F-150 Ghostly Electrical Issues

Asked by Dlsokc Dec 02, 2018 at 11:56 AM about the 2002 Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 4WD SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2002 Ford F-150 with a 5.4l v8. The last few nights I have had strange
electrical problems. The 1st night, after a brief stop, I tried to start the truck and
the electricity went off as if someone pulled a battery cable. I popped the hood
and started to get back out and the electricity came back on without me having
to do anything. 2nd night, same scenario, but this time the electricity was off
long enough for me to check the cables. Very tight, no play, no corrosion, no
obvious problems. The power came back on within a minute. No evidence that
jiggling the cables was the cause.

Last year, my alternator went out and took my battery with it. I  replaced the
battery with an Interstate which was slightly larger than the regular size. The
original bracket would no longer fit. The tray is not much bigger than the battery
so I left it as is at the time since there was little room for play. After this 2nd
incident, I placed a bolt in the battery tray bracket spot to further retard
movement.

Third night, same scenario, same problem that quickly righted itself. But, this
time I started having issues while driving. The brights came on and went off by
themselves, several dashboard lights flashed on and off, the fauges stooped
working then came back on. These issues never occur during the day, and
acceleration exacerbates them. I replaced my alternator last year with an
inexpensive repaired unit, so I suspected it. i had it tested at AutoZone and it,
the battery and starter all passed inspection.

What cou ld be the problem?

2 Answers

25

i have found after removing ground wires that sometimes a tight and somewhat clean looking cable can have corrosion underneath. I would suggest double checking the actual connection of all the ground wires just for safe measure.. Otherwise my mostly inexperienced guess for this exact year model would say either the ECU is going bad or some sort of short that has to do with a main electrical controlling component is occurring somewhere.

2 people found this helpful.
25

Sometimes weird electrical problems can present themselves when there is not enough conductivity back to the battery, i would suggest removing the engine ground just to double check. I always put one or two extra auxiliary ground wires in my older cars just to make sure everything has a good connection back to negative

Your Answer:

F-150

Looking for a Used F-150 in your area?

CarGurus has 132,255 nationwide F-150 listings starting at $900.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2002 Ford F-150

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    OJ
    Reputation
    41,870
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    15,990
  • #3
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    15,490
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4,215 Great Deals out of 129,939 listings starting at $1,000
Used GMC Sierra 1500
1,943 Great Deals out of 65,866 listings starting at $875
Used Toyota Tundra
1,106 Great Deals out of 32,763 listings starting at $3,000
Used Ford F-250 Super Duty
1,368 Great Deals out of 42,282 listings starting at $2,000
Used Toyota Tacoma
1,981 Great Deals out of 32,524 listings starting at $2,990
Used Dodge RAM 1500
81 Great Deals out of 1,590 listings starting at $995
Used Ford Mustang
914 Great Deals out of 22,397 listings starting at $1,100
Used Ford Ranger
643 Great Deals out of 12,225 listings starting at $1,650
Used Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
1,078 Great Deals out of 30,549 listings starting at $1,350
Used Ford Explorer
2,181 Great Deals out of 62,774 listings starting at $825
Used Jeep Wrangler
3,301 Great Deals out of 59,222 listings starting at $2,999

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Ford F-150 For Sale
54,024 listings starting at $27,865
2023 Ford F-150 For Sale
702 Great Deals out of 23,167 listings starting at $29,900
2022 Ford F-150 For Sale
615 Great Deals out of 6,168 listings starting at $18,999
2021 Ford F-150 For Sale
890 Great Deals out of 9,326 listings starting at $13,995
2020 Ford F-150 For Sale
636 Great Deals out of 6,100 listings starting at $8,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.