04 F-150 Electrical

When I put the key in and turn to the on position, some of the guages start flickering and it makes a weird clicking noise, like when gears are hardly touching. It goes away after a few seconds. I am thinking this is some sort of power issue as in there is an intermitten short that is supplying power but not enough to activate the guages. The other day my battery was so dead, the door locks wouldn't work. Any thoughts? :screwy: