09 Explorer no start - RSC Service now, Theft light blinking, gauge cluster dead

[abakedapplepie]

Hello all, hoping someone can shed some light on this issue.

I bought the vehicle from a ford dealership a few months ago, everything has been fine until about 5 days ago I was coming home from work and the RSC service now warning came on. I pulled over, turned off the vehicle, and started it back up - RSC warning gone, everything fine.

Fast forward to yesterday - I am pulling out of my house, and the RSC Warning Alarm comes on again. This time, my gauges all die except fuel level, and it says low fuel as well as RSC Service now. Most of the dash lights are on. Wrench, brake, engine, TC, and a few other lights all on. I shut the vehicle off and go to start it like I did earlier this week and the truck won't start. This is about the time I started panicking. Pushed the truck back into its parking spot and hit the internet.

I found plenty of resources for the RSC Service Now issue, but it seems that is not my problem here. For one, all the other discussions I had seen showed that only the TC light was on and the RSC alarm was going off. The gauges still worked and the car still drove.

I unplugged my battery and let it sit hoping it would temporarily clear out whatever was going on so I could at least move the car into a better spot. It worked, and it continued working for the rest of the night and got me to and from work today. Until now.

I just pulled in from work, and the same thing happened. When the alarm started going off while I was driving, I noticed my temperature, RPM, and speedo were all off. This time I paid attention to the theft light and sure enough it was blinking rapidly, so I went to grab my spare key. Same thing.

What happens is I go turn the ignition and the gauges reset, the fuel says its low even though the gauge shows 1/4 tank. All the aforementioned lights turn on. The RPM gauge goes up to 2k and then drops to 0, and the car doesn't start. The coolant gauge doesn't move.

My question is, why is the RSC Service Now alarm going off when it very clearly isnt what the problem is, since that alarm does not cause the car to not start. The engine light is on currently, but otherwise when its driving normally its off. I assume there is some odd code present that is causing the car to not start but I just dont know and I dont have a reader to find out. What could be happening here? I would imagine the key chip reader isnt at fault if removing the battery and resetting everything suddenly allows it to run normally, right? A fault in the ignition security would prevent it from starting regardless of the state of the computer (or at least I would hope so)

I'm really afraid that there is something wrong with my ECU. If someone could point me in the right direction troubleshooting this it would really make my day go a little better.

 

[abakedapplepie]

Here is a video https://youtu.be/gTg-CtqNhnc

 

[abakedapplepie]

after reading this thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=362102 I took out my cluster and cleaned the contacts on there and on the transceiver around the ignition, but so far nothing has worked.

Getting pretty frustrated considering I've had the thing for 3 months and it looks like I'm already on my way back to the dealer.

 

[D Hook]

How old is the battery? A battery on its' way out will cause a lot of electrical abnormalities, especially as the weather starts to change. Check terminals also.

 

[abakedapplepie]

D Hook,

I am not sure how old it is but it looks brand new. I don't have my voltmeter to test but all other vehicle functions operate just fine. It's a motorcraft battery serial 121814

 

[abakedapplepie]

I tried jumping it anyway and charging it off the other car but it didn't do much. Now that I have another car I am gonna get a scanner and see if I can pull any codes

 

[JeepGuy25]

So it wont crank or anything at this point?

Have you checked all the fuses/relays and easy to find items that go with the RSC?

 

[Texheim]

My cluster went dead on my Freestyle Sunday, water fried that and a lot of my cooling system: $4k in repairs. Looking at a 2007 Eddie Bauer

 

[ronwc]

About 6 months ago my gages on my 08 Exp would come on and jump around, engine would run very rough, was not drivable. Took three mechanics to figure out it was a bad alternator putting out random voltage spikes, not constant. Apparently the Exp is very sensitive to the correct voltage, and bad alternators are very common. Cost about $250 for a rebuilt alternator and has run perfect ever since then.

