1997 F-150 4x4 GEM Module Removal Tips & Time Lapse 

Adrien Aldo even cooler, googling it only shows that it's a virus, i can't even find "instaportal" 🤣

Hello sir...did your 01 expedition have two or three gem connectors? I'm in the middle of pulling the cjb out, and Ive only removed two connectors from the gem module on the back of the fuse box.

@@DeepSouthBayouDiesel There were 2 at the back and 2 smaller ones on the left side. Had to looses the bracket that holds everything in place to get to them, but it wasn't difficult.

@@jamesharris8110 awesome, thank you very much sir.

George Frearson my 04 navigator doing the same thing dont know if its from the sunroof or windshield and everything thing i have in it doesn’t work anymore all i here is a clicking noise when pressing buttons

Christmas eve my truck cranked up by itself Everyone thought I was crazy I have water dripping in when it rains glad I'm not the only one going through this I've built the truck $6. In it I gotta fix it or make a dunebuggy out of it. I'm probably going to put a windshield seal in it

I also have a alarm going off on passenger side.

I have the same issue... After you replace did it solve your problem?

Did you have to put a seal around your window?

@@gregschroer2314 no mine was soft enough to peel up the edge and i just squirt it under and made sure the top was sealed well. Had a little rust spot in the middle

Hey I thank you so much I'll try that on mine never thought of that thank you very much

@@gregschroer2314 no problem really

May not be the right way but it works

I could not get to the bolts on the back of the GEM. A ton of wiring harness in the way.

@@termides I've got the same issue right now. Just spent over an hour trying to get the damn thing out and not enough clearance because of the wires.

can you do that to get it out of 4h? mine is stuck in 4h. i have shift on the fly

Sorry for the late reply. In another one of my videos ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-S9HdPhgGzYk.html ) I show how to find the leak in the windshield on the F-150. If just the lights for the 4x4 aren't coming on it could just be an issue with the 4x4 system itself. There are some vacuum assisted things in the system that can malfunction. and not allow it to go into 4x4 (or out of it sometimes). Good luck.

striker1211 it's ok man life gets busy at times. Anyways, my 4x4 does work on my truck, but only if the 4x4 selector switch is changed to desired position before the truck is started, then it goes right in 4x4. Same with going out of 4x4, the selection has to be made before the truck is started otherwise it won't engage or disengage. I'm pretty sure it's a vacuum problem of some sort and I think it's partly engine related. Thanks for your reply, you are right about troubleshooting the vacuum issue.

Yes

Interior lights was one of my issues, I didn't have fuses blowing though. Do you have rust near the fuse box?

@@striker1211 no major rust on the truck but there is slight surface rust by the Obd plug

Are the temps working on a scan tool like an OBDII reader? Could be a bad ground on gauage.

That's the plug for the brake controller I held up because it is clipped to the metal there and you have to remove it from the metal to take the metal off. Did you switch out your GEM module with another truck that had manual 4x4 by chance? When swapping GEMs everything has to match exactly including atx/mtx transmissions, manual 4x4 or electric 4x4, power windows, power locks. Otherwise you have to get it programmed at Ford which would likely cost more than the GEM itself.

striker1211 Thanks for the heads up. I am actually not working on my GEM module, I am grasping at straws trying to diagnose my MSOF transfer case/4x4 issues. I found that plug dangling and can't find the other end and was trying to figure what goes into it in the desperate hope that might be contributing to my transfer case not engaging the front drive shaft.

I had a ESOF myself but I believe on both the hubs are actuated by vacuum. You likely just have a broken vacuum line or a bad solenoid. This forum here is amazing: www.ford-trucks.com/forums/929226-how-to-troubleshoot-and-fix-f150-4x4-1997-2003-a.html but I am not affliated with them. Those guys and the people on the F-150 forums basically trip over each other trying to help you though. Great people.

Joby Fluorine no 4wd. Light comes on, solenoid and actuators all working, rear differential shifts into 4 low. Front differential doesnt engage which I suspect is the shift fork in the axle. Main issue seems to be no power from transfer case to front drive shaft. Dont have the time or money to mess with the transfer case so looks like I have a 2wd truck for the time being

Where you losing power going down the road and gauges fail like truck was off.

Kirby Ammons jr yeah the gauges would start to go out. I replaced the alternator and that fixed my problem.

I have the same problem with my mustang i pulled the gem fuse and it stoped killing my battery, but now i have no wipers or interior lights.

Driver and passenger windows worked randomly (though not on their own), windshield wipers stopped working randomly (dangerous), and dome light did not work randomly. I finally narrowed it down to humid days in the summer and warmer days in the winter when snow was melting. Mine was actually the fuse box in the end. I would order the fuse box first and see if that fixes it and if not buy the gem. Look for rust underneath the drivers dash on metal parts. Good luck. *edit* Also, the cause of this problem is not a bad fuse box/gem it is a leaking windshield causing the components to get wet in the first place.

So my windshield wipers,windows and dome light work from time to time and then occasionally they just stop working out of nowhere I maybe thought it could have been a bad ground connection or something like that but I think I’m leaning more into what yall are saying. What do yall think it could possibly be ?

When I'm driving down the road I lose power and all my gauges fall as if I switched the truck off

I've been having the exact same issues and a few more with my 97 3 door 4.6 V8

Sounds like your GEM. That seems to be my problem. Mine will flicker on/off especially when it has been raining/snowing.

Locate and fix water leaks into the cabin. That will stop the weirdness. It did for me. Windshield leaked, back glass and beauty ring all removed and resealed. The leak in back was from the pressure vent/valve cutouts under the window. So far, so dry, and everything is working proper again. :-) EDIT!! The gremlin is BACK!!! Dry as a popcorn fart, but the wipers stay intermittent. :-/

On my 2005 I had to take the switch apart for similar issues. The contacts inside the switch get dirty.

It also makes a click sound on the fuse box ***

There's a video of how to rewire your driver's window to make it work, I did it and if I can, anybody can lol I know this is years old but it might help somebody

Did you try pulling from the top like I showed in the video? I had a hard time with that connector as well. You could have corrosion inside the connector so soft taps with the plastic side of a screwdriver may help.

My part number will be different than yours. There are TONS of different GEM module revisions. There is even different programming between the modules themselves with the same part number. The best thing to do is to find a truck that had all the same options in the same year as yours and use that.

ok thank you im not sure yet if i need a gem i just picked up a fuse box for now i have an 03 f150 4.6 v8 4x4 but i also tried your solution with starting the engine in 4x4 but still wont turn on /engage im going to replace box this week ill keep you updates thanks for the video

@@striker1211 huh. Didnt know that. That must be why it was impossible to find the right parts. Thanks for the information

For new models? Gems for 97=03 (and 04 heritage) do not need flashing they just need to have the same features.

To make you go crazy. It is a real gremlin, cause if it gets damp or wet, nothing works right. Wipers, power windows, door locks, anything electrical, it goes through that G.D. GEM and gets glitches if over damp/wet.

You have it wrapped around the brake pedal.

You can watch the vid in slow mo