Accessory Delay Relay and associated gremlins...

[unclehoser]

I've had a weird gremlin for a while now, and it's been getting worse. It seems that the Accessory Delay Relay on the instrument cluster had a run of bad solder joints on the circuit board that caused the power windows and radio (and sometimes other things!) to become inoperational intermittently.

After a bit of research, I located instructions on how to fix it, and it was quite simple, really. I'm no stranger to fine soldering operations on PCB's, and I had it removed, re-soldered and reinstalled in less than an hour. My windows and radio haven't failed since. BUT...

Now my fuel gauge is pegged at "FULL"! I'm thinking maybe a poor harness connection (there are a few back there) could be the culprit. Probably have to pull it out again and check/clean connectors.

Anyone else ever experience these issues? Did you find a cure?

Truck is a 2002 F250, 7.3 Powerstroke, ZF manual trans.

 

[Noiseydiesel]

"I've had a weird gremlin for a while now..."

Reminds me of the time a fella drug a 68? 'vette into the shop with gremlins. Dual carb, side pipes, Zoom-Zoom fun toy. He had power wires to switches and then more power wires tapped into those power wires and then those wires spliced into other wires all searching for power.
Spaghetti factory on 4 wheels.
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Did I mention it was a 'vette? Fiberglass body?
Fiberglass. Isn't that a fancy plastic?
I did manage to find a few single ground wires broken or corroded, and then broken.
Get out the DVOM and check your grounds.
Not just that battery ground, that is just a good place to start.
You could just do as I did and mostly not play with the DVOM but then just take apart all the ground straps, shine them up, a dab of grease while apart and then reassemble.
Under hood, behind kick panels, under the dash, back of the truck...
I did find one of my grounds was about a .6 Volt resistance. They should be preferably .2V at the most.
Fuel gauge at full is an open. Fuel gauge at empty is a short to ground.
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Also when you pull the connector apart, look inside of it. Are any terminals pulled/pushed out?
That is another story of a defenseless Ford Windstar multiple parts replaced and 2 mechanics spending 3 weeks chasing their tails before they got tired of it and threw it at me. I can't say I am much better. It took me about 2-1/2 days. I should have found it within a day at the most.
You have fun.