Hello everyone!

alright let’s get down and dirty. I picked up a 99 F-350 about 6 months back. I actually traded a 97 Mazda B3000 2WD straight across for It. When I got the truck it was not running, it had starting issues. Got it pulled into the shop and charged the battery and realized the ignition switch wasn’t working. Went ahead and bypassed the switch and installed a push button start and got it running.

The truck is a 99 F-350 Superduty Crew Cab 5.4 V8 manual windows and locks manual hubs and Manual 4X4 with an automatic transmission

Since then I’ve had a multitude of small issues arise. The windshield wipers one day quit working, along with the heat and the high beams. It sometimes, not very often, will just die.

my first go to was the heater, Pulled the dash part and looked through the wiring checked everything over and found a bad connection. Fixed the connection. However from time to time the heater will still not kick on. It’s seldom enough that I went ahead and moved onto the next project and worked with the parts that I had available.

my next go to was was replacing the battery cables and starter cables and grounds. The connectors that were on the truck were cracked and corroded and on the positive terminal missing an entire chunk of the lead connection. Thought maybe I had a bad ground that was causing me so many little issues and never hurts to update wiring! Replaced everything and wouldn’t you know! Nothing.

I went ahead and ordered a new multifunction switch, I did so because The OD button on the shift lever was broken out and I had already had that in my cart and was replacing it so I figured why not do the other side while I have the covers off. Once again, nothing. didn’t have any effect on the windshield wipers or high beams.

I did some searching and read about the BCM/GEM module going bad on these due to corrosion. The drivers side door of the truck was bent out towards the top and was obviously allowing moisture into the cab so I removed the door and fixed the seal to make sure it was no longer causing issues.

my next go to was to remove the fuse panel under the dash to check for corrosion. Unhooked everything pulled it out looked it over no bad burn marks or corrosion issues I could see just dirty. Cleaned it out and set aside to work on the next piece. Found a small amount of corrosion but it was through the cover. Went ahead a reassembled everything no change.

I need my windshield wipers, I checked all the fuses and relays and nothing is bad.

my question is this, I don’t really know how to get a GEM/BCM module for the truck as I don’t have access to junk yards or a dealership to have it flashed. What’s everyone’s input on what my next go to should be? I’m to the point where I’m figuring if it’s worth just wiring up a HI/LO and ON/OFF toggle switches and bypassing the multi switch for windshield wipers all together I figured I could Check the grounds for the wipers tomorrow just to make sure that all are good on the loom. Either way I go I won’t have function for High Beams, it isn’t a big deal but it would be the last thing to fix.

The only other thing electronically wrong with the truck is the radio PWR button doesn’t work and the volume button is finicky however I know these units are known to have issues and If it bothers me much more I’ll just replace the head unit.

I appreciate any tips or direction,

 

Alright I know I don’t have anyone commenting yet but I’ll do an update and hope someone chimes in eventually or at the very least keep updates on what happens and what gets figured out for future answer seekers.

Went back through the fuses and relays. Found a couple of fuses that were missing 🤦🏻‍♂️ It’s what I get for relying on someone else to look over the fuses and telling me they were all good and checked while I was at work. Put in the fuses missing and BAM got my brights to work and then also got went to turn the ignition, because one of the switches was the ignition relay, and got a *Click with every turn when the key hit “Start”.

so I had another buddy of mine listen to the engine bay and figure out where exactly my *Click was coming from.

the click appeared to be coming from the Start Solenoid on the Fender. Jiggled some wires and the clicking stopped and never happened again.

went ahead and took the solenoid off of the fender and cleaned all the connections and wire wheeled all of the contacts and moved my body ground for my battery to the back of the solenoid to contact the solenoid and then the body.

from talking around with a couple of mechanics there’s a 90° wire coming off of a post on the Solenoid. I’m not 100% where this wire goes or what exactly it’s for but they told me that these wires tend to get corroded and break.

So next on the list for that is to cut the 90° out and put in a ring connection and just use a nut to secure it to the post.

on to the windshield wipers.

