Hi Guys,

I've been a long long time surfer of this forum, but never actually signed up, internet stage fright maybe? But I will say I have found this site extremely useful over the years with my old 2001 and now my 2009. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum! So thanks for these past years of support!

Now for my current porblem. I have a 2009 SCREW XLT 6.5 4x4 with the 5.4L. Shortly after purchasing it I had a remote starter installed (Polar Start I believe is the brand) by a very reputable shop (my family has had starters installed on 2 previous vehicles by this shop with no issues whatsoever). A couple months ago I was driving down the road and notice the truck kept saying 4x4 on the dash as if to indicate me shifting into 4WD, but I hand't touched the ****, then one heck of a grinding noise started coming from the transfer case (ford dealer later told me this was the truck trying to shift into 4WD Low). This would happen a few times, then the truck would be just fine. I also found that honking the horn and flashing the high beams would kill the engine. Took it to Ford and they indicated that the likely cause was the remote starter. The truck had thrown codes P0690 and P0562, which they indicated meant something was cutting power to the PCM, (which would cause the 4x4 shift?) They could not duplicate my problem, but cleared the codes and sent me on my way with a recommendation (from the engineering hotline) that I have the remote starter removed.

I contacted the original installer, and although he did not beleive the starter was the issue, he willingly unplugged the remote starter and smart module, but did not disconnect any wiring.

Truck ran fine for 2 months. Now the same issues started cropping up, and much more frequently, it did the 4x4 thing several times in a few minutes (which I fixed by pulling the fuses for the ESOF module). I also found that the attempted 4x4 shift coincided with me turning on the left turn signal. The high beams and horn will still shut the truck down, and if I flash the high beams or horn with the truck off all of the idiot lights light up! Horn also won't make a sound. I've also noticed that one headlight shines brighter then the other when it goes into this funky mode, which some times fixes itself and everything is fine and dandy.

Now I've been thinking about this a bit, it seems to me it is unlikely that the remote starter would be the issue, yes the wiring is still there but it is all dead ended, even a broken solder would probably just cause something not to work? I did have the water leak through the satellite radio antenna (over a few days with LOTS of rain) and I know the PCM and ESOF module are on the passenger side of the truck. Could the water have fried the PCM? I know this was a big problem on the 97-03 body style trucks with leaking windshields letting water get to the GEM which would cause funky electrical problems. Those are just my theories. I will obviously be contacting ford and the remote starter installer, just wanted to tap into the wisdom that is out there!

I apologize for the essay, but would really appreciate any input you have!

Thanks!

 

Some remote start systems require that the installer cut and splice into the trucks electoral system. Very bad idea! Some may be a complete plug and play. I would never have any remote start system, except the factory one. The trucks electoral systems are to complex and adding anything as complex as a remote start is just asking for trouble. Hook it back up so it will work and trade that thing as fast as you can. The truck may never be right again, especially if they cut into the wiring. But look on the bright side, KBB adds a little cash for a remote start, I would think!

 

99.9% positive it is the remote start system. A remote starter has to tie into the ignition system, and the ignition system ties into the key switch in the steering column. And guess where wiring is located for bright lights, turn signal, & horn? Steering column.

Your lights are brighter probably because the low beams are staying on with high beams. Other funky things happening with 4WD and such might be a ground loop caused by the remote starting system. Ground loops can play havoc with ECM drivers and cause them to do unpredictable things, and it will definitely trip ECM driver diagnostics. Those diagnostics could be turning on the warning lights in the dash.

It's going to be a heck of a lot easier to just remove every trace of that remote starter system then trying to dissect and troubleshoot all the issues.

 

Welcome to FTE!!

I think your problems sound more like they are associated with the Body Control Module than the PCM.

Anyone know where the BCM is on the new fords? In the past they have been located under the driver's seat, which would put it right in the path of his water leak from the Satelite antenna.

Now .... if it is the BCM, what fried it? the water or the remote start?

I think it would be prudent to, at a minimum, retrace all of the wiring for the remote start and verify that there are no issues with those connections. if he did it right, solder and heat shrink, there is no chances for problems. but if he used solder and tape, the tape could be coming loose causing problems. or if he just used wire taps ... those can cause a host of issues as well.

good luck!

