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Big problem...help needed

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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 03:47 PM
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Big problem...help needed

Several times over the past year I have had a problem with my truck. Symptoms are:
Turn the key on and the only lights that illuminate on the dash are the charge lights and the airbag light. No WTS, brake, ABS, SES, Low fuel, Oil/Temp, or Water in Fuel lights illuminate at all. The fuel gauge and the voltage gauge do not move. The truck will start and idle. The radio and heater/air conditioning work fine. Headlights work fine. Once the truck starts, no oil pressure gauge, no temp gauge, and no tachometer. The truck does change to high idle with DP tuner. While the truck is idling, I cannot get any response from the accelerator pedal either. Today I had to limp the truck home and after about 30 minutes of very slow driving, the tach jumped a few times and then all the dash lights that normally come on with the initial start did come on and all gauges responded correctly. This happened before I installed the DP tuner as well. Anyone with a lot more knowledge than me have an input?

2001 F250 7.3L AT 205,000 miles
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 03:55 PM
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I'm sure some others will chime in quickly. I would start the truck and turn the steering wheel back and forth to see if there is short in the column. Could be the ignition switch going bad? might be the chip is loose?
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 04:03 PM
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I had this problem happen previously before I installed the chip. That was my first thought as well though. I tried in stock, 40T, 60T, 80E, and 100A with the same result today when it malfunctioned. Truck had sat for 8 hours while I worked and the problem happened when I got off work today.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 04:07 PM
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Has it been raining lately where you are at?
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 04:08 PM
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Several times over the past week, but not in the last two days.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 04:12 PM
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Look real good under the dash for signs of water. Leaking windshields have caused similar problems in the past for many here. Usually drivers side bottom corner of glass.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 04:17 PM
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I have to take my son to his baseball game...I can check when I get back.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 05:02 PM
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ya check it good man there might be signs of water on your floor like your carpet damp or something.

My truck had this problem and i had no idea what was going on with it. one day i was driving in the rain and my horn just started blasting and i couldn't get it to quit, so i pulled over and shut my truck off, and it still was blazing. i had to finally pull the fuse to get it to stop. a day later i was in my garage working on my dirt bike and all of a sudden my windshield wipers started going. then when they stopped my radio came on. all this with my keys in my pocket. it was really weird. i had a few dead batteries because of this until i got it figured out.

There are alot of electronic components under there that run basically your whole truck. and they need to stay Dry or else weird things start to happen.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 08:48 PM
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I checked underneath the dash, pulled the mats, and generally looked real well and I see no sign of any water in the cab. Is there any other places I should look or does anyone else have a thought?
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 09:07 PM
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Sometimes it's not enough water to make it to the floor or leave a big puddle. You might try unbolting the fuse panel under the steering wheel and taking a look at the back side of it for any signs of moisture trails.
 
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 09:08 PM
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Sometimes it's not enough water to make it to the floor or leave a big puddle. You might try unbolting the fuse panel under the steering wheel and taking a look at the back side of it for any signs of moisture trails.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2009 | 01:22 AM
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Like Chris said, twice, it may not be much of a leak at all. Have you ever had the windshied replaced? Small leaks are hard to find as they usually don't make it past the electronics.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2009 | 01:30 AM
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That sucks, the other day I got home parked my truck and forgot that I didn't drop off the mail I had originally wanted to go out for. I released the ebrake to go and went to start the truck. I got nothing out of the truck, I had accidentally hit the kill switch on my turbo timer. I was scared as to what happened but then saw the kills switch near where the brake release was.

cross your fingers and hope you did the same thing, I doubt it but look around under the dash and just make sure that's not what happened.
 
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Old Jun 23, 2009 | 02:37 AM
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subscribing
 
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Old Jun 23, 2009 | 09:27 AM
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The windshield has been replaced so I will check a little more to see if I can tell if any moisture is getting into the cab.
 
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