Guys and gals....help! When I open either side door I have no interior lamps. Ignition starts up fine, but still no interior lights, and also no power windows, wipers, or dummy lights on the instrumental panel. At first this was intermittent problem when there was moisture in the air, lasting only 1 to 2 minutes. Now, when temp drop below 40, it takes upward to 20 minutes to reset. I hear a loud click then all is fine until next morning. I've taken to the dealer 3 times and they cannot duplicate. The solutions I hear range from a simple short to a relay to a bad ignition switch. I'm stumped....is anyone having similar problems or have a recommended solution?
1997 F150 XLT 4.6L, Auto, 40,000 miles
Thanks to all.

 

Well, unless you have an extended warrenty, Ford's not gonna help you unless you pay them the megga bucks. Sounds like if you can't test the electrical system yourself, that you're going to need to find a mechanic that can. And it also sounds like they need to test it before it's cranked up and run (when the engine is cold)

 

The click sounds like a relay is coming on. You might try to replace the relay (or fuse) regardless of whether it tests good or not, the contacts may be expanding/contracting with the temperature change.
Try this. Wait 'till everything is back to normal, then pull the relay and see if ALL the symptoms return; that should tell you if the one relay is causing all the problems.
The owner's manual or the diagram on the fuse/relay cover should give you the location of the relay.

------------------
1999 Lariat Super Cab, S.B. 5.4L, 3.55 LS
and everything but the leaky slider window.
Bright red w/ gold 2-tone, Leather Captain's Chairs
Mods: Duraliner bedliner, Bugflector II, Hide-a-hooks.
& a leeetle chrome tip on the exhaust.

 

After I had a CB installed, I lost my dash lights. Turned out to be one of the fuses under the dash. The CB installer had simply inserted the bare wire under one of the fuse blades and pushed it in. It worked itself out and turned things off. The power windows were also off.
A little inspection of the "wiring job" and some jiggling corrected the problem.
If you have the "Owners Manual", it tells you which fuse is for the Power Windows, Radio, etc. My truck also has a relay in the circuit to delay the turning off of interior lights. I haven't tracked that down but you could have a relay problem.
Good luck

 

A perfect topic for our new electrical section