2004 excursion “I messed up”
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 34
Likes: 2
2004 excursion “I messed up”
So here is what happened. While I was wiping down my engine compartment I bumped the battery hold down, which apparently had come loose, and pushed it into the positive terminal of the battery. It threw sparks and then made some smoke before I could get it away. Now the truck will start but the dash is going crazy, headlights are going on and off, ABS light on and off, radio on and off, amp steps in and out, and my voltage gauge in the power port is bouncing from 8-12 back and forth, and the little speaker on my security system is faintly buzzing. Any ideas what I burned up?
im sending the gauge cluster in to be checked but even with it out of the truck everything else is still wonky.
im sending the gauge cluster in to be checked but even with it out of the truck everything else is still wonky.
MUST GO FASTER!!!!
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,538
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From: Arizona
strange thing is,if the negative was grounded to the chassis properly and the positive got grounded out to the same, it should not really have damaged anything, just made a spark shower, was that battery hold down contacting anything other than the chassis?
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 34
Likes: 2
When the center bar hit the pos terminal it got stuck to it and odiously got some stuff pretty hot. I just don’t know what would cause all the chaos inside. Is there a BCM or GEM type of controller in 2004+ trucks?
MUST GO FASTER!!!!
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,538
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From: Arizona
seriously i would rotate those 2 closest terminals further away from that center hold down, even now you are close enough that a serious jolt could cause it to happen again.
Also, please post more pictures including some from a little wider out and tell us specifically where each of those cables goes, because you have some interesting routing going on here, either that or your picture is making it look that way.
Are your batteries just connected togeather and it looks weird due to the picture, or do you have some kind of battery duplexer or battery isolation setup, if either explain it in detail.
Regarding the gauges and interior strangeness, record us a short clip so we can see what we are dealing with specifically, and itemize anything of note that does and does not work properly to help narrow down the potential damage points.
Also what battery box is that, definitely not factory, but looks like it might be a good fit for my needs, as im looking at ways to add a second battery myself presently.
Also, please post more pictures including some from a little wider out and tell us specifically where each of those cables goes, because you have some interesting routing going on here, either that or your picture is making it look that way.
Are your batteries just connected togeather and it looks weird due to the picture, or do you have some kind of battery duplexer or battery isolation setup, if either explain it in detail.
Regarding the gauges and interior strangeness, record us a short clip so we can see what we are dealing with specifically, and itemize anything of note that does and does not work properly to help narrow down the potential damage points.
Also what battery box is that, definitely not factory, but looks like it might be a good fit for my needs, as im looking at ways to add a second battery myself presently.
Thread Starter
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 34
Likes: 2
Quick answer, it’s the SoCal battery tray for their compound turbo kit. I will grab a picture and try and shorten my video so I can post it. Unfortunately I already took my gauge cluster out and the video I have is too big.
things that are blinking on and off:
ABS LIGHT
ABS MODULE CLICKING
HEADLIGHTS
TACH UP AND DOWN (not all the time though)
AMP STEPS IN AND OUT
BATTERY VOLTAGE 8-12-8-12 Volts
The batteries are connected just like stock, just compressed together. Each has a ground to the chassis and block, alternator to the left battery (pos and neg), batteries connected pos to pos, starter and red wire that are usually on passenger side extended and hooked to left battery, fuse box and accessories hooked to right battery.
everything was running driving and charging perfectly until I did this crap yesterday.
things that are blinking on and off:
ABS LIGHT
ABS MODULE CLICKING
HEADLIGHTS
TACH UP AND DOWN (not all the time though)
AMP STEPS IN AND OUT
BATTERY VOLTAGE 8-12-8-12 Volts
The batteries are connected just like stock, just compressed together. Each has a ground to the chassis and block, alternator to the left battery (pos and neg), batteries connected pos to pos, starter and red wire that are usually on passenger side extended and hooked to left battery, fuse box and accessories hooked to right battery.
everything was running driving and charging perfectly until I did this crap yesterday.
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From: Arizona
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MUST GO FASTER!!!!
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,538
Likes: 356
From: Arizona
OK that helps now please please detail ALL the power connections, and what you are using to multiplex the batteries, if anything
Also, i don't see the cluster getting damaged from this, more likely something more critical is cooked, and the cluster is simply reacting to this freakyness by going crazy.
OK i just saw you edited in the battery connections above.
Next steps i would do
Also, i don't see the cluster getting damaged from this, more likely something more critical is cooked, and the cluster is simply reacting to this freakyness by going crazy.
OK i just saw you edited in the battery connections above.
Next steps i would do
- Check for any blown fuses, and replace them.
- assuming 1 does nothing, start removing fuses from all non-essential crap, such as your steps, radio amps and other radio gear, and ANYTHING ELSE that is auxiliary, to rule it out of being a culprit, or contributor to the problems.
- assuming 2 did nothing, one by one pull a fuse and see if the cycling stops, if no effect, put it back in, and move to the next, the goal is to isolate what is pulling the batteries down to 8 volts intermittently, probably something decent sized, but not always, could just be a bad short due to melting, etc.
MUST GO FASTER!!!!
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 1,538
Likes: 356
From: Arizona
There typically is, im not a 6.0 guy, but im sure one of them will chime in shortly, in the mean time, i sent you some stuff above to try, it may help narrow down your search for whats blown.