 

[D Hook]

Yes, a bad battery or dodgy alternator will make the electronics go crazy. Hot and cold temperatures outside will make a weak battery start to fail, resulting in over working the alternator. I'd get a new battery and have the charging system checked closely.

 

[Machine090767]

So.... Did the OP replace the battery?

 

[ronwc]

Yes, a bad battery or dodgy alternator will make the electronics go crazy. Hot and cold temperatures outside will make a weak battery start to fail, resulting in over working the alternator. I'd get a new battery and have the charging system checked closely.

I would not just go buy a battery, but have it tested under load - also look at the date code, if over 3 or 4 years they start to go downhill. You can also have the alternator tested, but the auto supply places are not very good at doing that. In my case, the alternator tested ok at first, then would randomly send voltage spikes causing things to wack out.

 

[pzy3339]

Check your grounds. All of them. Under the dash, to battery, to engine, to frame, to chassis, anywhere and everywhere. Even if voltage is steady ground can be insufficient and cause major and random electrical issues. Main connections are from battery to chassis and/or engine.

 

[Irishwhisperz]

Here is a video

This video is marked private

 

[Youngworker]

Hello all, hoping someone can shed some light on this issue.

I bought the vehicle from a ford dealership a few months ago, everything has been fine until about 5 days ago I was coming home from work and the RSC service now warning came on. I pulled over, turned off the vehicle, and started it back up - RSC warning gone, everything fine.

Fast forward to yesterday - I am pulling out of my house, and the RSC Warning Alarm comes on again. This time, my gauges all die except fuel level, and it says low fuel as well as RSC Service now. Most of the dash lights are on. Wrench, brake, engine, TC, and a few other lights all on. I shut the vehicle off and go to start it like I did earlier this week and the truck won't start. This is about the time I started panicking. Pushed the truck back into its parking spot and hit the internet.

I found plenty of resources for the RSC Service Now issue, but it seems that is not my problem here. For one, all the other discussions I had seen showed that only the TC light was on and the RSC alarm was going off. The gauges still worked and the car still drove.

I unplugged my battery and let it sit hoping it would temporarily clear out whatever was going on so I could at least move the car into a better spot. It worked, and it continued working for the rest of the night and got me to and from work today. Until now.

I just pulled in from work, and the same thing happened. When the alarm started going off while I was driving, I noticed my temperature, RPM, and speedo were all off. This time I paid attention to the theft light and sure enough it was blinking rapidly, so I went to grab my spare key. Same thing.

What happens is I go turn the ignition and the gauges reset, the fuel says its low even though the gauge shows 1/4 tank. All the aforementioned lights turn on. The RPM gauge goes up to 2k and then drops to 0, and the car doesn't start. The coolant gauge doesn't move.

My question is, why is the RSC Service Now alarm going off when it very clearly isnt what the problem is, since that alarm does not cause the car to not start. The engine light is on currently, but otherwise when its driving normally its off. I assume there is some odd code present that is causing the car to not start but I just dont know and I dont have a reader to find out. What could be happening here? I would imagine the key chip reader isnt at fault if removing the battery and resetting everything suddenly allows it to run normally, right? A fault in the ignition security would prevent it from starting regardless of the state of the computer (or at least I would hope so)

I'm really afraid that there is something wrong with my ECU. If someone could point me in the right direction troubleshooting this it would really make my day go a little better.

Did you ever find out what was wrong because am having the same problem now

 

[Youngworker]

Hello all, hoping someone can shed some light on this issue.

I bought the vehicle from a ford dealership a few months ago, everything has been fine until about 5 days ago I was coming home from work and the RSC service now warning came on. I pulled over, turned off the vehicle, and started it back up - RSC warning gone, everything fine.

Fast forward to yesterday - I am pulling out of my house, and the RSC Warning Alarm comes on again. This time, my gauges all die except fuel level, and it says low fuel as well as RSC Service now. Most of the dash lights are on. Wrench, brake, engine, TC, and a few other lights all on. I shut the vehicle off and go to start it like I did earlier this week and the truck won't start. This is about the time I started panicking. Pushed the truck back into its parking spot and hit the internet.

