sgoss66
Active Member
- Joined
- October 31, 2012
- Messages
- 60
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Norman, OK
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2008 Sport Trac
Hi all -- first time poster, looking for some help.
I have a very strange problem going on with my 2008 4.0L V6 4WD Sport Trac Limited. Lately while driving, I am having a sporadic/intermittent problem where spontaneously while driving, some of the electrical systems will shut down -- the dome light, dashboard lights, etc. Sometimes the radio will stay on, sometimes it will shut down also. At other times, the radio stays on, but there will be a diminishing of the radio volume, as a loud screeching static sound comes from the speakers. Sometimes, everything shuts down -- including speedometer, tachometer, information center, all lights, radio, climate control system, etc. etc. The car still runs, and the headlights still work, but everything else shuts down. When this happens, things usually stay shut down for several seconds, and then everything comes back on. When this happens, the electrical system runs through the normal "checks" that happen when you first start up the vehicle (airbag, ABS, traction control icons light up for a few seconds). When the "power" returns to the system, I have not lost any of my settings -- clock time, preset radio stations, etc.
The problem seems to be getting more frequent with time, and now, over the past couple of days, I noticed that if and when the "shutdown" occurs, it is now affected by stepping on the accellerator. When one of these "events" is occurring, if I let my foot off the accellerator, things power back up; if I step on the gas, everything shuts down again. This was not the case previously (the accellerator having any effect on the issue); that has only been the case over the past few days. Before this, there was nothing I could do that would initiate, or terminate, the problem (except for shutting the car off and re-starting). I should note that the battery is fairly new, and I have had zero problems whatsoever turning the vehicle on/ignition.
This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, and I've hesitated to take it in to the dealership as the problem is intermittent and sporadic, and if it is not "misbehaving" at the time I take it in to the mechanic, and if they cannot reproduce the problem, I fear they may have a hard time tracking the issue down -- and thus charging me tons of labor hours just to diagnose, let alone fix, the issue. Not sure if any "codes" are being stored in the computer, or not, related to this problem.
I am not sure if I have a short somewhere, or a computer issue, or an alternator...no idea. Has anyone ever heard of such a problem, and any idea what the issue might be (and if so, if a "DIY fix" might be possible?)
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions/ideas that anyone might have regarding this issue.
Steve
I have a very strange problem going on with my 2008 4.0L V6 4WD Sport Trac Limited. Lately while driving, I am having a sporadic/intermittent problem where spontaneously while driving, some of the electrical systems will shut down -- the dome light, dashboard lights, etc. Sometimes the radio will stay on, sometimes it will shut down also. At other times, the radio stays on, but there will be a diminishing of the radio volume, as a loud screeching static sound comes from the speakers. Sometimes, everything shuts down -- including speedometer, tachometer, information center, all lights, radio, climate control system, etc. etc. The car still runs, and the headlights still work, but everything else shuts down. When this happens, things usually stay shut down for several seconds, and then everything comes back on. When this happens, the electrical system runs through the normal "checks" that happen when you first start up the vehicle (airbag, ABS, traction control icons light up for a few seconds). When the "power" returns to the system, I have not lost any of my settings -- clock time, preset radio stations, etc.
The problem seems to be getting more frequent with time, and now, over the past couple of days, I noticed that if and when the "shutdown" occurs, it is now affected by stepping on the accellerator. When one of these "events" is occurring, if I let my foot off the accellerator, things power back up; if I step on the gas, everything shuts down again. This was not the case previously (the accellerator having any effect on the issue); that has only been the case over the past few days. Before this, there was nothing I could do that would initiate, or terminate, the problem (except for shutting the car off and re-starting). I should note that the battery is fairly new, and I have had zero problems whatsoever turning the vehicle on/ignition.
This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, and I've hesitated to take it in to the dealership as the problem is intermittent and sporadic, and if it is not "misbehaving" at the time I take it in to the mechanic, and if they cannot reproduce the problem, I fear they may have a hard time tracking the issue down -- and thus charging me tons of labor hours just to diagnose, let alone fix, the issue. Not sure if any "codes" are being stored in the computer, or not, related to this problem.
I am not sure if I have a short somewhere, or a computer issue, or an alternator...no idea. Has anyone ever heard of such a problem, and any idea what the issue might be (and if so, if a "DIY fix" might be possible?)
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions/ideas that anyone might have regarding this issue.
Steve