2001 STS Weird Electric Problems?!?

[notoriouslyKEN]

Today I was going to change the brakes (front) in my car. I turned on the car to pull it into the driveway when I saw that it told me to check the tire pressure on the DIC. When I was scrolling through the DIC I noticed it said my Oil life was 0% when yesterday it was at 91%. Then the Tranny Fluid was at 0% and I have never seen that below 100%. It said 2 of my tires were at 0 PSI (RF & LR). I looked at the tires and they appeared to be fine. It also had my car registering no fuel, when I know I had at least an 1/8th of a tank in it. I thought something was seriously messed up and it might fix itself after a restart. So I did the brake job and started up the car. This time the oil re-registered to 91% and the transmission fluid was back to 100%. I felt better, but the Tires were still listed at 0 PSI and it would only show 3 of the 4 (The RR was missing). Fuel was still registered at 0. I drove around to test the brakes (which felt great) for less than 5 minutes. When I pulled back to the house, I noticed that the temperature gauge was maxed out. I'd never seen this before so I was a little worried. I popped the hood and looked at the coolant, it seemed fine. Nothing seemed too hot under the hood. I think my electrical system is fried. I am about 200 miles away from home, & I am leaving to go back tomorrow. I am worried about the temperature gauge, while it is mostly highway I have no way to tell if the car is overheating. Dealerships are closed now and tomorrow, but the car is still under warranty for another 12k miles. I will try to take it in on Monday. Anyone seen anything like this before? Will I make it home? Is my baby gonna die?

[chubbyranger]

It sounds like one of the control modules may have gone toes up on you or you have a bad battery or battery connection. First off, if its under warranty you shouldn't have anything to worry about. 2nd, if the temp gauge isn't working I would still make the run home if you can find the secret method to get the coolant temp displayed on the DIC - you can probably find it posted here if you look long enough, but I don't know the magic. I would check the battery cables and connections for corrosion or being loose, otherwise it could be a random fuse issue. If its still being wacky I would also consider running diagnostics, writing down any codes and then clearing them. You can also try disconnecting the battery to see if that changes its attitude although you may lose all your oil life and radio station information. Some of what you wrote makes me think you have a bad ground somewhere if the gas and temp gauge are both off - I'd start with the battery ground cable and work from there. Swap the instrument panel fuse with another of the same rating and see if that changes anything. Just some ideas. Good luck.

[Playdrv4me]

Disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and then reconnect it. If this doesnt solve your problem take it to the dealer for diagnostics ASAP. If you can verify the temp is truly inaccurate, you should be ok to drive home if your coolant level is right. Just watch for any signs of steam when you stop. Otherwise have it towed. Youve got a warranty, use it!

[notoriouslyKEN]

Well, I went to go start the car today and I got nothing. The battery voltage on the DIC registered at 10.8v and then at 9v after trying again. I got a jump from my brother in law, and made it home. Directly after the jump, the tire pressure monitor was reporting needing servicing and it was still reporting low on fuel. The oil life and tranny fluid indicator were back to there regular state. After driving for about 5 minutes, the TPM kicked on again. I think the problem is something with the battery. I did make it home safe with no problems, other than traffic (people can't drive in the rain). I took of work tomorrow to take it in. We'll see what they say the problem is.

[Playdrv4me]

Wow I must have been half asleep last night when I posted. I COMPLETELY assumed for some reason you had ALREADY tried a new battery.

All of those strange problems are DEFINITE signs of a battery finally taking a dump. We've had INSANE weather in every corner of the country lately (and no surprise your in the mid-atlantic where its been about the worst), and cold to hot/hot to cold weather changes are one of the primary factors in a battery finally giving up the ghost if its on its way out. I swear we have had no less than 10 battery threads in the past week in various forums, and I just helped a buddy replace his battery in an 02 Ford Ranger three days ago. I know your already going to the dealer, but you may save yourself alot of time and hassle by just having the battery load tested first at an Autozone or Discount Auto type store. Im sure your battery is toast.

[Ranger]

The battery voltage on the DIC registered at 10.8v and then at 9v after trying again.

Low battery voltage will wreak havoc with these electrical systems. I agree, I think your battery took a dive.

[notoriouslyKEN]

Well the car is at the dealership now and I am a little worried b/c they told me it was out of warranty. They said it expired this past february, but I thought I had until July . I wonder how much they will gouge me for changing the battery.