Well... after ordering a bunch of new parts for the Ex... I had to cancel my order because she decided she was going to start acting up again.

It started with the blower motor that wouldn't turn off by itself when the truck was turned off. I forgot to turn the fan off one night and woke up to a dead battery. Got my dad to come give me a boost and it would turn but not start and the anti theft light in the dash was blinking fast.

Later in the day I got another boost and it started right up.

This was yesterday... after the last boost and startup I went and got a few things, stopped to get gas... started back up fine each time.

Last night I was greasing zerks and making sure everything in the front end was nice and tight when the abs module started clicking... and the anti theft started blinking and truck wouldn't start. Left it alone and went to bed.

This morning I boosted it and it started fine. Later in the day it wouldn't start again because of the anti theft. Gave it 5 minutes and it started. Stopped to get gas... wouldn't start (anti theft)... started after about 5 minutes.

On the way back home... it's been making this 5 beep, pause, 5 beeps, pause sequence so I pulled it into the garage and turned it off now the locks are locking/unlocking by themselves randomly, the beeping is on and off, anti theft light blinks for a few minutes then goes away only to come back...

I've been told to remove the fuse box under the hood and check to make sure all connections are clean... has anyone ever had this problem? I've searched and seen possible solutions ranging from a dirty connection to needing a new GEM module and apparently sometimes just a low voltage situation will cause our trucks to act nuts...

 

I'd try a different battery if you have access to one. I have seen some pretty crazy @#$% caused by weak batteries. Just a thought. Good luck!

 

Have you had rain recently? Windshield leaking onto electronics behind/under dash leads to odd electricalisms.

First, have your battery(s) load tested and verify alternator. The blower running all day suggests more than battery or alternator issue.

 

Ill have the battery tested... if it's good how do I test fuse box/GEM? Or am I just stuck buying new and hoping it fixes the problem?

 

Sounds like the GEM, does your windshield leak, if it does it is just like the rest of ours and it drips behind the dash and gets the GEM wet.

 

You ain't lyin....

August 2007 the batteries on my '01 took a beating after my alternator died. Thought I was going to need a Priest and some Holy water.

Checkout the GEM and make sure it wasn't exposed to water, but if I was a betting man, I'd say start with the battery. I'd recommend the Maintenance Free Extreme Start battery from O'reilly Auto.

 

Personally I would go with an Optima (type) battery, but that's just me.

 

What do I need to know about GEM modules to find the right one? I hear it has to come from a donor that has the exact same options as mine? Is this true? Will any fuse box out of a ~2000 F250/350/Excursion work?

I'm going to try the battery but I realized last night that the strip around my windshield is alot worse than I thought and the problems started lately after a bout of heavy rain.

I'll probably go with POL-R battery. I'm limited in my options for batteries compared to the US guys... I've had good luck with POL-R batteries and they're made in Quebec!

 

Maybe I missed something in your posts so far, but is it the factory anti-theft system that seems to be flipping out on you or an aftermarket unit?


If it's an AM unit, I'd look at replacing it before I dug into any of the original Ford factory wiring.


I like my Interstate batteries, but the heavy duty diesel batteries are probably overkill for you.

 

Seems to be acting normal today... and as far as I know there is no aftermarket anti theft on my X

 

As an aside, battery testing is hit or miss at best, even at a good shop. At least, this has been my experience.

 

Update... I left the battery unhooked overnight last night. Had a bit of beeping earlier in the day with the truck off while I was loading wood into it but nothing else. It's not doing anything weird anymore and anti theft isn't engaging anymore... I left the covers off the fuse boxes overnight and while I used it today... is it possible water can temporarily cause issues and not completely ruin the GEM/fuse boxes?

Also... we're getting snow again today... we got some last week and the 4x4 worked fine. It worked fine again tonight on my way to the store but didn't work on the way home... I had the hubs locked and the 4x4 light was lit on the dash but the 4x4 wasn't working...

BTW 2 cords of wood fit in the back of an X... guy told me a cord weighs a ton... if he's right I exceeded the payload and my procomp springs sagged ALMOST an inch... had a bit more body roll but otherwise couldn't tell it was even in there. Sorry about the Dane nuts...

 

I had EXACTLY the same issues as you are reporting and it turned out to be the battery.

Best part is I had the battery tested and it's "within spec".

I HATE having battery issues so I put it an Odyssey 31M-PC2150 group 31.

Batteries aren't built like they used to be. The new ones have recycled lead plates and they're not as reliable as the older stuff. The amount of battery problems that I've seen in the last few years is ridiculous...also it seems that cars are a LOT more sensitive to weak charging systems nowadays

 

The battery in my Blazer is "bad". When I need to drive it after a few months if it's dead I take it to vatozone and they try to charge it. It'll stop 5 minutes in and say it's bad. I tell them to put it on the charger anyway and "see if it'll hold a charge". Wait around 20-30 minutes in store so they don't pull it off as soon as I leave and what-do-ya-know, it held a charge! About half the time they say it's still bad but I go home, throw it in the truck and it's good for a few weeks. I only drive the truck for a mile or so just to keep it fresh so the battery never gets a chance to really charge

 

You can save all that time/work with a battery minder/tender that will keep that battery charged and also de-sulfurized (?). Rather than out in the snow with a long extension cord, bring battery into garage??