Electrical Problems

[cgyfireman]

Hey guys, heres my problem. I went camping this weekend, killed the battery from playing music and leaving the doors open. I tried restarting it, and it wouldnt turn over, so I just left it be. ( jump start it in the morning). The vehicle started doing strange things like honking for no reason, there was a clicking sound coming from the fuse box on the drivers side.
In the morning the truck wouldnt turn over at all, so I got a buddy to boost me.
Took 2 tries then we got it goin, but alot of the electrical components arent working.
List of stuff not working:
-Power windows
-Radio
-4x4
-Nothing on the console ( gas gauge, speed, rpm, compass...)
-Lights interior and exterior (running lights work)

Thats it i think, could be a few other minor things down too.

So is it a dead fuse? or like a relay fuse?
Any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

[BWilliams]

Check the small blue 20A fuses under the dash... if the '03 is the same as the '05, there is one of those that controls all of that and is probably blown. I ran into the same problem when I shorted out one of my dome lights when i converted them to LED.

 

[cgyfireman]

Ive checked all the fuses under the steering wheel that I could access, and looked at the ones under the hood, all seem to be good, Im wondering if it may be a relay, like the battery saver one maybe, that are on the top side of the fuse panel, i just dont have access to it, the whole fuse panel needs to come out

 

[BWilliams]

Just from looking at the '05 manual I have (I think it's the same... if not, I can grab an '04 that I have sitting around and check there too). If you odn't have a manual and need the fuse box diagrams, let me know and I can scan them in for you.

I would check fuses 6 and 15 under the hood again (a 60A cartridge that controls "Delayed accessory, Power Windows, Audio" and a 15A mini I've had blow before that caused some similar problems). I'm sure you know this, but it's easier to see if it's blown by actually pulling it out and looking from the side, not just looking for a burn on the top of the fuse (I've seen people do that, not saying you are).

If not, it may be fuse 3 on top of the under-dash fuse panel (manual labels it as "delayed accessory"), but I'm not sure since your overhead lamps wouldn't be on that circuit I don't think.

 

[rrgone]

Does the battery hold a charge? I recommend you get the battery load tested. If it's not holding a good charge it will wreck havoc with the electronics. Good luck.

 

[cgyfireman]

Problem solved...

So it turned out to be fuse 15 under the hood, i pulled it out, it hadnt blown, but when i put it back in I heard the door ajar beeping, so I went in, turned on the car and everythign worked, pretty strange considering the fuse didnt blow

 

[rrgone]

Very interesting. I wonder if pulling out fuse #15 is the equivalent of resetting the computer by unhooking the battery ground temporarily. Thanks for the followup.

 

[BWilliams]

Very interesting. I wonder if pulling out fuse #15 is the equivalent of resetting the computer by unhooking the battery ground temporarily. Thanks for the followup.

Essencially. Fuse 15 is the fuse that controls memory for the PCM, cluster, and DEATC, powers the courtesy lamps, and I suspect it's tied into a relay or something that they don't tell us about in the manual. I've had this blow on a few occasions (when I shorted one of the wires to my overhead LED board to the reflector, and when my friend accidentally crossed two wires helping me wire something), and in both cases, everything got knocked out.

Interestingly, when I had that fuse blow the last time, I also had 2 other fuses blow (power driver seat and the power window control fuse), so there's definately more connected to that fuse then just what's listed in the manual.

 

[DennisMileHi]

Similar Problem

First post after joining so I could do a search.

My 2002 Mountaineer DEATC this morning totally quit working (everything else was fine). This thread was the only one that I could find anywhere regarding DEATC problems.

Anyway, I pulled fuse #15 out, checked that it was fine, put it back in and the DEATC came back to life. Go figure! A Ford tech told me on the phone that the entire DEATC module might need replacing for $900. Motivate me to check the internet for a good forum.

Glad I found this forum!!

 

[BWilliams]

Glad I could help!

 

[TinwoodyII]

Tip for next time

I found out that if you switch the dash light control all the way off (at least on my 05 XLT), none of the interior or puddle lights come on. I found this by looking at someone's electrical post question, and I hadn't known about it earlier. Might save a battery or two
Bill W
38N121W