OK.....so it went like this...........

Have a 99 f150 4.6, auto, 4x4 XLT

Got in my truck to leave work after parking it approx. 6 hrs earlier.

Turned on ignition to start engine and noticed a repetitve clicking sound. At first I thought my emergency flashers were on but discovered it was coming from my fuse box. NOTHING would work except I noticed that they dome light was blinking on and off along with the clicking sound. When I closed the door the clicking would stop but the truck was stone dead, NOTHING would work.

I finally thought I would try and jump it not knowing anything else to do. Somehow that worked and it is fine now. Have shut it off a few times and restarted it and everything seems to be working fine.

Anyone got any ideas what happened?? How concerned should I be??

Thanks

Randy

 

Weird ain't it?

It sounds like you may have left your headlights on when you parked that morning. After a period of time the Battery Saver Relay kicked in and killed the juice. When you got in to go home the click you heard was probably the Battery Saver Relay and or the Interior Lamp Relay cutting in and out, which gave you the 1970's retro light show.

Sounds like your battery may be near the end of its service life, because the drain shouldn't have been enough to leave you needing a jump. I would hit a local repair shop that is running one of those "Free Charging System Check" promos to see if your battery is shot, or alternator is not putting out.

 

Thanks Flafonman.

I've got those automatic headlites that go on and off by themselves so I never touch them.

I read some past posts using the search word "dead" and found some similar experiences. They attributed it to their GEM getting wet (?) windwhield leaking on top of GEM under dash. I don't THINK it is my battery although as far as I know I do have the origional '99 battery so I'm sure I'm living on borrowed time. Anyhow, it's working fine now.

Kinda suspect that Gem thing. Maybe it was just a fluke thing, a ick-up in the system if you will, ya think??

Time will tell. Meanwhile I'm keeping the cell phone and jumper cables handy.

 

Longbox, I have an 2000 F150 XLT and have the exact problem that you have indicated. The 2nd relay in the fuse panel clicks and I cannot start the engine.

In my case, this has happened twice. On both occasions it had rained heavily and I did notice some water on the driver's side floor mat.

Could you explain what the "GEM" is and how one goes about fixing this?

Thanks!
Bob

 

You may want to pull up a chair and make a sandwich, this could take a while.

GEM stands for Generic Electronic Module, as if that clears anything up. There are various GEMs throughout your truck. They come into play when various components are tied together and need a common control unit to do the thinking. If you have the rear air suspension there is a GEM that is tapped to the speed contol sensor, the light indicators in the dash, and the unit that raises and lowers the pressure. The GEM processes the info from these devices and may tell a componet to do something different. There is a GEM involved in the interior lighting system because of all of the situations that the lights come on that don't involve the door switch IE: remote unlock of door-lights on; or after door is closed leave lights on for 25 seconds or until ignition is turned etc.

As for relays they are switches that allow a low voltage circuit (the control circuit) to change the status (on/off) of a high voltage circuit which is called the power circuit. Most applications that require relays have a GEM involved.

So to make a long story short (too late! ) GEMs are whatever they need to be depending on the application, and they are not something you fix they are something you replace .

Good luck on chasing the gremlins out.

 

Thanks for the description, flafonman; it was very helpful.

- Bob