Windows, gas gauge, radio not working

[ccharette]

No I have not found anything yet. I was also told it could be the window controls themselves. I am going to pull the door panel and disconnect them and see what happens.

 

[dodgerdog1978]

Hello...I am having the same issue with my 04 explorer except for my truck acts up only first thing in the morning or when its cold outside. I usually have to turn the heater up and after a few minutes it flickers back on. Any suggestions

 

[BigRondo]

Hello...I am having the same issue with my 04 explorer except for my truck acts up only first thing in the morning or when its cold outside. I usually have to turn the heater up and after a few minutes it flickers back on. Any suggestions

Welcome aboard!!

I had similar electrical issues with my '02 XLT. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the alarm would beep twice when I armed it. Recently all 4 windows stopped working. Most recently the driver door lock actuator stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 3 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ. I had to repair the pink/black wire to fix the driver door lock actuator.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Unfortunately the pictures are no longer available in the above thread. IIRC, I believe I unwrapped the wires enough to gain access. When I have gone searching in there I had an idea of what wire I was looking for. I located the the wire I was looking for and gently tugged on that wire on the door side. The wire was pulled toward me and out of the harness. I then went inside the vehicle and gently tugged on the the wire I was looking for and was able to pull it inside the vehicle. I then spliced a length of wire to the 2 ends, completing the circuit. I then gently pulled the excess into the door.

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

Good luck getting it sorted.

Please keep us posted as feedback helps others reading this post looking for a fix to the same or similar issue!

 

[Moto Martin]

Fuse #17 blew and every time we tried to replace the fuse it would blow instantly. It turned out my son had put some pins in the headliner to keep it up and he must have stuck the pin through some wires. Once we pulled the pins out, we could replace the fuse and everything was okay again. ( I gave him the car last week and pinning up the headliner was his first "fix it" job.)

 

[gagutierrez81]

In my case, the mirror light was shorted and the fuse # 15 blown.

 

[SuperMike]

From this manual, I learned how the ICM, Battery Saver, Delayed Accessory, and Rear Defroster are related:
Ford Explorer 2003 Workshop Manual (Page 5 of 17)

Based on this and my experience with the electrical nightmare in my Explorer, I have worked out the following:

The Battery Saver Relay (cabin relay #5) supplies power to the ICM circuitry for gauges and Odometer, and this ICM circuitry in turn supplies coil power to the Delayed Accessory relay (cabin relay #3 - power windows, dome lights, radio) and the Rear Defrost relay.

Cabin Fuse 17 supplies power to the Battery Saver relay (load side) and the Delayed Accessory Relay (coil side) and thus (directly or indirectly) to the Instrument Cluster Module (gauges and Odometer), power windows, dome lights, radio, and glove box light.

Cabin Fuse #21 supplies power to the Instrument Cluster (not gauges or Odometer) and the flasher coil. If your turn signals work, this fuse is good.

If fuse #21 and #17 are good, AND your Instrument Cluster gauges and Odometer are offline, AND Rear Defrost doesn't work, AND Delayed Accessories (power windows, radio, dome lights, etc) are not working, your problem is either with the Battery Saver relay itself, the relay circuitry, the Instrument Cluster wiring to the Battery Saver, or the Instrument Cluster itself.

When checking the Battery Saver (#5 relay), be sure to test the relay itself, and the relay circuit coil voltage, load voltage, and ground.

If you've blown Fuse #17, you definitely want to check the electrical current draw on the battery after replacing it. My Explorer was pulling 1.4 amps off the battery (with the key off) due to a shorted out battery saver relay, which was causing my Instrument Cluster Module to power cycle repeatedly, which was causing my Delayed Accessories to turn off and on.

As mentioned in many posts above, there are other common culprits for short circuited wiring and they should also be checked if there is high draw on the battery. For reference, my Explorer was drawing 0.024 amps after fixing the shorted Battery Saver relay.

 

[Gumbel]

Very similar issue here. 2005 Explorer, broken visor bracket. I went to a junkyard, got another one and put it in on Friday evening. Monday morning the windows, fuel gauge and radio were inop. Check the windows fuse and c/b, but they were OK. If it hadn't been for these posts I wouldn't have known about fuse 17 and may not have guessed that it was the visor that caused it. I disconnected the electrical connector for the visor vanity mirror (that I have never used), replaced fuse 17, and all is right again. Thanks to all who posted here. Saved me a lot of hassle.

 

[shirley klotz]

I had same things stop working while I was driving2005 my son just put the sunviser.down and back up. Also my.check engine light came on. My.son helped me check the.fuse and it was blown put new one in and everything worked engine light.still.on had it checked by auto zone they said it's a.fuel sinscer

 

[hokie56]

No I have not found anything yet. I was also told it could be the window controls themselves. I am going to pull the door panel and disconnect them and see what happens.

My fuel gauge, windows, and radio quit working. I reviewed several post about interior fuse 17. I replaced it and everything worked! I spent a week trouble shooting replacing my fuel level sensor which stated on my diagnostic tester and it did not solve the problem.
Replace 15amp fuse at location 17 interior fuse panel. Also if you have to replace the fuel pump, Get a camera probe to find the location from above through a rubber plug opening. Use and electric shears to cut the metal floor. I cut a 9x9 opening just above the fuel pump which gives you room to access everything. Cover the hole with 1/8 aluminum plate 12 x 12 which you can get from Amazon for $14,00 next day shipment.
Use caulk or window seal between plate and floor. I see some post where they use a grinder, but makes a big mess.