Hey,

Long time reader, first time poster here.

I've got a technical issue that has be completely stumped - it feels like it should be relatively simple but I seem to be getting nowhere.
My vehicle is a 2004 Ranger XLT / 2-wheel drive / 3.0 v6 / 130k miles.

Due to (I think) a door being slightly ajar, my battery died while out and I required a jump start. No problem there, although during the jump a clicking noise started in the cabin. Once running, all the lights on the dash (and the illuminated face of the stereo) started blinking.
I drove the car for about 30 minutes to get the battery back up to charge, shut it down and restarted it. The blinking persisted. On inspection I realized that all of the blinkers (front and rear) were also continuously blinking, when parked or driving. This behavior continues even after shutting off the vehicle and removing the key, and only stops if the 12v is disconnected. The headlights and cabin light do not blink and function normally.

I thought it might be a PATS issue, but I am getting no blink code and the truck starts and runs normally. Have tried starting with both of the chipped keys I have but the result is the same. The battery was on the old side, so I tested it with a multimeter and found it was a little low - I tried replacing it with a brand new battery but the problem persists. There don't appear to be any blown fuses, and no codes are coming up from an OBD scan (I tried clearing regardless - still no change in behavior), hard reset of the computer system doesn't have any impact other than resetting the stereo settings. Tried driving it again for another 30ish minutes and behavior is 100% normal - I can still use my turn signals but they are a bit obscured due to the blinking, stereo functions normally, cruise control functions normally.

The clicking and blinking lights are continuous no matter what I do (tried leaving it off with the key removed for about 20 minutes and the blinking/clicking never stopped, currently it is sitting with the battery disconnected). Almost all the posts I've found with similar problems also involve a truck that won't start, but mine runs normally. It seems like it must be an electrical issue of some kind but I am starting to run out of ideas other than trying to take it to a shop after the new year. If anyone has any ideas of other things I could try I'd love to see if I can get it fixed myself since it seems like it *should* be a fairly simple issue...

I don't have a way to connect FORScan, just a standard OBD scanner.

Thanks a million for any thoughts.

 

Welcome to the forum

No jumping wouldn't hurt it if its done right
Turn off the working vehicle
Put Positive jumper cable between both batteries
Then put on the Negative jumper cable
Try to start the "no start vehicle"
If it doesn't crank then reset the Jumper cables, there is a bad connection
Once it starts disconnect Negative then positive jumper cables

Because of the charging systems in newer(after 1990) vehicles you shouldn't jump from a running vehicle, it can damage the running vehicles charging system and your charging system
But it wouldn't cause what you have now, only a poor battery connection would cause that


Have to ask....................are the 4-way flashers on?
The button on the top of the steering column
They have 12volts all the time, so would stay on even with key off and out

Its good the battery is disconnected, test its voltage before hooking it back up
12.8volts to 12.3volts is acceptable
12.2volts or lower is a bad battery, its self-discharging

Disconnect and Clean BOTH battery terminals and battery cable ends

Hook up battery, connect cables tight after cleaning, Positive first then Negative
Start engine
Battery should now show 13.5v to 14.8volts, this means alternator is OK
Under 13.5volts means alternator is on its way out