My Sable has an electronic fuel indicator bug that is driving me crazy. I know I have gas, but my indicator is giving readings that range from empty to full. I do not want to take it to a garage and spend money on getting this repaired. Is there any thoughts on what the problem may be? I would like to tackle this myself if it is fairly easy. My car has alot of electronic bugs and am working on one problem at a time. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
bought a used 2008 taurus se. great so far but the dealer didnt know the code for the door locks, is wasnt hidden on the trunk strut or under the passenger side dash. is there any where else i can look for wants 75 to put it on the machine and get it.
I've got a '99 Sable with a constantly on dome light. I am very aware of the WD-40 fix with the door latch switch. The door ajar light on the dash goes on/off when each door is opened/closed. This leads me to believe that the door latch switches are functioning properly. I removed the interior light relay to keep the dome light off. I attached the removed relay to a 12V power supply and verified that it is functioning properly. The GEM (Generic Electronic Module) looks at the door latch switches and controls the dome lamp relay. Anyone have a similar problem that required GEM replacement? One bad aspect of the GEM is that its programming is configured to match the options that are installed on the car. All '99 Sable GEMs may look the same but may not function properly.
We have a 2002 Taurus that is having some problems. The windows won't roll down and all we hear is a clicking sound under the dash. Also, the windshield wipers won't work at all and the automatic door lock feature doesn't lock the car. All this is happening when the engine is running. Also when we turn the car off, the radio stays on. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
I believe that all the functions you describe are controlled by the Generic Electronic Module (GEM). It is a computer module located under the relay/fuse box which is inside the car on the driver side to the left of the brake pedal. Check that all connectors are attached securely. You may try reseating the connectors. No doubt the Ford dealer can run diagnostics on the GEM thru the OBDII port and determine if it is alive. Check the connectors first.
Hi I was driving home in my 2001 mercury sable when I notice my radio acting weird and sounding weird. I looked down at the dash and my abs light came on and shortly after that my airbag light came on. When I stopped at the next stop light my car began to lose power. I was able to drive for about 5 blocks and just as I thought it was going to die the power came back on and all the warning lights went away. Does anyone know what would cause this?
My son has the same problem but it does not effect the engine. Radio, dash warning lights come on, and even the headlight go out when in automatic mode. This only lasts for a second or so. It is a 2002 fully loaded Sable we bought new and now has 120K miles. Right now I think it is a GEM module problem. The GEM was replaced under warranty many years ago when turning on the rear defroster, the driver's window rolled down a few inches. Well I got a GEM module at the Junk yard for $35 and will see if that is it. We changed all the relays and checked the grounds. You may have the same problem. When I get an answer, I will let you know. Meanwhile if you found the solution, I would like to hear it. Have a nice day.
My brother had a 98 taurus an it was running hot and we would do the same thing and finally we pulled the water pump off and the fins were gone solved the hot problem. Also the thermostate on the top of the motor could be closed unless you have heat. There is probaly a relay some where to control the fan. Good luck!
we bought a mercury sable from individual and we had to replace alternator and new battery , and we are having a draining of the battery problem over night. Nothing is left on and we have to unplug it every time we park it. We took it and put it on a DC and nothing is coming up, can the DC read the memory even tho the battery has been disconnected for a long time on the car? also when the car is shut off and keys out of ignition and door open the door dinger is going off even when lights and nothing is on? could this be the problem to our drainage and how do we fix it?? Thank you very much . Also the other day as I was stopped at a stop light my service engine light came on and the fuel light came on as well, yes It had a full take of gas lol but didnt know what exactly is going on. Thank you very much
I would take a voltmeter and pull one fuse out at a time and use the test leads from the voltmeter to check for current drain through each fuse position. This would give you at least a clue as to where the battery drain(s) are coming from. You will have to have a schematic of the fuse block of course that will tell you what each fuse goes to. The door dinger coming on even though the key is out of the ignition seems to be a normal thing I believe. Now, if the door dinger is going off with the door closed this would indicate a problem for sure, causing battery draining. That would need fixing of course. Maybe a bad door switch stuck in the 'on' or 'closed' position. The engine service light is something I've been dealing with on my Nissan Pathfinder since it rolled over 100k miles. It comes and goes but I pay no attention to it knowing I've serviced everything and all is up to date. I'm no expert on cars but I do have experience in electronics and electricity. Good luck to you.
did you find the solution to this problem? I had the exact same thing happen on my 2002 SEL wagon.. Was thinking alternator/voltage regulator.. Not sure though! Any input would be appreciated!!
This happened to me last winter off and on and went away during the warmer weather. It' started happening again with the colder weather. I will stall at stop lights, no power and cannot turn my car on. I wait a few moments then everything springs back to life.
Other times, tonight for example, I slow down to turn into a parking lot and all of my warning and engines lights come on, I lose power to everything, I pump the gas pedal and it all comes back to life.
Any insight into this would be great, it's scary driving around like this, especially when it happens on the highway and occurs when I try to gun the engine.
I have pretty much the exact same problem. It happens while at a light or when my car is slowing down or shifting upwards when i try and pass a car on the highway.
Did you ever find out why your car stalled when stopping or sometimes at highway speeds? I have a 2002 Sable giving me this issue a few times a week...
Did you ever find out what the problem was with your car? I am now having the same problem with my wifes car. I though she was crazy, I drove it many times and could not recreate the problem. I finally got it to happen to me and is driving me crazy. Please help.
i seemed to have fixed my similar issue with a battery change, dunno if the fix will last or if it'll be as simple as a solution for everyone else that has mentioned similar symptoms.
New to this forum . . . Similar issue . . . with same sequence each time while driving: "Check Brake System" message followed by ABS light and alarm tone, then entire insturment panel, radio, and cruise control go out, and a second or two later the instrument panel returns to normal. On one occasion at highway speeds, I tapped the brake to slow down, the sequence described above occurred, and the engine stalled. Local Ford dealer was unable to replicate the problem during test drives and computer produced no codes except for one instance of low voltage and one instance of high voltage. If I have to throw money at this problem, I like to go into it with an educated guess on what the problem might be. Thanks to the forum for any thoughts provided.
engine amber light continuoslly on then buzzing sound under neath by fuze box whats this? last week while driving during acceleration rpm drops rapidly?
I've had some of these problems but my is a bit more extensive. Since October, I have put FOUR brand new alternators in my car. When they are put in everything will test just fine, and it will be charging. They last exactly 30 days.Then, as I am driving, it will start with me noticing that the lights are dimming. This will take a few days before my check engine light comes on. After that happens I have about one week and my radio will turn off, all the little dash lights pop on (check battery, abs, etc.) my power windows no longer work, the wipers, no lights anywhere in the car. If you shut the car off and try to restart it, the car will not start. If you leave it sit for an hour or so, you can go out and it will start right up. Sometimes after it starts you have a few days of driving time before this all starts again. Sometimes you have a few hours. We thought we were just getting bad alternators, but after the fourth one and the problem is still happening, there has to be something we are missing. Does anyone have any idea of what we should be looking at or for???
purchased 2005 sable ls 24 valve beautiful car. i purchased it in august had 42000 miles looked perfect. good until winter when it hit 0 degrees had NO HEAT not reduced NO HEAT. when i turned the car off there was clicking coming from left dashboard. it is equipped with the trip program which i never used, but it started coming on the dashboard and i can not get it off. it keeps coming back. i can be. driving down the road it cuts out then back on. almost evertime i stop for just a few minutes, maybe under 10 minutes. when i turn the key . nothing.... for about 30 seconds i turn the key off , something starts clicking i can then turn the key and it will start. so far it has not left me stranded, but i don't trust it. i am renting a car whenever i have to go over fifty miles..it now has 46000 miles and i don't know what to do with it my husband is a mechanic worked on the older models but not up to date on the new models. he has checked that all the wiring is tight and connected says it is just a really bad design.. don't want anymore fords.
I have a 2000 Sable with an intermittent electrical problem. My brake fuse keeps blowin out, I replaced rear bulbs, sockets look good, wires look good. Brake light switch replaced, flasher relay replaced, it will be fine for 3 or 4 days then blow out. I don't know if there is a bad ground or maybe the shift interlock is bad. I know the #17 fuse controls the brake light switch and the cruise control disconnect. Any ideas where to look next, I am gertting tired of replacing fuses and it doesn't happen all the time, just three times this week....................any help would be appreciated. :confuse:
2003 Taurus, intermittently has a dead electrical system. Nothing has juice - the remote door opener won't work, there is no chime, radio is dead etc., and the engine does not turn over; If I jump start the car, it's fine - for awhile. I've had it checked out, but as no one has seen it when it's actually 'dead', no idea what the problem is. New battery, starter. Today, my daughter called - same complaint - but she noted there seemed to be a 'clicking' in the car - though she couldn't isolate the source. Again, it started with a jump, and now seems fine.
