Recently my 2001 F150 Harley Truck needed a IAC unit replaced which is located in the back area of the engine.. where it had low idle every so often.. That replaced everything was fine for a few days. Then it rained a ton last night on my way out to dinner. All of a sudden the radio died.. completely turned off and wouldnt turn back on.. THen out of no where it turned back on.. At dinner, (about 45 minutes later) I went outside and noticed the headlights and brake lights were on.. as i leave the lights on auto, i turned them to off.. Thereafter, i got to where i was going, and 30 minutes of it parked, the headlights were on again even though i watched them turn off before i went in.. (no key in ignition or anything)
this morning.. the truck wouldnt start, it just turned over like it wasnt getting any spark.. and when i got in, i noticed the electic light was flashing and parts of my dash were on without the key in the ignition also.. .. being the electric gauge and odometer.. as well the odemeter would go from displaying the miledge to ------------ across the screen.

The battery at this point was about 1/3 dead.. getting to work, i found a diagram of the fuse panel.. and had to pull number 2 fuse to get the dash to turn off which is assocaited with the PCM. Also, the remote for the door locks isnt working today either.

About 6 months ago i had to replace the winsheild, where it had rust through on either side of the window.. where it still leaks near the ohh shiz bar.

The fuse for the code dongle is blown also.. but do not have any service engine codes currently.

So i believe it is water related, though my floors arent wet.. Why have so many things slightly shorted out and what can i do to dry it out if anything got rained on..

 

did you buy this before or after hurricane Katrina?

 

Your GEM finally took a powder from the leaking windshield.

The GEM is attached to the back of the cab fuse panel.

The symptoms you list are common for this problem, as well as the mentioning of the replaced windshield already.

Quite a few posts on the site here, using the search term gem*

If you use a hairdryer or 1500 watt space heater to dry out the GEM, it might be alright until the next rain. I would suggest getting the windshield fixed by someone that knows what they are doing.

 

I had the same problem, it's a little costly to replace the windshield but it needs to be done. In my case it had already been replaced, when it leaked I called the company and they replaced it again for free. Food for thought..\Good luck.. Andy G.

 

So my truck needs a Gem Module? Is it also odd because the truck will only start when the door is open now.. is it located under the hood or under the dash? Hey i appreciate the feedback also..

 

Your GEM module is probably still good, it just needs to be dried out with a hair dryer or space heater as stated in the other replies. I have had a similar problem happen with my truck 3 different times after a hard rain or excessively melting snow, mine had the same radio problem as yours along with the HVAC controls turning on high, both happened without the keys in the ignition. Mine has even happened after the truck was sitting for a few hours without running. I have just been using a space heater running for about 3-4 hours to dry it out for now until I can have the seal around my winshield replaced. (I would suggest replacing the winshield seal as it is much cheaper than replacing the GEM module-do a search to see other posts on that, most people said it was around $1,000.)

 

I wanted to say thanks for the feedback.. At this point the module has appeared to dry out.. as it doesnt take opening the door to start the truck and the door locks work again.. Does anyone know where i can buy that replacement part because i've called around to some of the regular part houses and they dont even list such an item as a GEM..

What does GEM stand for..?

 

I believe GEM stands for "Generic Electronic Module." If you do a search on this site and type in GEM Module you will find over 200 threads on this subject of people who have had similar problems. Some of this info might be helpful to you.