I disassembled the and pulled the wiper motor out and then cleaned and wire wheeled the body ground closest to the wiper motor. I then checked for power running to the motor.

here’s the odd thing. I never got 12V out of the prongs 1,2 and 3. Which from my understanding the 1,2 are HI/LO. however I had constant power from the accessory or PWR/PRK prong on 4. Prong 5 also never showed 12V.

I went ahead and pulled the interior fuse for the Wipers and checked for 12V I couldn’t pull a reading of 12 V off of the interior fuse block for the wipers with the key in accessory/Run.

Would I still have 12V running to the Wiper for PRK if I don’t have power running to the interior Block? It’s seeming like I don’t have a BCM/GEM problem I believe I have multiple small electrical issues. And could use help on direction of tracking them down! I’ll go ahead and replace the 90° connection on solenoid and see if it helps with my ignition problem. The fact that I had clicking from the solenoid at least in my mind tells me that I have power running for from the switch to the solenoid at the very least. Possibly a bad solenoid and connection which would be an easy fix in the long run!

on the bright side I Picked up a nice 94 F-250 single cab short bed 4X4 with the 5.8L today!! Add another truck to the 1 ton fleet and that makes 3 so far!!

 

So was able to solve a few things here and there and would like to give an update!

the Hi/Lo beams ended up being a fuse issue and was able to fix it relatively quickly as soon as I was able to track down the problem!

I was able to get a click out of the fender mounted Starter Relay/solenoid. Which at least tells me that I have power running from the ignition to that solenoid/relay.

I pulled the solenoid/relay off and wire wheeled all of the hardware tree metal body of it and the area of contact on the fender and re ran the negative body ground to the bolt of the Solenoid/relay and sandwiched it between the body and the relay/solenoid.

cleaned up the posts and made sure they had good contact. Cleaned up the circular connections to make sure ai had good contact all the way across.

i has a buddy then stand by the solenoid As I turned the key to see if it was 100% where my clicking was coming from and he started playing with the wires to see if he could get anything out of it.

he played with the starter signal wire that comes down and attaches as a slide over on the small silver post and no longer got any clicking.

my next go to on it is to cut the slide or press connection off and the. Replace if with a compression loop over with a nut on it. Will
keep you updated on what happens.


the Windshield wipers, I had already replaced the windshield wiper motor and replaced the multifunction switch. so I went ahead and tracked down the wires and the diagrams to follow out and see what so could figure out.

To start the body ground connection that’s right by the motor on the flip side I went ahead and cleaned up the connection the body and the bolt and reinstalled. I think pulled the motor back out and checked that I had power running to the motor.

on any turn of the switch I only had 12V power coming from what I could tell was the PARK/ACC wire running to it which would be the always hot wire. So I went ahead and checked the fuse in the interior fuse panel and wasn’t able to revive a solid power reading from the fuse panel at the time.

I know no one has commented yet but maybe this thread/post will be able to
help someone in the future!

I appreciate any response or directions I receive and look forward to them.

my next go to is to recheck the fuse panel and check the relays and fuse block in the engine bay for corrosion. I’ll also go ahead and check the 2 wires running from the multifunction switch for the windshield wipers. I believe they’re the pink and orange wires.

the only other thing that’s come up on the truck recently is I’ve got some Front axel U joints going out. But I know how to fix those!!

on the real bright side of yesterday’s work I picked up another 1994 5.8L SC SB manual 4X4! Excited to be adding to the fleet of large Fords!!

 

Haven’t done much to the 99 lately been playing around with 94 F-250 the last few days.

Definitely Going to need to replace the front U joints wondering if I should just go ahead and do the Ball joints as well??

it’s on the futures list, the 99 beAst isn’t being driven too often right now as I’m enjoying the 94 F-250 and getting ready to replace the wheel hubs in the 94 F-350 so I can get it on the road!

wiper issue, so far nothing new. Hoping someone will chime in on that and with my finds above!

thanks guys, appreciate it. Will keep the thread alive to let anyone know what I find fixes the issues in the truck!

having a buddy run a volt meter on the the Ignition solenoid for me tonight and will hopefully find out if that is the culprit for my Need of a push button start!