Any geniuses out there know what's up with this car? I'd appreciate it.
When the battery is fully charged, may sure the interior lights are turning off (dome, trunk, etc...). With a voltmeter set to measure current, check if there is a current drain on the battery. You'll need to remove one of the battery cables and put the meter in series with the cable and battery post. If there is significant current draw, you could pull fuses to isolate the circuit.
OK, my car did all of this. Luckily I work for a large trucking company and have over 100 mechanics at my disposal. The problem is a short. It was a very simple thing and hell for them to track down. They finally connected my car to a lap top that showed them were to look for the short. A ground wire was not on correctly and when it hit it would cause things in my car to short out, and then causing loss of power. You need to find the short. It took them 2 months to track it down since as they told me, there is over two miles of woring in my car. It hasn't acted up once since they found it. Good luck on finding the short!!!
I'm having this exact same issue with my 2002 Ford Taurus. Driving down the road it will just turn off then back on. Every light on the dash comes on. Also when it comes back on everything is dim, dash light, headlights, etc. After a few more minutes of driving everything comes back on fully lit. Then sometimes when I turn off the car and get out all of the lights go off, the power locks will not work, it will not start again and there is this loud clicking sound from the left side of the dash. This goes on for 30 seconds or so and then everything is back to normal. There is no rhythm or reason to when it happens. It happens when it's cold, hot, raining, snowy, etc. Any ideas?
Did you ever find the problem with this? My 2003 Sable JUST turned over 200k mile and this happened to me last night. The Radio stopped working, Radio Controls Froze, Battery / ABS / Etc Lights came on. Pulled it over, turned it off and tried to restart but the battery was too dead. I had it towed home and a couple of hours later it started right up and all seems fine... I don't think all is fine.
Did you ever find the problem with this? My 2003 Sable JUST turned over 200k mile and this happened to me last night. The Radio stopped working, Radio Controls Froze, Battery / ABS / Etc Lights came on. Pulled it over, turned it off and tried to restart but the battery was too dead. I had it towed home and a couple of hours later it started right up and all seems fine... I don't think all is fine.
I posted this once. YES I found out what was wrong. It's a short. It took the guys almost a month to find it. First they checked all my grounds. My short was in my flashers. When the wires touched it shorted everything, including frying my alternator. If you can find a mechanic that isn't going to screw you, they can connect it to the machine and it will give them the general area the short is in. Then they can go from there. Good Luck!!!
Hey there, I have a wiring or computer problem that nobody in my area can seem to find. Or find out what's wrong. I was driving down the road and the car just shut off. There is no power to the fuel pump, no power to the inertia switch which is in line with the pump to break the circuit in case of a collision. I tried a new control module that's located above the radiator and it ran for a short period of time (about ten minutes) with the "check engine" light on. But soon after that it stopped running and I cannot restart it. I know the engine is o.k. because I can give it a shot of ether in the intake and it starts. The eng. is a 3.0L v6. It ran great until this happened last week. The mechanic I took it too has had it since Monday, and today he says he can't find out what's wrong. Please help. This is an old car and I have to drive this until times get somewhat better and I get back to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Barry
The turn signal bulb (small amber colored bulb) in the headlamp of my 2001 Mercury Sable went out. Does anybody know how to access that bulb so I can replace it? Thanks.
I have a 2000 taurus Flex Fuel. I have has the motor and the transmission replaced. I noticed a while back that when the car is in idle the ac fan and the lights dim. Would that be a sign of a bad diode in the alternator? Or might it be something else wrong?
I found out I do have a bad diode in my alternator. In my 2000 flex fuel Taurus. I see online there are 110 and 130 amp replacement units some have lower cycle numbers than others as well. I tend to use a good bit of in car chargers and run my lights all the time. Would the 130 amp be better for my car or would 130 amp be too much for the vehicle?
we replaced the steering column on a 01 ford taurus (some on tried to steel it busted up the column) now the security warning lights flashing and the car won't start. do you know of any way to reset it or disable it?
Hello, I'm having pretty much the same problem and the "experts" at the Ford dealer don't have a clue. We have fried 3 control modules so far. Wondering if you found out what was causing your problem. I'm on foot till I get this fixed. Any information would be helpful. Thank you. Ernie ernie_minot@yahoo.com
BTW, we are 99% sure we found the problem. We traced the fuel wires back to the tank and on the firewall the bundle was near the exhaust manifold and when you put it in reverse it touched the wire. The orange fuel pump wire was burnt and exposed. Getting a new module tomorrow to test our theory.
