This morning I opened my 2001 Navigator with the keypad. When I went to lock it with the keypad, the radio turned on.

Now the radio won't turn off, the windows don't work or move very slowly, the front and rear A/C won't work, there are no lights on the radio, climate control or overhead display, power door locks don't work, dome lights don't come on. The truck will start and run, but I am at a loss as to why the electrical stuff isn't working.

What does work are the power seats, mirrors and pedals.... Horn seems to work.

If anyone has any idea on where I should start looking please let me know.

One more piece of information, for months now, when I would start the truck, the drivers window would go down about an inch, but only if the truck was running.

HELP

 

search for GEM problems. Sounds typical.

 

I second the GEM issue, agian, typical sounding. Take a look in your fusepanel and search for any moisture. If it's wet, you 95% probability have a leaking wind shield, so you'll have to replace the windshield (or have it resealed), THEN replace the GEM, then cross your fingers that it don't happen again.

 

Well, no dampness could be found, and the problems continue to grow. If you hit the power window switch, the head lights blink, rear a/c work sometimes, the auto headlights don't work, and if you turn them on, the lights on the bottom of the door come on dim and the turn signals on the mirrors stay on... The night before last I was pulling fuses after I parked it trying to turn off the turn lights on the mirrors.

Lincoln wants 100 bucks to diagnose, but I am going to trust you guys... If you think it is the GEM module, I will just order one and installed it.

One more note, there is a white box, mounted to the firewall to up and from the left of the break pedal.. It is making a lot of click while all of this is going on... Any idea what the box is?

 

My guess is that would be your keyless entry control module. If this white box has a five digit number on it, then that would be your keyless entry security code. Good luck!

 

Finally got to the point that it wasn't safe to drive, so I bite it and took it to the dealer yesterday. They confirmed the GEM and fuse box needed to be replaced. 770.00 bucks, but they gave me a loaner so I don't need to worry about getting around while they try to come up with parts.

On the up side, the work will be guaranteed.

 

Well, the dealer called and said the aftermarket remote starter shorted out the GEM... told them to just disconnect it... It was on there when I got the truck and with gas so high I can't bring myself to let the truck sit and idle.

Ok, 775.00 dollars later, I get my truck back.. start it up, everything seems fine... Start heading back to the office and I notice there is no rear AC.... Turn around and go back to the dealer, turn it off, remove the key, open the door, and the door chime goes off.

Needless to say, I left it there again....

 

Dang. Two unrelated problems or ??
I guess that's the good thing about letting the dealership deal with the "gremlins" in your electrical system. This will just be a warranty issue (on their guaranteed work) at this point, correct?

 

Well, I am not planning on paying another dime to the dealer.. I think 775.00 is enough for what they said would only take a day to fix. I am still driving the rental and I don't think they have a clue why the rear A/C and key in warning are not working.

I know the Key In Ignition is a function of the GEM. Can anyone confirm if the rear A/C is also controlled by the GEM. I would think since the front is, the rear would be as well.

 

Well folks, I just got a call from the dealer, and it did not go well.

The service guy explained that I need a clock spring in the steering wheel and a new EATC unit in the dash. I questioned both of these since everything worked fine before the GEM failed. They claim the clock spring is grounding out, causing the Key In door chime to be on even when the key is out. The EATC has an intermittent ground causing the relay for the rear ac to fail.

I questioned this guy 1) how come all of this worked fine before the GEM failed 2) why wasn't this stuff checked before I picked up the truck and 3) why did it take four days to find these issues.

He said that this stuff didn't work when I brought the truck in, that I left and came back with a new set of problems. Well, that didn't settle to well with me (telling a customer they are lying is never a good idea). Then he explained that I a truck with 137,000 miles on it, things are going to break. Somehow I doubt they are telling customers that on the sales floor. I asked to speak with his manager and was told the manager was going to tell me the same thing. The service advisor than proceeded to hang up on me... Granted I was worked up, and questioning how we got to this point, but I wasn't swearing at the guy...

So I call the dealer, get the service advisors boss on the, and after being hung up on, I am pissed.

I explain the entire thing to him, he says he will give me a call right back.

A few minutes later he called. Saying he spoke with the tech that worked on the truck. They have no idea why both the clock spring and the EATC are shorted, but they are willing to replace the clock spring at no cost to me. They will do the EATC at cost with no labor.

I was honest and told him I really didn't trust the dealerships ability to troubleshoot the problem because of the time it took them to find these issues, and I that I really didn't trust the service advisors to accurately explain a problem to a customer.

It would be a different story had they of called me last week and told me these items had shorted out, but calling me and telling me the truck was ready, taking my money and then letting me leave only to discover these faults a few blocks away simply was not acceptable. All of the electronics should have been checked before I was ever called.

Needless to say, they are going to replace the clock spring. I told them to leave the A/C and just give me my truck back. I will find a EATC on eBay and install it myself.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?