Well lets see where to start...I went to use my pickup this morning and I wanted to roll down the window and it would not roll down with the electrical switch...In fact the wipers would not work either....the 4x4 light is engaged with the switch in 2H setting....and the 4x4 unit is locked into 4x4 even with the setting in 2H setting...Now here is the fun part...besides the wipers not working, the fuel guage says empty...I just filled it yesterday before I came home....if I put the gear selector into park or neutral everything will work as is should except the 4x4 will not disengage and it shows it is in 4x4 and the setting on the switch is in 2H position....As soon as I place the gear selector in reverse or in drive everything quits...or it will bounce off and on...We have had a hard rain and wind storm last night so I am figuring it has to be water in some part of the computer system or some wire harness somewhere....Has anyone out there encountered this problem and if so what was the problem and what was the remedy....A trip to Ford is in order here I am still under warranty but because of our super intelligent service department here I wanted to have some sort of head start on them if this has happened to others....Thanks for taking the time to read this...

Steve Wheeler
99 F-150 Green Amazon 4x4 XLT
K&N breather
Mobil 1 5w30
custom canopy

My e-mail address if anyone wishes to e-mail me is

steve@marinersquare.com

 

You may not be able to fix this yourself so it's a darn good thing you have a warranty.

While I was reading, I was waiting for the reference to "rain". I don't know about the '99 specifically but the '97 had a TSB for water leaking into the GEM (Generic Electronic Module) behind the fuse panel. It would cause the exact symptoms you're refering to.

Be sure to let the service tech know that this happened after it rained.

The problem is that Ford does not use water/dust boots on its critical electrical connections.

The GEM controls the following features:

- Wipers/washers.
- Warning chimes.
- Battery saver.
- Illuminated entry and courtesy lamps,
- Driver power window.
- Accessory delay.
- 4-Wheel drive.

 

or there's a dead cat in there.

 

i had the same problem, it's water in the transfer case.

drain and flush should fix, check the vent tube for proper positioning, it should be bent back down so water does not enter

the water/oil mix shorts the 4x4 shift sensor