Hi, My 2002 Taurus SEL has recently intermitently kept the security lighting on, shutting down after extended periods and now is turning on without any reason (i.e. keys and fobs are not being used). My husband and I were standing in the driveway tonight and the lighting turned on by itself. (Interior and outside mirror lighting) Can anyone help? I have owned this car since 2004 and it has never done this. No after market alarms have been installed. The car has all OEM parts and has 66,000 miles.
Yes I know what this is. You need a new transmission switch. It is on the top of the transmission under the hood on the left side. (If you are sitting in it.) The shift cable is attached to the switch and an electrical connector. I think the power windows will work when the car is in reverse. That would confirm it.
I am currently experiencing the same problem with my 2002 sable wagon. I have replaced the alt & batt. but to no avail. Someone said it was a superfuse under the hood, but I haven't checked yet. Please let me know what your solution was.
Is anyone having this issue or know a cure.... While driving my 99 Sable, my winshield wipers come on by themself maybe twice every 4-5 months, yst my speedometer needle was out of control, then my O/D light started flashing on/off, recently while driving in the rain the car would appear to cut off while im driving (the dash lights would come on & the car would begin to hestitate and make steering a little rough)
While playing a CD from the 6 CD changer, the CD stopped. Hitting the CD button on the dash gave a "NO DJ" error message. Then, the radio display and clock would not display. After restarting the car, the radio worked, but, I could not change the station or volume and the clock did not advance. Now, nothing from the radio or the display....all the other items in the unit work (rear defroster, AC, vent, etc....I did not try the cassette player).
I checked the fuse diagram and cannot locate one exclusively for the radio. I tried #22 for the cluster (15A), but it was OK....
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The car worked fine one day then the next morning it would not start. It now has a new starter, new battery, but it still will not start.
When the key is turned only a clicking sound from the dashboard is heard. It will not turn over.
Has anyone run across this? Any info would be helpful.
The door dinger coming on even though the key is out of the ignition seems to be a normal thing I believe. Now, if the door dinger is going off with the door closed this would indicate a problem for sure, causing battery draining. That would need fixing of course. Maybe a bad door switch stuck in the 'on' or 'closed' position.
The engine service light is something I've been dealing with on my Nissan Pathfinder since it rolled over 100k miles. It comes and goes but I pay no attention to it knowing I've serviced everything and all is up to date.
I'm no expert on cars but I do have experience in electronics and electricity.
Good luck to you.
Other times, tonight for example, I slow down to turn into a parking lot and all of my warning and engines lights come on, I lose power to everything, I pump the gas pedal and it all comes back to life.
Any insight into this would be great, it's scary driving around like this, especially when it happens on the highway and occurs when I try to gun the engine.
Did you ever find out why your car did it?
"Check Brake System" message followed by ABS light and alarm tone, then entire insturment panel, radio, and cruise control go out, and a second or two later the instrument panel returns to normal. On one occasion at highway speeds, I tapped the brake to slow down, the sequence described above occurred, and the engine stalled. Local Ford dealer was unable to replicate the problem during test drives and computer produced no codes except for one instance of low voltage and one instance of high voltage. If I have to throw money at this problem, I like to go into it with an educated guess on what the problem might be. Thanks to the forum for any thoughts provided.
Any geniuses out there know what's up with this car? I'd appreciate it.
I have a wiring or computer problem that nobody in my area can seem to find. Or find out what's wrong. I was driving down the road and the car just shut off. There is no power to the fuel pump, no power to the inertia switch which is in line with the pump to break the circuit in case of a collision. I tried a new control module that's located above the radiator and it ran for a short period of time (about ten minutes) with the "check engine" light on. But soon after that it stopped running and I cannot restart it. I know the engine is o.k. because I can give it a shot of ether in the intake and it starts. The eng. is a 3.0L v6. It ran great until this happened last week. The mechanic I took it too has had it since Monday, and today he says he can't find out what's wrong. Please help. This is an old car and I have to drive this until times get somewhat better and I get back to work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Barry
I see online there are 110 and 130 amp replacement units some have lower cycle numbers than others as well. I tend to use a good bit of in car chargers and run my lights all the time. Would the 130 amp be better for my car or would 130 amp be too much for the vehicle?
I think the power windows will work when the car is in reverse. That would confirm it.
I checked the fuse diagram and cannot locate one exclusively for the radio. I tried #22 for the cluster (15A), but it was OK....
ANY IDEAS???