2000 Ford Expedition xlt battery saver relay clicking no start
 

Hello everyone,

I have been having some issues with my truck it all started about a monthago when my truck would not start and would have to be jumped all the time. Iwas able to fix this by changing out the battery and the alternator. Since theni have had no issues with the truck.

Yesterday my wife took the kids to school and the truck worked great. Sheparked the truck at home and it sat for 6-7 hours when she went to start thetruck no luck all interior lights came on the radio doors unlocked but nostart. So she let it sit for 10-15 min and tried again this time no interiorlights no radio but a ton of click sounds coming from the interior fuse panelrelay #2

When I got home I ran into the same issue every time the outcome was somethingdifferent the door chimes would work then they would not power locks would workbut then nothing.. No matter what the truck would not start and just continuedto hear clicking sound from the relay #2 which is the battery saver relay. Itried to replace this with the same outcome. Now when i try to do anything ihave no dome lights no door lights no radio and all gauges will go full when itry to turn over the truck but go back down with the same outcome of the trucknot starting.. Tested the battery and have 12.7 checked all fuses andeverything looks normal.

I have been reading for days now and I’m not sure what to do.. I think thismight be a bad GEM but not sure how to test this without replacing it. Andsince my truck will not start I cant bring it to a shop without a tow. Plus I wouldrather try to fix this on my own and save some cash.

The truck also has an factory anit theft system which i have never hadissues with as i only use it to open the doors could this be the cause and ifso how can I disable this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated I have all ready started to take the dashapart to pull the GEM and get the part # to order a used one off ebay as a newone is 260.00 and don’t want to spend the 260 not knowing if this is the truecause.

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Thank you for your time,

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Justin

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Sounds like a loss of power due to something like a bad or loose battery cable.

alloro,

Thank you for the reply.

I tested the battery and cables and everything appears to be in good shape.
I pulled the GEM last night and did not see any type of water damage although i heard these can go bad with out water damage.

I went a head and purchased a used one for 40.00 bucks I have to wait until next week to recive this. At this point im not sure what else to try..

Do you no if the anit theft system kills power to everything if its active? I can try to put the current GEM back in and do some more testing. What would you suggest i try.. The only issues i run into is once i try to start the car the battery saver relay goes crazy and clicks away and makes the glove box lights and the lights under the hood flash with them almost like an alarm would do. But when this happens no dash lights or dome lights or door lights will come on?

Well since you've ordered a GEM, try that before killing yourself looking for another problem that might not exist.

Ok so the GEM did not change a thing same issues. This time i was able to atleast get a better understanding of what is going on.

So here is the break down one more time..

First thing i forgot to mention is that the day before this started thefront breaks were replaced on the truck not sure if this could cause my issuebut thought i might mention it.

Ok so here we go.. After letting the truck sit with the battery unpluggedfor a few days i noticed this time when i first open the door the dome lightsand door lights worked with no issues. When put the key in the ignition i getthe door chime.. If i turn the key backwards everything works radio dome lightsdoor lights all internal lights..

Now as soon as i turn the key forward not even starting the truck the domelights will stop working and door lights.. When i try to start the truck i getone loud click noise from behind the radio and then all hell breaks loose .. thebattery saver relay starts to click like crazy the dome lights flash in syncwith the sound if i pull the key out and let it sit for a few min the clickingwill stop but as soon as i open my door the clicking will go crazy again.. Andthe only way to get it out of this crazy loop is to pull the battery cable andlet it sit for 30min. Then I can do all the same steps again with the sameresults every time..

Could this be caused by a bad starter?

No matter what the headlights will not turn on with the key in any position

I have tried to put the truck in neutral and reverse and still won’t changethe outcome..

I took the battery and had it tested even though its only 1 month old and ofcourse it passed with flying colors.

Not sure what my next steps should be. Do i start pulling fuses?

After reading some more here.. I think its either the starter solenoid sticking or the factory alarm being set off.

Do these sound like they could cause my issue?

