Electrical Demons?

I have a 2004 Sport Trac with 120K miles. The truck has been reliable, but recently several seemingly random electrical issues have surfaced.

Today, the "o/d disengaged" indicator appeared when I started the truck. The o/d switch wouldn't turn the light off ... or engage the overdrive for the 30 miles to work and most of the way back. Then, the light turned off by itself, and the overdrive worked. But the "o/d disengaged" indicator came back on next time I started the truck.

Don't know whether it's related, but the "theft" light now glows faintly all the time ... even when the truck is running.

I've removed, examined, and reinserted the fuses and plan to check and clean electrical connections to the transmission tomorrow. Any suggestions you might have would be much appreciated.

Steve

Sounds to me that you are getting electrical feed back somewhere.

Check for bad grounds. A simple bad ground on a tail light can cause electrical feedback problems almost anywhere.

Check for bad neutral safety switch on transmission.

Check for abrasion anywhere on any wire.

Check all connectors for good connections. Be sure to properly lube them (if required) when you connect them back together.

Look at the wiring under the steering column. Ford is bad about chafing in the steering column and cause the light to come on. It might just be a small nick, so look closely. If it is a a nick, tape is a tempory cure.