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2003 ford escape theft light dim


dakota1205
02-12-2019, 08:18 PM
Had a dead battery and tried starting, just got clicking noise, jumped battery no luck, bought new battery and installed.
now issues is; auto door locks won't work unless key is on, radio won't work, dome lights won't work, and theft light is dim when key is on. It acts like it is in theft mode, but i can start car and drive.
everything worked before dead battery issue.
Any ideas??

65comet
02-13-2019, 06:15 PM
My first guess is the dead battery was caused by alternator troubles. Take it to a auto parts store and have them check that it is putting out enough voltage. If it doesn't put out a constant high enough voltage the computer will do all kinds of strange things.
If it is fine, then my next guess is a bad relay. If relays check out, next guess is the ground wire from the battery to where it connects to the block may be loose or coated in oil/grease/dirt and lowering the voltage flow. After that, I'd scratch my head some and start checking wires and connections. Oh, and the most obvious is to connect an OBD-II and see if there are any codes, auto parts dealer can do that also. Good luck.

dakota1205
02-13-2019, 09:34 PM
actually glad you brought up obd2, my reader will not communicate with computer in vehicle now, where it worked fine before all this. appreciate your ideas, bit i don't think i have any wiring or ground issues, i believe it has something to do with the theft system not cleared,(thinks it still in some kind of alarm/theft reaction.
i'm just trying to figure out if anyone knows a way to clear it, before i have to involve a dealer and charge me ridiculous price to fix.
thanks for any and all ideas!!

Stealthee
02-14-2019, 05:42 AM
You need to go through and check fuses.

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