Have you solved the problem yet? I have almost the exact same issue with my 01 F150 and I'm near the point of trying a new GEM. I've done all the fuse/relay testing I know how to do and found there's a 2+ amp draw somewhere in the circuits controlled by the GEM but can't figure out the source of the draw. My truck also has the anti theft module which I'd like to disconnect or disable it to see if that's the source. Anyone know if it can just be unplugged without consequence?

Thanks, Jim

A couple years late to the party, but I was hoping to see if OP ever found the solution.

I'm having a similar issue with my 97 F-150. My truck had been sitting over the winter and the battery went dead. Had it checked out at Advanced Auto and they said the battery was bad (manufactured in 08, go figure). Installed a new battery and it started right up. I let it sit a day, went back out to start it up, and nothing. The interior light come on when I open the door, I put the key in the ignition and hear the normal beeping, but when I turn the key, it just clicks one time, then the lights go out and it stops beeping. Stereo or dash lights never come on. I hear the same clicking sound coming from the fuse box. I checked all of the fuses. When I pulled the battery saver relay, the clicking stopped. Swapped that out and no change.

I checked the battery for voltage and it seems ok. Took it to the parts store where they tested it at 1100 CCAs. I had just replaced the battery wire terminals not long ago, but still took them back apart to clean out any possible corrosion. Nothing has helped.

In hoping the OP found something out or someone else can point me in the right direction.

Thanks

2000 Ford Expedition xlt battery saver relay clicking no start
 

Anti-theft behavior occurs AFTER startup, in that it kills the engine if the correct key is not used. Try starting the truck with your non-transponder Service Key to see the behavior yourself. Mine stalls after 2 seconds.

What is the common thread amongst these issues? An ignition-switched circuit acting tweaky. This runes out all of the ALWAYS HOT systems such as the lights, PATS, etc. It would be a HOT IN RUN circuit, not the Starter relay. I suspect a short circuit that isn't blowing the fuse.

Consult the service manual for a list of circuits that are only hot in run. Alloro can help you with that

I have the same problem
 

I'm having the same problem on my 1997 Ford F-150 2wd 4.6L

I *think* you have a poor connection. The connection is good enough to pass a minimal amount of current, but when you call for a heavier load the connection conks out along with the lights, etc. When the load goes away, the connection is again good enough to pull in the battery saver relay, which turns the lights on, etc, which puts too much of a load on the poor connection, so the connection conks out again, the battery saver relay drops out, the lights go out, etc. Keeps repeating until you pull the battery cable.


Question is, how did you test the battery cables, connections, and power distribution? What voltages did you read? Have you done any voltage drop tests (which checks connections while they are under LOAD)?

Here's hoping you find it. :-X22

Hi was just wondering if you ever discovered what was causing your no start issue on your expedition? I recently bought a used 2001 Expedition Xlt V8 5.4 liter & read your post & am having almost all of the exact same problems with it. Engine refuses to crank. Have checked the starter, the battery & cables, battery was tested & reading 700 CPU indicating enough power to start. Can hear the starter attempting to engage. Loud clicking sounds are coming from the interior relay/fuse box, clock blinking on & off in sync with dashboard clicks. Odometer has been acting wierd. Comes on & off at random when in gear but goes out the minute it's put into park. One minute the headlights refuse to come on, windows & door locks refuse to work, the next they are all working fine. One minute you turn key into on position radio shuts off, turn key backwards radio works...then suddenly works both ways fine the same as the windows & locks. Theft light blinking one minute then not blinking a few hours later. Starter attempts to engage throughout all of this. Still refuses to crank. Nor jumpstart. Any ideas in what the issue is would be great. Thanks

Read the last post before yours. See the part about doing the voltage drop tests?

You have a connection or cabling problem. A voltage drop test is how you find it. Google the term for tutorials.

Same problem
 

i have had the same prob on my mustang and my expedition and I cleaned the terminals and it started right up clicking from fuse box took me two days two figure it out

Lincoln navigator wouldnt start or turnover
 

I tried jumping it it wouldnt jump i pulled the wires out of battery terminal .Took terminal apart and wire brushed the wires and terminal where wire seats (my batt relay was also clicking with door open no dash light recharged batt and tried jumping to no avail) anyway after wire brushing wires and terminal i put it back together and my car started good luck to you all hope this helps