1999 F150 won't start. Inst cluster gauges jumping continually and ind lights flash
 

After heavy rain I realized that my windshield is apparently leaking. Driver's floorboard is wet. I turned the ignition key to ON and the instrument cluster (IC) gauges all continually bounce up and down about half way and the indicator lights flash on and off including the odometer. All other electrical seems to work ok (i.e. fan, lights, dome light, signal lights and signal indicators in IC, horn). PATS theft light blinks fast and when I turn key engine cranks but won't fire up. So it appears the PATS may be preventing the engine from firing up. I don't know yet if the IC got wet. I'm going to take it out and examine it. I removed the fuse panel under the dash to examine it for water damage as I had a PATS theft light problem a few years ago and noticed at that time a couple years ago that water had gotten into the fuse box. I had dried it with contact cleaner and reinstalled and it worked fine. This time I did not see any moisture in the fuse panel or GEM and so I have reinstalled it. I do most of the work on my truck but I'm having difficulty finding anything on the web with the IC lights and gauges flashing/jumping. Any suggestions before I tow it to the dealer? Thanks.

That does sound like a GEM issue - have you disconnected it and checked the connector?

Not sure what you mean by check the connector. I did remove the gem from the back of the fuse panel and examine it for moisture which none was found. It looked OK, no corrosion. I also left it off of the fuse panel and then restored power and turned the key on again and the gauges still jumped and Indicator lights still flashed. I thought that might eliminate the gem as causing the IC problems.

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It's a problem with the cluster, not the GEM.

Pull the cluster out and take it indoors and see if you can gently dry it out. If you're lucky, it will be okay when you put it back in. If you're not lucky, it's toast.

I took the cluster apart this evening and it was dry. I didn't see any signs of damage so I am thinking that the rain may have shorted something causing permanent damage to the electronics on the cluster. I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow and see how much cost to change out and program cluster. If they want a lot for a new cluster I might get a used one on eBay and have them program it with Pat's and correct odometer reading. Thanks for the response.

If you have the time to do without the truck, you can send the cluster in for repair and then you don't have to worry about the reprogramming.

I ended up buying a used one off of ebay this morning for $65. It has almost the same mileage on the odometer. I'm going to hook it up and see if the jumping gauges and flashing indicators problem goes away. If so then I'll know it was the cluster and then I'll tow it to the dealer and have them reprogram the PATS. One thing I did not do was to check for a full 12v and ground feeding the cluster. I'll do that this evening after I check the schematic. I also have to put a tarp over the cab and windshield to make sure no rain gets back in until I can get it running and take it to have the windshield resealed.

Man, that sounds like a mess. Hope you get it fixed without much hassle. I remember what it was like having a similar problem about 5 years ago. What a headache.

Got everything working and wanted to come back to share what happened. I installed the used cluster and the problem with the jumping gauges and flashing indicator lights went away. All looked normal. Towed it to the Ford dealer and they reprogrammed the PATS and it started right up and they charged me $95 so I got off cheap in this case. Next I'll get the windshield resealed at a local glass shop and I can use it again. Hope this helps anyone else who has a similar problem.

Thanks for following up on your situation.

All in all, not too bad of an outcome and wasn't terribly expensive.