[Pingpong239]

Hey fellas, I am going to be as descriptive as possible so we can hopefully fix my issue.

I have a 2001 F350 7.3 4x4 XLT supercab and here is my issue.

Whenever it rains really hard the electronics on my truck act up, for instance yesterday during the storm the radio only worked when I put it in park, otherwise there would be no audio coming out of the speakers however the radio would still remain on, just no sound. Other times when it rains I will shut off the truck and the engine will shut off, but all the accessories will stay on.

So now this morning I go to start my truck, the dash illuminates everything seems normal But the truck won't turn over. Doesn't even make a sound. So as of right now I replaced the fuse " starter motor relay coil/clutch switch 15a fuse " and it starts up. I drive it around and then shut it off, start it back up and the fuse blows again.

If any of you have any suggestions or ideas I would really appreciate your help thank you very much.

Update: So I just went out there just to look at it a little bit, I can hear a hissing noise coming from inside the fuse box maybe? Sounds like wires sparking or something, is it easy to take apart the fuse box I assume two wires are rubbing or something like that, or maybe some water got in there? while I was in the truck the cargo light kept coming on and off as well. Any help is appreciated But I think tomorrow I will try and take apart the fuse box.Would this explain why sometimes my rpm speedometer doesn't work sometimes too?

 

[Pingpong239]

Wow, so after searching on google it looks like someone had the exact issue I had, must be a common problem?

Here is the person's question:

I HAVE A 2000 F-350 diesel. When it rains for 3 or more days in a row, my electronics go wacky. There has been noise in my fuse box, speedometer and tach needles move up and down, the overdrive on the column won't work, cruise control won't work, and my new batteries draw down. What the heck is going on???

Thanks,
Al

And here is the accepted answer:

Hello, I'm Chris.

I will do my best to answer your question fast and accurate using the info you have provided. Thanks for visiting Just Answer.

You need to remove the fuse panel in front of your left knee and the GEm module attached to the back of the fuse panel. Now take them apart and look for signs of water intrusion. If there are signs then replace both and remove and reseal the windshield.

Looks like I will give this a shot tomorrow, looks like this is my issue.

 

[Pingpong239]

So I know I'm talking to myself but hopefully some others will chime in, It looks like replacing the fuse panel and gem module is no cheap fix, they don't even sell any at the auto stores, maybe I'll try and dry the wires off and trade it in and get something newer...

 

[Pingpong239]

Well, after removing the fuse block, cleaning the connectors and adding some dielectric grease to it, there is still a light hissing noise coming from the fuse block, and the starter remote coil fuse keeps tripping. New fuse block? Any advice? All the electronics work other than power windows and inside cargo light.

 

[nitrogen]

sorry that no one else will even talk to you. fuse block might help. if the starter fuse is blowing something between the fuse and the starter is drawing excessive current/going to ground. you may have to trace the wires to find it.
good luck

 

[Pingpong239]

sorry that no one else will even talk to you. fuse block might help. if the starter fuse is blowing something between the fuse and the starter is drawing excessive current/going to ground. you may have to trace the wires to find it.
good luck

I can hear a small hissing noise coming from the fuse block so I assume my issue is there. I'm not sure if it's one of the plugs that connects to the back of it or the fuse cell itself though.

 

[Pingpong239]

I can hear a small hissing noise coming from the fuse block so I assume my issue is there. I'm not sure if it's one of the plugs that connects to the back of it or the fuse cell itself though.

So the hissing is coming from the right side connector that goes into the back of the fuse block, does anyone know if you can just replace those connectors, do they go bad? Or do I have to replace the whole fuse block?

Well, I just ordered a used fuse block, let's hope it works. Won't be here for a few days but I will update if anyone is following.

 

[klhansen]

You can clean up the harness connectors that plug into the fuse box, but it'll be a pain to do. If you pull the connector off, look at the face of it. You'll see a red piece surrounding the pins. You should be able to pull that red piece off with a pick or small screwdriver. Then if you reach in along side the terminals with the pick, you can move a plastic latch back and pull the individual terminals out the back with the wire. Be careful to pull only one at a time to avoid getting them mixed up. Inspect/clean the terminals and the connector and reassemble. If you find any that aren't serviceable, you could get replacement terminals from a wrecking yard and splice them in.

 

[Pingpong239]

You can clean up the harness connectors that plug into the fuse box, but it'll be a pain to do. If you pull the connector off, look at the face of it. You'll see a red piece surrounding the pins. You should be able to pull that red piece off with a pick or small screwdriver. Then if you reach in along side the terminals with the pick, you can move a plastic latch back and pull the individual terminals out the back with the wire. Be careful to pull only one at a time to avoid getting them mixed up. Inspect/clean the terminals and the connector and reassemble. If you find any that aren't serviceable, you could get replacement terminals from a wrecking yard and splice them in.

Hi, I just bought this off ebay:

1999 2006 Ford F250 F350 Super Duty Under Dash Wiring Harness with Fuse Block | eBay

Looks like it has everything I will need. I'm hoping I can just replace the fuse box and it will be good to go.

Question, I tried taking the gem off of the fuse box and it was very hard to do so, so I left it alone. I took the three star shaped screws out but when I pulled it, it wouldn't come out. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[klhansen]

Hopefully you got the right fuse box. The donor truck needs to have the same trim level as your truck. If it was from an XL truck it may not have all the traces and fuse sockets in it that you need.

Also, the listing is wrong, as the one that fits your truck would be a 99-01 model year. On 02 trucks, Ford completely revised the electrical system, getting rid of the underhood fuse box and the GEM. They did say it came from a 2000 truck, so at least you should be good from that respect.

You may not have gotten all the screws out of the GEM. You should take another look to be sure.

 

[Pingpong239]

Hopefully you got the right fuse box. The donor truck needs to have the same trim level as your truck. If it was from an XL truck it may not have all the traces and fuse sockets in it that you need.

Also, the listing is wrong, as the one that fits your truck would be a 99-01 model year. On 02 trucks, Ford completely revised the electrical system, getting rid of the underhood fuse box and the GEM. They did say it came from a 2000 truck, so at least you should be good from that respect.

You may not have gotten all the screws out of the GEM. You should take another look to be sure.

Hi and thanks for responding, it's dead in this section I figured I'd get some more feedback on here.

Yes, I noticed that the information they had listed was incorrect, But it's from a 2000 like you stated. So if it were from an XL would it still be able to start it?

Also, can you think of a reason why the starter relay fuse keeps blowing? It won't even crank or anything, that fuse just blows out.

 

[Pingpong239]

So I got the parts today, the fusebox was not an exact fit, there were two fuses that would not go in, audio and power lock illumination. Luckily nothing important and now the truck starts. So for now I'll keep the box for the weekend, go to the junk yards during the week and try and find an exact fit. Should have just done this in the first place. At least the truck is up and running for now though. Just so I'm clear, the gem from my fusebox was fine, it's just my fusebox kept on shorting out my starter motor relay coil/ clutch switch fuse.

I'm almost tempted to trade this thing in today, But i've put so much damn money into the thing within the last year it's hard to part with it, then again the oil pan is starting to drip so maybe I should get rid of it now!

 

[Pingpong239]

So I just drove it around, it's running like a champ, better then before. The only thing different is I can't use the fog lights because there was not fuse for that on this one. I think I will just keep this one in there for now.

 

[Pingpong239]

Well I spoke to soon, used the truck all day worked great, went to work, shut it off, left work tried starting it and it kept blowing the same fuse again, *** guys any thoughts?

 

[2wheelmonster]

I know it’s many years later but did you ever figure it out?