 

Thanks for the responses and help! I took a look at the connections underneath the dash, they are soldered and taped (shrink wrap would require breaking the original wires?) I think you guys are dead on in having the installer remove all of the wiring, it eliminates one variable. I will ask him to check that all of the original wiring is still in good shape too. I still have trouble understanding how tapping a wire into the system could cause a problem if it is dead ended, which is the current case (remote starter unit has been removed for 2 months), but I know electrics can be finicky, and stranger things have happened. One interesting thing to note is that the first time this started happening it was very intermittent. Then 2 months went by without a problem once the remote module was removed. When it started acting up again it was intermittent but over the last few days it's basically constant.

Thanks again! And if anyone has any more thoughts I'm all ears!

 

taping will only cause a problem if the tape comes loose and the bare wire shorts against something else.

yes, heat shrinking will require breaking the original wire, but IMO, if you are serious about it, that is the correct way of making a tapped connection. Many might disagree, but it is really not that much more work and all but eliminates the chances for problems in the future, especially if you use a dual wall heat shrink, or use a dielecric on the wire before you shrink the tube.

i'm not saying he did anything wrong, in fact he did better than most because they are soldered.

i still think the problem is in your BCM, not with the remote starter. as you said, all the connections are dead-ended, and unless there is a bare connection (which is still possible until you verify EVERY connection) the problem likely lies elsewhere.

after you figgure out what the problem is, you need to figgure out what caused it, to keep it from reaccuring.

 

Sounds more like a grounding issue to me. I would see if you can get ahold of a wiring diagram or something that shows/tells you where all of the grounds are located. Check the obvious ones that the installer could have messed with then go from there .

 

Definitely sounds like an issue with a ground...

 

Thanks for the responses and the welcome guys!

Watt-maker and tvsjr get the prize. It was in fact a grounding issue. However it would appear that I am "that guy". Yes that guy who by chance has installed a remote starter on his truck, then the truck starts exhibiting problems that would be common with a messed up remote start installation, but the actual problem has nothing to do with said remote starter!

After 2 days at the dealer the tech found a loose ground underneath the battery tray. The ground messed up the power feed to the PCM causing my wonderful problems. They are 100% convinced that should fix the problem as they were able to to cause the problems and then fix it again by loosening and tightening the ground. I sure hope it is fixed because I've really missed the truck!

Thanks again!

 

Excellent! Hope you can use the remote starter now.

 

I just hope your transfer case didn't get messed up when it tried to shift into 4lo... Might want to change the fluid just in case.

 

Hi Guys, Sorry for opening up an old thread, just wanted to follow up and share my experience regarding Ford's warranty process. I didn't mention it above but when the problem first started happening my truck still had one month left on the bumper to bumper warranty. As they first diagnosed it as a problem with my remote starter it was non-warranty, I paid the diagnosis fee and left. When I brought it back in the second time the bumper to bumper warranty had expired. The dealer went to bat for me and Ford reduced my bill from $600.00 to $100.00 because they realized this was an extenuating circumstance. Now as happy as I was not to be paying $600.00 I still felt that this was unfair because I had reported the problem under warranty and ultimately it was a misdiagnosis that dragged it out. When I explained this to Ford customer service they said that the issue was never reported to them as a case while it was under warranty (although Ford engineering was contacted) and as such they viewed it as a completely new problem which happened outside of warranty, and Ford never covers 100% of a repair cost outside of warranty although they will assist in cases like mine. I had also received the maximum percentage that they would assist with and that there was basically nobody at Ford I could talk to who could authorize them to cover the whole repair. Ford suggested my real issue was with the dealer because had a case been opened with Ford while it was under warranty it could remain open for up to 3 months regardless of the warranty expiring and they would have covered the whole cost.

I explained this to my dealer and he agreed and immediately issued me a letter of credit for $113.00 (100 bucks plus tax!!) Which made me happy because that's a couple of free oil changes.

Long story short if you have a problem with your truck near the end of the warranty and you have a feeling it might be one of those intermittent hard to repair gremlins try to persuade your dealer to open a file with Ford and leave it open! (Not sure how easy that is to do, but I wanted to pass the info on!) Could save some cash in the end!

 

Welcome to FTE and I am glad you got the problem resolved!

 

Sad story with a great ending! Thanks for sharing. I've done this before as I was nearing the end of my warranty period on a vehicle and you have to use certain verbage to get the dealer's attention.

 

Just a note from my vast range of experience;
When shrink tube is not useable for one reason or another and tape is again not the correct material of choice get some "Liquid Tape" and give the connection a few coats.

It is available at all parts and home improvement stores.