Courtesy lights randomly go on and off. Please help.

[marine_hm]

Problem: My 99 Expedition "courtesy lights" go on and off all day & night. To keep from killing the battery, I pulled fuse number 14? if not mistaken under the dash. Other part of that problem; There are little black boxes I'm assuming are relays, when I pull the fuse or put it back in one of those boxes have an audible click. I tried to pinpoint which one by placing a finger on each one. One at a time and do the same thing with the fuse to determine which one is clicking. I still can't tell which one is doing it. The small rectangle one on the top left is falling apart. Would one of these be the culprit of the courtesy lights going on and off. I have lubricated all the door latches. Opened and slammed them many times. Cannot reproduce the issue by doing that. They do come on when I open the doors. Each one chimes when the door is opened. It's just that when all the doors are closed, the courtesy lights go on and off all by themselves, mostly staying on for long periods. Your help is much appreciated. I have googled it and it seems to be a common problem, so far I have not seen a real solution.

Thanks. Nick

 

[bedrck46]

first lets start by you telling what year model etc your expy is because fuse 14 in one generation/year could be for a different function in another generation/year

by knowing that information someone won't have to guess what you have

 

[marine_hm]

first lets start by you telling what year model etc your expy is because fuse 14 in one generation/year could be for a different function in another generation/year

by knowing that information someone won't have to guess what you have

Edited original post to reflect year.model. Thanks

 

[bedrck46]

do you have a copy of the owners manual if not you can download one at
owner.ford.com

Fuse 14 controls the battery saver relay and the interior light relay They are most likely the relays you hear clicking.

You could have a bad door switch which may be causing the lights to on and off.
also could be a faulty relay or even the gem module could be a part of the problem

 

[bedrck46]

sent you a PM

 

[marine_hm]

If it were a faulty door switch, wouldn't the door ajar light come on from time to time while driving?

 

[bedrck46]

True Sorry I didn't notice if you mentioned that the light came on and off while you were driving

 

[bedrck46]

The following was copied from the Ford service manual

1) The courtesy lamps are inoperative

Fuse(s).
Circuit(s).
GEM.
Interior lamp relay.
Fuse junction panel

2)The courtesy lamps do not turn on with one door open

GEM.
Door open warning lamp switch (14018).
Circuit(s).

3) The courtesy lamps stay on continuously

Circuit(s).
GEM.
Interior lamp relay.
Fuse junction panel.
Headlamp switch (11654) (overhead interior lamp switch).
Door open warning lamp switch

4) The battery saver does not deactivate after timeout

Circuit(s).
GEM.
Battery saver relay.
Fuse junction panel.

 

[stamp11127]

Hey Marine, if your in Jax Fla, what part of town are you in? I grew up on the west side near what used to be called Cecel Field NAS.

 

[marine_hm]

Hey Marine, if your in Jax Fla, what part of town are you in? I grew up on the west side near what used to be called Cecel Field NAS.

I did 3 years in Jacksonville FL. back in the day. That was in 2001-2004 I lived on base NAS JAX. Been to Cecil field.

I'm back in Jacksonville, NC

Anyway, back to my post........ When I have the fuse out my blinkers work for a short period, then stay lit. When I put the fuse back in the blinkers work as they should. I'm still in the process of changing out my hot water heater for the house. When I'm done with that, I'll be back in the truck. Most likely armed with a new relay. There's nothing to hold on to. How do you get them out without destroying them? wedge a tiny screw driver behind it and work it out maybe..... I'd rather yank it out with pliers, just like pulling teeth!

Happy Fathers day, ya'll! I'm off to work.

 

[bedrck46]

check the wiring behind the drivers side kick panel look to see if you see any problems in the wiring bundles as there have been reports of problems in that area.

Get the service manual as it has all the factory wiring diagrams for your year

 

[stamp11127]

Has your windshield leaked recently?

 

[marine_hm]

When I have the fuse out my blinkers work for a short period, then stay lit. When I put the fuse back in the blinkers work as they should.

I'm pretty sure I mis-stated that: When the fuse is in, the blinkers work for a short period then stay lit, but when I pull the fuse out, they work correctly.

Also noted when the fuse is pulled out, the power windows don't work(not a big deal).

 

[stamp11127]

Test to see if the relay(s) are being kept on.

Your going to need a test light or dvm to test the circuits. You'll need to insert the fuse that you removed then pull the interior lamp relay out of its socket. You may want to do this when the lights are stuck on. They will go out when you pull the relay - your checking to see if the relay is stuck or is being told to stay on.

There will be 4 prongs - 2 of which may be larger than the other 2. The relay will have numbers by each prong or a diagram on the side showing which prong is what number.

With all doors closed and the master light switch off, probe the fuse block at the slot for pin 1 & 2. Pin 2 gets power from the battery saver relay. Pin 1 shouldn't have power but in the event it does, it is being fed from the GEM.

Now probe the connectors for prongs 3 & 5. You should only have power on 3.

If you have power on pin 2 wait and see if it goes off after a few minutes. If it doesn't then it is a problem with the GEM and we will check that circuit later.

Let us know the results please.

When you remove fuse 14, your killing power to the GEM which just so happens to control the power windows.