Ford Explorer 2008 - Radio trouble

[KillaH]

Hi everyone!
New guy here!

Got a 2008 Ford Explorer.

Sometimes, out of nowhere a few things happends at once.

Speakers wont work.
Dome lights dont come on when opening doors.
Fog lights dont come on when unlocking the doors(alarm off)
And stereo WONT turn off when turning the car off and setting the alarm on.

This drains the battery if I dont start it every day.

If I unhook the battery, and lock the car it's fine.
Next time I unlock it, foglights come on, and dome lights lit up.
Everything is fine untill i put the key in the ignition and turn it 1 step. I don't have to start the car, just switch it on and it's back again. No sound from stereo, and the only way to remove it again is to unhook the battery for a few seconds.
Also, the little green display unit on the dash takes about 30 seconds to start up when i start the car.

Anyone had this issue, is it common, I spoke with my dealer, they had no clue. I have access to a full autoshop if needed.

Btw, if i remove fuse 3 11 and 12 noting of this happends and the stereo is all dead(Im not sure what else can go wrong with the car though, so im a bit affraid to have it like that)

I have two possible things i think it is, either the stereo or its wiring ,or something with the ignition/key lock.

Please help!

Regards from Sweden

 

[08EddieCA]

If you remove the radio do all issues go away? ...obviously the speakers won't work, etc. Could be the speakers are fried from being "on" for so long relative the other speakers. I hate electrical issues. By the way, is your alternator generating proper voltage? Do you have access to a donor radio, just to see if anything changes? I wonder if the radio drains the battery when you're away from your truck then you go to leave and have a bunch of electrical gremlins due to low voltage and a drained battery.

 

[KillaH]

If you remove the radio do all issues go away? ...obviously the speakers won't work, etc. Could be the speakers are fried from being "on" for so long relative the other speakers. I hate electrical issues. By the way, is your alternator generating proper voltage? Do you have access to a donor radio, just to see if anything changes? I wonder if the radio drains the battery when you're away from your truck then you go to leave and have a bunch of electrical gremlins due to low voltage and a drained battery.

1. Hi!
   
   Thanks for the answer.
   
   I've removed fuse 3 and 11, and now everything else works fine. I dont have to unhook the battery, and the car starts properly. Obv the stereounit is black now.
   So I think it has something todo with the stereo, I've also had a auto shop tell me, it might be the ignition / ignition lock / cylinder or something.
   
   But I would bet my money on the stereo.
   
   I haven't checked my Alternator, I've changed the battery like 2 months ago in a shop, you think they checked that when they changed the battery?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Aftermarket stereo by chance?

 

[KillaH]

Aftermarket stereo by chance?

It's a factory stereo.

This one.
http://static.usnews.rankingsandrev...2008_ford_explorer_sport_trac_audiosystem.jpg

 

[Tech By Trade]

The reason I ask is because the factory radio is controlled by the CAN bus system. So are all the other things you are reporting. Its almost sounding like your ignition switch is gone.

 

[KillaH]

The reason I ask is because the factory radio is controlled by the CAN bus system. So are all the other things you are reporting. Its almost sounding like your ignition switch is gone.

That's what my friend says too, He has an Autoshop so it seems legit.

The other things have stoped happening now, when i removed fuse 3 and 11. Can it still be the ignition switch?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Could be, they are all connected to that same control system. When you pull those fuses all you are doing is removing some other items from the circuit. The main problem is still there. Pretty common failure.

 

[KillaH]

So, best thing would be to change the Ignition?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Yep, lots of posts on here about it.

 

[KillaH]

Yep, lots of posts on here about it.

I've tried to locate one. What terms to i search to find em?