I found plenty of resources for the RSC Service Now issue, but it seems that is not my problem here. For one, all the other discussions I had seen showed that only the TC light was on and the RSC alarm was going off. The gauges still worked and the car still drove.

I unplugged my battery and let it sit hoping it would temporarily clear out whatever was going on so I could at least move the car into a better spot. It worked, and it continued working for the rest of the night and got me to and from work today. Until now.

I just pulled in from work, and the same thing happened. When the alarm started going off while I was driving, I noticed my temperature, RPM, and speedo were all off. This time I paid attention to the theft light and sure enough it was blinking rapidly, so I went to grab my spare key. Same thing.

What happens is I go turn the ignition and the gauges reset, the fuel says its low even though the gauge shows 1/4 tank. All the aforementioned lights turn on. The RPM gauge goes up to 2k and then drops to 0, and the car doesn't start. The coolant gauge doesn't move.

My question is, why is the RSC Service Now alarm going off when it very clearly isnt what the problem is, since that alarm does not cause the car to not start. The engine light is on currently, but otherwise when its driving normally its off. I assume there is some odd code present that is causing the car to not start but I just dont know and I dont have a reader to find out. What could be happening here? I would imagine the key chip reader isnt at fault if removing the battery and resetting everything suddenly allows it to run normally, right? A fault in the ignition security would prevent it from starting regardless of the state of the computer (or at least I would hope so)

I'm really afraid that there is something wrong with my ECU. If someone could point me in the right direction troubleshooting this it would really make my day go a little better.

​

Did you ever find out what was wrong because am having the same problem now

Hello all, hoping someone can shed some light on this issue.

I bought the vehicle from a ford dealership a few months ago, everything has been fine until about 5 days ago I was coming home from work and the RSC service now warning came on. I pulled over, turned off the vehicle, and started it back up - RSC warning gone, everything fine.

Fast forward to yesterday - I am pulling out of my house, and the RSC Warning Alarm comes on again. This time, my gauges all die except fuel level, and it says low fuel as well as RSC Service now. Most of the dash lights are on. Wrench, brake, engine, TC, and a few other lights all on. I shut the vehicle off and go to start it like I did earlier this week and the truck won't start. This is about the time I started panicking. Pushed the truck back into its parking spot and hit the internet.

I found plenty of resources for the RSC Service Now issue, but it seems that is not my problem here. For one, all the other discussions I had seen showed that only the TC light was on and the RSC alarm was going off. The gauges still worked and the car still drove.

I unplugged my battery and let it sit hoping it would temporarily clear out whatever was going on so I could at least move the car into a better spot. It worked, and it continued working for the rest of the night and got me to and from work today. Until now.

I just pulled in from work, and the same thing happened. When the alarm started going off while I was driving, I noticed my temperature, RPM, and speedo were all off. This time I paid attention to the theft light and sure enough it was blinking rapidly, so I went to grab my spare key. Same thing.

What happens is I go turn the ignition and the gauges reset, the fuel says its low even though the gauge shows 1/4 tank. All the aforementioned lights turn on. The RPM gauge goes up to 2k and then drops to 0, and the car doesn't start. The coolant gauge doesn't move.

My question is, why is the RSC Service Now alarm going off when it very clearly isnt what the problem is, since that alarm does not cause the car to not start. The engine light is on currently, but otherwise when its driving normally its off. I assume there is some odd code present that is causing the car to not start but I just dont know and I dont have a reader to find out. What could be happening here? I would imagine the key chip reader isnt at fault if removing the battery and resetting everything suddenly allows it to run normally, right? A fault in the ignition security would prevent it from starting regardless of the state of the computer (or at least I would hope so)

I'm really afraid that there is something wrong with my ECU. If someone could point me in the right direction troubleshooting this it would really make my day go a little better.