Electrical Woes?
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 23,207
Likes: 8,628
From: Utah
The odometer and oil pressure gauges going wonky is where I thought GEM. My gauges all wigged out, and the 4X4 lights were all kicking on and off. Relays going nuts under the dash as well. Didn't catch a year on the truck, but I am assuming 99-03 because of the odometer readout. Maybe the GEM function changed later?
But yeah, everything under the sun was going berserk on my dash.... and the starter was turning on its own. Kinda like Carrie, except I didn't die.
But yeah, everything under the sun was going berserk on my dash.... and the starter was turning on its own. Kinda like Carrie, except I didn't die.
No longer stuck in 2003
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 689
Likes: 121
From: Not quite over the rainbow
The odometer and oil pressure gauges going wonky is where I thought GEM. My gauges all wigged out, and the 4X4 lights were all kicking on and off. Relays going nuts under the dash as well. Didn't catch a year on the truck, but I am assuming 99-03 because of the odometer readout. Maybe the GEM function changed later?
But yeah, everything under the sun was going berserk on my dash.... and the starter was turning on its own. Kinda like Carrie, except I didn't die.
But yeah, everything under the sun was going berserk on my dash.... and the starter was turning on its own. Kinda like Carrie, except I didn't die.
I have not input on this but replacing a GEM requires reprogramming as they have the codes standard I believe.
98 F150 5.4L E40D/4R100
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 28,541
Likes: 7,642
From: MI
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 23,207
Likes: 8,628
From: Utah
Brew has a great point... it very well could be a bad ground. My judgement call was off of your instrument cluster wigging out. It does sound like you've got a leak that needs fixed, either way.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,545
Likes: 2,552
From: Alaska
It sounds like the two bolts under the dash are loose also, giving the OP a hard to get out of gear situation. I also agree with Brew, I don't think this is a GEM problem.
OP, you say your gauges go to zero while driving, does the Odometer flash at this time or does it still read good? I'm wondering if this is like the other guys (recent post) who it turned out to be in the column. He had to put it in the highest point to get things to work. I'm thinking it is a wiring issue at the column. Then again, it could be the 99 to 03 dash cluster problem that is so common to those models.
OP, you say your gauges go to zero while driving, does the Odometer flash at this time or does it still read good? I'm wondering if this is like the other guys (recent post) who it turned out to be in the column. He had to put it in the highest point to get things to work. I'm thinking it is a wiring issue at the column. Then again, it could be the 99 to 03 dash cluster problem that is so common to those models.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
I feel like its a bad ground, the truck generally runs like crap all of a sudden, started the minute the gauges went wonky on me. What grounds should I be looking at or for? Its mostly the oil gauge, and only that one time did the temp gauge do it also with the odometer -----'ing on me. I haven't driven it since. I don't see how a cluster issue would cause rough running engine suddenly? IDK!! 
And sorry Brew, I didn't understand what you meant until after you followed up again above, thank you.
And sorry Brew, I didn't understand what you meant until after you followed up again above, thank you.
Last edited by F1erceK; Apr 14, 2017 at 10:53 AM.