This may be the longest ? ever.. ok I have a 2003 super crew f150. when it is raining or it has been wet for a few days in a row i begin to hear a relay clickking under the dash on the drivers side. some times the radio shuts off and the door light go out and the power windows and locks go out as well. then here recently, the blower motor and my power windows continue to work when i shut the truck off.. i then shut the heat off and get out off the truck and lock it then unlock it and the power windows are dead , but work when i start it again.. it also has engaged the 4 wheel drive a few times on me while driving down the road . the worst thing about all of this is that the check engine light has never come on . but it has made a beeping sound like it is trying to put out a code , it will beep 3 times stop then 3 more . i have hooked it up to a hand held thing with a mechanic from work and we get nothing.. does any one out there have any suggestions cause i love my truck and would like to keep it ..!!

 

1. The gremlins after a rain sound like a wet GEM from the windshield leaking.
If you look up behind the dash, inline with the pass compartment fuse panel, you might find that the edge of the carpeting is wet.
To confirm the wet GEM problem, you would need to pull out the pass compartment Fuse panel, and remove the GEM from the rear of it, and look for green corrosion. It is about an 800.00 job at a dealer, from member reports, so maybe confirming the leak, prior to digging into it.
You might have luck with a heat gun first, drying out the GEM, to see if it is just wet causing the problem, but water on electrical item usually equals corrosion.

2. The beeping sounds like an airbag code, which happens with the bulb is out or maybe in your case, the circuit to the airbag bulb is corroded to the GEM.
I would look into the GEM problem, as this might be the cause of the airbag beeping code, due to the GEM not seeing the bulb, or it could be the bulb blew out at the same time.

If you search on the term :windshield leak , you might find the few posts on the topic, but from teh description, that is what it sounds like.

 

after reading your response i went and checked my winshield.. around the outer edge of the windshield it looks as if the windshield itself maybe pulling away from the seal.. in areas like the corners it is kind of white and on flat areas it is black, like the seal is touching like it supposed to be ...

 

Did you happen to check the carpeting behind the Fuse Panel ( up high on the floor board ). Some times the carpet will be wet there, or there might be some damp / mold-like smell.

Sounds like you have a wet GEM module, but this still needs to be verifyed with a peek up under the dash, and might need to include a Fuse panel / GEM removal and seperation to confirm. Don't know if you feel like diving into this yourself, or if you woudl rather have a dealer / repair shop tackle it.

 

Having similar problems, just wondering if the problem was fixed

 

I have exactly what you are describing here. Had a heavy rain, seems I have a leak. It seems like everything electrical on the truck is going crazy. I hear lots of clicking under the driver dash area and getting intermittent usage of gauges, radio, windows, and door locks. I did notice a posting about resetting the check engine light. (I had this at one point) I removed the positive for a few minutes replaced and it seems to setlle everything down at this point. Also another nifty thing is the Truck won't start. This being a Holiday weekend this is the current work around at least to get the truck running.

What does the GEM stand for and what does it do? I'm taking a stab at it...General Electrical Module? is it a part that is easily obtainable? I think i can get the leak on the windshield fixed. Anything special about replacing it or is it a modular plug, battery need to be disconnected? Looking forward to your reply.

 

I'm just a poor man with poor ways.

I'm quickly getting educated on the Generic Electronic Module. I'm searching for information to DIY to replace the GEM. I may need to replace the Fuse Block as well. A lot of water. I requested that a Ford dealer look at the problem and received no proper diagnosis (Its a long story). I am now a week later with yet still a leaking windshield and apparently from my humble search a defective GEM, Oh yeah the pocketbook is lighter.... I'm getting the windshield repaired tomorrow. If I'm not leaking thats a big step. I'm a bit weary of removing the battery wires at night so that I can get from point A to B the next day. I'm not afraid to tackle this problem, just trying to get to a decision point about how to proceed. Any help would be great in pointing out info for doing this. I read in some post that the GEM has to be programmed. Is a dealer the only one that can do this?

General impression so far....

I need to disconnect the battery make sure that the system has fully discharged.Take the lower half of the dash apart. Remove some bolts on the wiring harness to drop, Remove bolts to drop down the Fuse Block. Disconnect the wiring harness from the GEM. Remove the GEM from the Fuse Block to inspect for water damage. At this point, new GEM maybe the Fuse Block. Replace Fuses and reverse the procedure. If I'm close, Please let me know. What are the problems I can expect? Again referring to the GEM needing programming. If I'm off base, I'm teachable. The search continues for information and inexpensive parts. Thanks in Advance for any help.

 

Im curious if you got to change the gem out yourself, if a dealer did it for you or if you found out a different solution.

I have a '98 Exped and the fuse block is on the left side of the steering column...I dont know if the procedure would be the same as on an F150?
But Im really curious about the gem itself, did you have to have it reprogramed? How much of a pain in the neck was it to get out and replace and is the stealership the only place to get one and a fuse block?

Thanks