2001 Expedition interior electronics are dead
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2001 Expedition interior electronics are dead
I've been chasing this for about a month now. I turned the key and nothing happened. Not like a dead battery, but like there was no battery. After trying it about 3 times, it started, but the radio volume was fluctuating and the interior lights were doing the same. I parked it and tried a few things over the next few days. It wasn't the battery, and the symptoms jumped around every day, so I replaced the GEM and the fuse box.
After replacing the fuse box and GEM, it starts perfectly every time now, like it's supposed to. However, the A/C and heater controls are completely dead, the radio is dead, and the gauge lights don't work. The airbag light is also on. The strange thing about this is that I had the brake pressure cruise control switch under the hood replaced under the recall about 2 years ago, and that fuse keeps blowing. If I leave it unplugged, the fuse doesn't blow, but then I don't have cruise control.
I can't find any bad fuses. Anyone have any advice? It seems to start and drive like a normal vehicle, but I can't drive it at night because I can't read the gauges and it's real cold to drive around, since I can't use the heater.
After replacing the fuse box and GEM, it starts perfectly every time now, like it's supposed to. However, the A/C and heater controls are completely dead, the radio is dead, and the gauge lights don't work. The airbag light is also on. The strange thing about this is that I had the brake pressure cruise control switch under the hood replaced under the recall about 2 years ago, and that fuse keeps blowing. If I leave it unplugged, the fuse doesn't blow, but then I don't have cruise control.
I can't find any bad fuses. Anyone have any advice? It seems to start and drive like a normal vehicle, but I can't drive it at night because I can't read the gauges and it's real cold to drive around, since I can't use the heater.
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From: St Louis
Sounds like the replacement fuse box was either defective or the wrong one. Time to pull out the test light or meter and start doing real troubleshooting instead of parts swapping.
As for the brake pressure switch, it's bad (again), most likely. Unplug its connector and inspect the connector for brake fluid, the most common failure mode that causes the circuit's fuse to blow.
Inspect the integrity of your grounds behind both kick panels. If those are corroded or rusty, then numerous weird things can happen.
As for the brake pressure switch, it's bad (again), most likely. Unplug its connector and inspect the connector for brake fluid, the most common failure mode that causes the circuit's fuse to blow.
Inspect the integrity of your grounds behind both kick panels. If those are corroded or rusty, then numerous weird things can happen.
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I messed with it again and resolved a couple of issues. I went over the fuse box again and found the dash illumination fuse was missing from the new fuse box, so that fixed that issue. I also had a spare radio from my dad's F-150 and plugged it in to see what would happen. It came to life. Now I've just got the climate control and brake pressure switch.
The pressure switch was replaced with the current version a year or two ago. The old one was covered in brake fluid, causing it to blow. This one is bone dry, but immediately blows the fuse if I plug it in.
The climate control is still dead and I'm not sure what to check for that. The fuses are all good and none of the relays seem to have anything to do with it.
The grounds in the kick panels are good and I replaced the entire ground under the hood just to be sure about that one and it didn't change anything. It's like several major electrical systems got fried at once somehow.
The pressure switch was replaced with the current version a year or two ago. The old one was covered in brake fluid, causing it to blow. This one is bone dry, but immediately blows the fuse if I plug it in.
The climate control is still dead and I'm not sure what to check for that. The fuses are all good and none of the relays seem to have anything to do with it.
The grounds in the kick panels are good and I replaced the entire ground under the hood just to be sure about that one and it didn't change anything. It's like several major electrical systems got fried at once somehow.
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From: St Louis
but immediately blows the fuse if I plug it in.
The climate control is still dead and I'm not sure what to check for that.
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I ordered a new one, should be in tomorrow.
Manual.
Thanks for the help so far. Any idea what could have caused so many things to go out at one time?
Manual.
Thanks for the help so far. Any idea what could have caused so many things to go out at one time?
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I ordered a new one, should be in tomorrow.
Manual.
Thanks for the help so far. Any idea what could have caused so many things to go out at one time?
Manual.
Thanks for the help so far. Any idea what could have caused so many things to go out at one time?
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That's what I've been half joking about when I tell people about it, but I'm not sure how so many things got fried without blowing fuses unless it was lightning.
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I used a test light on the selector switch and 1 of the 4 going into it lit up. Since it was easy to get to, I put the light on all of the wires around the blower motor too and got nothing. I had a spare relay, so I swapped out the blower relay and had no change. None of the wires in the back of the blower motor switch lit up either, but I didn't expect them to.
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From what I can tell, 87 is the only hot terminal.