I’ve also got a loos year lever, I haven’t read much into if these steering columns are easy to replace parts on or if they’re like the mid 90’s ford modular columns that really you just had to throw away and replace. If anyone knows it’d be a big help, thanks guys!!

to wrap it up with a list of things still going on

windshield wipers, unknown going to start tracing and tracking wires and see if I’ve got a problem with the harness and wiring.

Front axel U joints need to be replaced they’re popping while turning. I’m also wondering if I should replace the Ball joints and Wheel bearings and I’ve been throwing around suspension upgrade for a while as well.

I have four new tires going on it! Excited about that!!

the radio, I found a double din Unit I’m going to replace with that and begin checking if my speaker wires are bad or if I need new speakers.

all four door lock cylinders and mechanisms need replaced.

the shift lever is very loose it jiggles around and you have to double and triple check you’re in park because it just wiggles so much.

the transmissions takes time to shift into Drive, I’m wondering if it’s the torque converter or valve body? But I’m planning a flush and filter/fluid change.

the ignition system I’m still going to check the solenoid and see if it’s bad and then go from there.

The drivers side door needs replace it’s bent to hell at the window Frame I’m ordering new window/door/windshield seals all around the keep moisture out. I’ve been getting dampness on the floor in the mornings.

little odds and ends that will slowly be replaced! Also just added a canopy and roof rack to it!! I’ll attach some photos of it! The first two photos were getting it ready for the barge with the trailer and then getting it off the barge last ones with the new canopy and rack!

might be a little till I get to it as I’m going to start working on the 94 F-350 5.8L Auto Crew Cab tomorrow

 

Alright, was able to get some times off from work and get to looking at the trucks again!

im beginning to think I don’t have a BCM/GEM problem but that I have multiple different electrical issues.

teated the windshield wiper harness I have my constant hot running to the wiper motor, then tested the wire harness at the switch. I have my constant hot there and I have my constant hot at the fuse block.

from my understanding of the power flow that means I have transfer of power Through the GEM/BCM to the switch and to the motor and would indicate a bad windshield wiper motor. Also attempted to bench test the motor and got nothing out of it showing signs of life.

I also currently have a bypass button installed in the dash to bypass the ignition switch as the Key won’t start the vehicle.

I had a working Ignition module so I swapped it out, didn’t change anything still no start. Had an extra ignition switch/key swapped it out still no start. Plugged my switch starter into the relay and can turn over the engine from relay.

my assumption is either bad TRS or Starter Relay?? What do you guys think??? I’ve already replaced the BIG 3 and touched as many grounds as I can throughout the vehicle.

im thinking of just replacing both the starter relay and the TRS. The other day it was shifting hard between gears then it magically went away.

The climate control issue I have with this one I’ve pinpointed down to a faulty blend door. That’ll be replaced soon as well!!

everything I’ve compiled Points to the GEM/BCM being fine and it just being separated gremlins. Does anyone have anything to say that would show differently ??? As always appreciate any input, Thanks Guys!!!

 

Alright, bug update everyone!!!

replaced the BCM/GEM and then after a few days had to replace the windshield wiper motor as well. Intermittent wipers are back!!!

Replaced the Ignition switch, have keyed ignition again as well.

replaced the headunit and all four speakers in the truck working perfectly as well. Installed a single DIN and did a proper slot install for the single DIN radio.

drilled the blend door closed, that way I could have heat. Just ran two screws through the hinge for the door. Worked perfect for a pinch fix and not having to tear the blend door out to fix it. Also disconnected the blend door actuator so it can’t switch back and forth.

Deep cleaned the interior, did so with a toothbrush cleaned everything up and looking and feeling real nice!

went ahead and replaced the U joints on the drive shafts.

Since I replaced the BCM/GEM I haven’t had any issues with the transmission.

I still need to replace the front axle U joints, just trying to piece together what else I should replace while pulling the front end apart. Thinking of doing ball joints and brakes and Axel seals while I’m at it.

