors were too wide and had to be cut down at the edges of the connectors to get the relay to fit into its position, it was a simple matter then to re-solder the connectors to the board. The circuit board was put back into its position and bolts used to secure it in place of the rivets, the cover was refitted and the whole package put back onto the car. Then came the moment of truth, I switched on the ignition and was greeted with numbers on the odometer and the theft light working as it should, I cranked and engine and was happy to hear it fire up.
I hope this is of some help to people suffering the same issues, but I accept no responsibility for any damage that may be caused whilst attempting repairs, just wish I’d took more photos of the process. Good luck.