Well today the tach was not working at all and the check gauge, check engine and glow plug lights are staying on. Truck runs and starts great, everything else seems to work except the trans temp gauge. Did a search for the GEM and could not find anything that indicates the GEM controls the tach and warning lights. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

You need to read your fault codes with a compatible scanner for our engine.. It will point you in the right direction..

 

I read the codes and it said there were none.

 

Codes must be read with a compatible scanner, most of the parts store or less expensive scanners/readers will not detect.

 

If your check engine is on... you have codes to read...

 

My scanner if specific to our fords, it is built into my superchip programmer that accepts online downloads and it has always found any issues I had in the past. On another note I plan on upgrading to DP when I can get some of my mods finished (don't want to have to return it for the changes) and I can also get the AE. I run studded snow tires in the winter which are factory size and a larger summer tire and I can reprogram the tire size with my superchip. That ability with the scanner for our trucks makes it a nice tool.

 

No, there are no codes stored. It is an electrical issue because on a long drive and the heater on the lights go off, hell they even go off when plowing my place and all the neighbors I help after the big storms. Usually the truck just needs to run long enough and they go out. Just another thing there is no water coming in from the windshield or the cab lights as some have said they had when having similar electrical problems, a fair amount of snow gets in the cab from boots and the like which puts a fair amount of water into the cab and the truck does not get driven all that much during the winter as I have a take home ride for work. We have had some real big storms as of lately, I-80 was closed for a coulpe days to truck traffic, and the problem got worse.

Like I said in the original post I did research on here and the main thing that gets mentioned is the GEM for similar issues but I could not find any listing of the tach, trans temp gauge, and the mentioned lights being run through the GEM, so can anybody confirm whether they do or not?

Thanks.

 

Just for fun.. disconnect both batteries for 30 minutes or so and reconnect them..
OK on the Superchip.. that should work... sometimes I forget to turn the ignition key to "on" when using my Diablosport turner and I get the message "no stored fault codes" when they is some stored.

 

Well you want to hear some strange stuff. This morning we needed to go to Reno for a tax appointment and some errands. Same problem as described earlier, five minutes into the drive tach starts working and all lights except glowplug light go off. Get into Reno and get slowed down on freeway and notice the tach is stopped (stuck) on 2000 rpm (my cruising speed). Get to our appointment, truck parked in the sun all closed up for 1 1/2 hours, come out start truck and all lights go off and the tach is working again. The trans temp gauge starts acting like it is intermitently losing power, moves from normal to the bottom and back and forth. All else seems fine. Another code scan and again no codes. A few mores stops with the truck closed up (getting warm inside cab) and all is working fine, no lights, tach works (not sticking), trans gauge not bouncing. A few more errand stops and it still seems fine. I guess tomorrow will tell.

Any ideas other than moisture someplace it should not be? Like I said earlier the truck does not get driven much in the winter so it gets moisture brought into the cab and does not get driven or warm enough to dry out.

Clint with what I just described do you feel it would still be necessary to disconnect the batteries?

Thanks.

 

I would at least check and clean all the battery connectors. And the main ground wire that goes chassis or engine.... (my wifes Cougar was acting strange awhile back and it ended up being one of the battery lugs coming out of the battery was corroided completely thru and just sitting on top battery.. had to replace the battery... weird)

 

When I first bought my 02 the tach and the trans temp worked intermitenly and the tach would sometimes get stuck around 1800-2000. I didn't have the light issue tho. I called the dealer and explained and he asked for my mileage and sent me a whole new cluster on them and haven't had an issue since.

 

Well it gets stranger. I got out to move the truck to change the oil after it sat for better than a hour with the windows open. Low and behold same darn issues, tach, trans temp and lights again. Move it, change the oil, filter and fire it back up, still same issue. So I figure I will turn on the heater and let it idle while I pull the fuse box down to look for the GEM and any other issues I might find. Did not find any thing attached to the fuse box, like other post described for the GEM, wiggled all the plugs on the back, tried to find loose connections (none found) and still same problem. As I am doing other things in the truck the tach starts working but sticking, trans gauge is bouncing. Next the lights go out except glow plug and tach is no longer sticking and trans gauge is steady, don't know in what order as I was doing other things. A little while later I check again and the glow plug light is now off also. It runs for about another hour and no issues. This is weird. Seems to work fine when the cab gets warm inside.

88f1504x4 (don't know your name), did they get you a complete gauge cluster or just the tach and trans temp gauge? Did you replace the parts or did it go back to the stealership?

Thanks.
.

 

Did you remove and clean all your battery connectors yet and check the ground cable ?

 

The name is Kenny. They sent me the whole gauge cluster programmed with my mileage. I changed it our my self no need to take it back to them and wait.

 

First off thanks for the replys.
Clint, The batteries are less than a month old and cleaner than I am. The visible grounds are good, don't know about the grounds on the back of the gauge cluster though. The problem existed before and after the change. I have not disconnected them though, I know that would help wipe the computer clean but I am skeptical on it being a computer issue especially after it cleared up again last night after letting it run with the heater on and putting in new batteries did not make it go away. But hey stranger things have happened.

Kenny thanks for the info, did you see or suspect what could have been the problem when you replaced your gauge cluster? Did you get your truck new and what was the mileage when your problem showed up?

These guys are helping but has anybody got info on a GEM in '02 trucks or what ever they replaced it with, I thought I read something about the '02 being replaced with a VSM(?).

Thanks