Back to new problems! The Blower motor quit on it, and the blower motor was replaced work perfectly for a couple weeks and now the blower motor has quit again. I can’t track down what’s going on with it. From what I understand if it was the resistor it would still run the blower motor on high correct? Can these blower motors quit working all together if the resistor goes out? Checked all the fuses and relays everything seems good my next go to is to get a test light out and start checking wiring.

if it’s not the resistor my next assumption would be the control unit, would that be the best next direction??

yesterday the truck died while idling, the alternator went out. I went ahead and replaced it with a 130A alternator. I was also hoping that alternator in some weird way would be associated with the Blower motor going out but was not the case.

it’s also been having trouble starting. I can hear the spark plugs firing but it seems every once in a while when trying to start it I can’t hear the fuel pump kick on. Are these fuel pumps known to go intermittent ?? I’m going to go ahead and throw a new fuel filter on it and see if it does anything.

as always any response or information is well welcomed!

 

It doesnt appear that anyone has responded to you at all?? Can you tell me the mileage on your 99 ? My 2002 F250 , 5.4L, with 88000 on it broke down on me yesterday. First issue ever with it. Ive been reading your thread in hopes that I may learn what I should be checking for. My problem is electrical as well. Will not start, and when I turn the key all the way to start, it kills everything....

 

yeah, but I wanted to keep a thread of everything I’ve gone through and hopefully people chime in from time to time!

interesting, I’d do a couple of checks and start ruling stuff out. Big white is a 99 F350 5.4L 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed.

grab a multimeter and check your battery, battery voltage. Make sure your battery is still good, after that check your starter it’s easy to bypass/cross the starter relay on the fender wall by the battery. It’ll tell you if your starter is bad or not. There’s a signal wire that runs into the starter relay that you can check and make sure you’re getting signal from your ignition switch you’ll need a second set of hands though.

thatll give you a check off of Battery Starter, starter relay then you can check the ignition module/switch under the dash. Depending on the model it may be a security issue with the key from what I’ve learned/understand.


so as a step by step, make sure the battery has enough juice/ check battery connections and main grounds. Battery voltage is low charge battery or have it tested replace and clean all connections.

Cross fender mount starter relay located by battery, if starter doesn’t engage most likely bad starter. If starter does engage most likely bad relay. However also pull a volt meter and following the diagram below 12V check the little T/R wire the signal wire from the ignition switch. Have some turn the key to “start” while you check for 12V at the signal wire at the relay.

if signal wire has 12V then replace relay, if signal wire does not have 12V next culprit is most likely the ignition switch/module under the dash. Easy to get to just take the panel for the interior fuse block off then there’s a couple hex bolts on each end but why you’re looking for is a tan/vanilla looking rectangle with a jolt in the center. Unscrew the bolt and then remove the wiring harness and replace. I’ll post a picture of what it look likes below as well

let me know what you’ve already done or if this helps at all or if you have any other questions!

 

Shoot I forgot, my mileage is 45k miles! My starting issue was a combination of bad Starter solenoid/relay and ignition switch/module.

when I wired in my push button start to bypass everything I had also shifted around some wires that needed moved back correctly which didn’t help with my wire track downs at the time I had forgotten that I had done that 😂. As soon as I disconnected my push button wire in and ran my wiring back correctly I was able to track down the faults in the system quickly.

Just as an Add in. I installed a home made push button start as I initially traded a running 1997 Mazda B3000 2WD single cab straight across for this truck and the 99 wasn’t running and it was dead of winter and needed a truck on the road. So I took all of 5 minutes to run a couple wires and drill a push button in the dash to bypass everything.

but the base model ignition system on these trucks are very simple and easy to diagnose by just checking one thing off at a time.

 

Sounds like youve been able to fix just about all the issues on your 99..

