Duane Foster
Active Member
I posted this on the other forum and got little response, so I'll try here.
BACKGROUND
My 5' 0" daughter has been driving my '01 ST for several weeks. Monday night she stopped by and mentioned the rear turn signals weren't working. Brake lights weren't either. I started checking fuses, but gave up on that since it was dark, cold and windy. Did some research online, then moved the tilt wheel up out of the lowest position where she had it. Turn signals and brake lights now work again.
CURRENT PROBLEM
When she went to leave a few minutes later, the truck wouldn't start, and hasn't since. Nothing happens when the key is turned. I charged the battery and cleaned the terminals, but that didn't help. I've tried moving the wheel to different positions, and moving the shifter. Everything electrical seems to work, except it won't engage the starter. The THEFT light blinks at its normal steady pace regardless of the position of the key. In my '02 ST, the theft light blinks until the key is turned to "on", then it is on solid for a second or two, then goes off. The '01 theft light just keeps blinking steadily. It's like it doesn't recognize there's even a key in it even though the switch does turn. I've tried both the original key and the duplicate my daughter was using. Moving the steering wheel to a different position doesn't help.
We've not had any problems starting the truck before this, and this happened immediately after moving the tilt wheel up - and after I pulled several fuses to check them. It is possible I put a fuse back in the wrong place, or maybe there's a blown fuse. When I get a chance in the daylight, probably Saturday, I'll check all the fuses and compare placement to my '02 to be sure they're in the right place.
Any help/suggestions are much appreciated! I need to get this fixed so wife and daughter can argue over who gets to drive this truck when it's snowing!
BACKGROUND
My 5' 0" daughter has been driving my '01 ST for several weeks. Monday night she stopped by and mentioned the rear turn signals weren't working. Brake lights weren't either. I started checking fuses, but gave up on that since it was dark, cold and windy. Did some research online, then moved the tilt wheel up out of the lowest position where she had it. Turn signals and brake lights now work again.
CURRENT PROBLEM
When she went to leave a few minutes later, the truck wouldn't start, and hasn't since. Nothing happens when the key is turned. I charged the battery and cleaned the terminals, but that didn't help. I've tried moving the wheel to different positions, and moving the shifter. Everything electrical seems to work, except it won't engage the starter. The THEFT light blinks at its normal steady pace regardless of the position of the key. In my '02 ST, the theft light blinks until the key is turned to "on", then it is on solid for a second or two, then goes off. The '01 theft light just keeps blinking steadily. It's like it doesn't recognize there's even a key in it even though the switch does turn. I've tried both the original key and the duplicate my daughter was using. Moving the steering wheel to a different position doesn't help.
We've not had any problems starting the truck before this, and this happened immediately after moving the tilt wheel up - and after I pulled several fuses to check them. It is possible I put a fuse back in the wrong place, or maybe there's a blown fuse. When I get a chance in the daylight, probably Saturday, I'll check all the fuses and compare placement to my '02 to be sure they're in the right place.
Any help/suggestions are much appreciated! I need to get this fixed so wife and daughter can argue over who gets to drive this truck when it's snowing!
Last edited by a moderator: