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1997 Explorer No Power anything.

jollykreiger

New Member
Joined
June 3, 2013
Messages
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City, State
Moses Lake, WA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Explorer
Well i recently bought a 1997 4.0 sohc explorer and everything was okay for a while. But recently my power window, power seats, power locks and 4wd system will not work. So I thought it was a fuse. then everything was working. then they quit. then they work.... you get the idea.
I have replaced the acc. delay relay under the dashboard, same thing.
Some things Ive noticed is that whenever they aren't working the 4wd lights will flash at me every couple minutes like they're supposed to and that even though i figured out the key-less entry pass-code, it will not work unless the key is on.
Right now i am lost as to where to go next. Thank god the ac works though.
 



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There has a short somewhere.
Finding it isn't an easy task.

Are the fuses blowing often and the relays dying?
 






Sounds like a GEM module issue. All those things go throught the GEM in one way or another. But before you go ahead and replace it. Run some tests first. Like checking if each thing like the window motor, or the seat motor is getting power. Then see if the fuse for each thing, or even the gem module has power going through it. You have a VERY annoying issue because it is intermittent. Good luck.
 






I was kinda leaning towords a gem also, but i dont know which gem controls those things. i do know they all go through the acc. delay relay, but other than that i dont know what else they have in common. I do think they share a gem but as to which one i dont know. Ill have to fix my test light this weekend and hopefully itll act up when im not heading to work so i have time to play with it
And just to clarify it has not blow a single fuse since i have gotten it.
 






sounds like the GEM (General Electronic Module). there's only one (as far as I know) and it lives behind the radio, to the left. it controls all sorts of things and just the sort of things you report having trouble with.
 






well i went out and got a gem from a 1995 and tried that out and the only thing that happened was my 4wd would say 4wd was on even though it was giving me an error code. still nothing worked.
I did find out that the one i have is from a junkyard though... not good. who now what else they did before i got it.
i put the old one back in and... no change. however it does seem like it will work in the mornings but in the evenings it never works. which is really weird.
 






I figured it out!!!! I was contemplating replacing the GEM, but before i did i wanted to check that the outgoing side of the maxi fuse under the hood was in good shape(i had already tested it for power at the fuse) so while i was taking off the maxi fuse box under the hood I notice that a wire was literally cut. not rubbing against anything not burnt and shorted but literally cut with wire cutters. they were still so close together that they must've had some current going through them sometimes.
but anyhow. i spliced them back together and now everything works again.!!!
 






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