Let me give you some background on my current issue. Weird things happened yesterday on the way home from running an errand only 5 miles from the house. Keep in mind I bought this truck new and have had ZERO problems with this 5.4l Anyway, I had stopped at the dump to drop off some used oil The truck started at that point but immediately started idling down and then back up over and over. At that point I headed back home. I noticed I had no speedometer?? WTF? It was sputtering for the first mile and then smoothed out and was running fine, for the last 3 miles. Thats where I got confident it was just maybe something in one of the injectors, and it had cleared itself. NOPE, not that lucky. I pulled into the gas station. Turned it off of course.. Hasnt started sense. Got towed home the last mile. Yesterday evening the lights came back on when the key wasnt turned all the way to start mode. As soon as start mode is hit, it kills everything. And then later you can turn on the acessories with the key. Just cant hit start or everything dies once again and you must wait a while before you can get lights and windows to work. I just went out to check at 2pm ET to see if anything had changed and no. I noticed once I hit start, there is a loud click from under the engine before everything dies. Does that sound like the solenoid or relay?? BTW, battery is from NAPA and only a week old !! I appreciate any and all help on this electrical crap cuz I am definitely not a 12volt electrician, Im pretty good on 110/220volt, thats it. Thanks for the diagram too.

 

Interesting.....

the idling up and down sounds like a battery/alternator issue. Sweeping of the RPM’s could be an indication of a bad alternator.

if you have a multimeter/volt meter check the voltage on the battery see what it’s reading should be around 13.2.

yeah the clicking is a solenoid/relay clicking, you could grab a screw driver and cross the posts on the fender mounted relay and see if the starter spins but you’ve gotta make sure you’ve got a good battery first.

Batteries will get a couple bolts back if they just sit overnight and then will quickly die out again. Sounds like your battery isn’t pushing enough to turn the starter. But it’s a possibility the starter is stuck as well.

if start by making sure your battery is charged and then you can check to see if she’ll turn over then.

you can grab the battery and run it down to NAPA and have them test it. They should have a charger that’ll tell you if you have a couple dead cells. It’ll be a couple hours for them to tell you. You can do the same with the alternator they should be able to load test it for you.

to remove the alternator

1.) release tension on the belt using a 1/2” bar on the tensioner arm, and then move the belt off the alternator. Be careful not to let the belt come off of the other pulleys the alternator slack.
should test nicely on the fan pulley right below it allowing you to keep the rest of the belt on track.

Rule of thumb take a mental picture of how the belt is running as well invade it falls all the at off.

3.) remove x2 10mm bolts from lower alternator

3.) remove x2 10mm top bolts from alternator be careful not to loose these studs.

4.) unbolt positive cable connection 10mm as well

5.) disconnect the 2 wire connections

install is reverse unless you you get a new alternator without the pulley in which case grab a 1” socket and an impact pull the pulley off the old alternator put it on the new.

Also be a good time to inspect your accessory drive belt for wear and tear check for cracks, fraying and burn marks and make sure your alternator is receiving correct belt tension.

to me it sounds like your battery is dead, a battery dying while driving the truck sounds like you have a bad alternator. I’d take them out and get them both tested it’s usually free to have them tested at the big brand pets stores.

i just replaced the alternator in the 99, went to drive around the block headlights got dim, radio turned on and off, dash lights got dim, a bunch of warning lights kicked on. Got it back to the house and let it sit outside and idle with the headlights on to see if my assumptions was correct eventually the engine died on its own sitting. Let me know I wasn’t getting current flow and the alternator was bad.

 

Good evening. As I had said earlier, the NAPA battery is brand new, 2 weeks old. It was reading 12.38 volts right after I got towed home. I may have left the key on however overnight Friday. Im not sure. I placed my 10amp charger on it overnight Sat and all day today and its reading 10.20 as we speak. Imtaking it to NAPA tomorrow and seeing about a new alternator at the same time. My multimeter is cheap. The solenoid is not expensive so Ill check into that as well. That still doesnt explain however why the speedometer went to zero on the way back home??? Weird?? Ill let you know what I find out Thanks for your input

Update. Just got back from NAPA, battery is reading 13.8 on their tester. The solenoid is $26 there, but I havent located it on the truck. It is not on the passenger fender as I had thought. Wanted to jump it to see if it is working before I keep throwing money at this issue.

Update no 2: Just finished cleaning really good all connections at new battery as well as connections on solenoid which is on the starter btw. Cleaned all ground strap connections to the frame. Fired right up and ran good. Speedometer is working again. Glad I didnt start replacing parts. Didnt cost me a dime. !! Thanks for your help tho