Sat for 2 weeks in Galveston and then,

Hey guys, just returned from a 2 week cruise and was parked in a 'secure' outdoor lot at the port of Galveston, TX. When I started my truck I notice I had no outside temperature reading. I thought this was strange as everything was working when I parked it. I payed little attention to it as I needed to get 3 other people loaded with luggage and on our way. Half way to Dallas from Houston I noticed my 'check engine' light had come on. I am due maintenance soon as I'm at 38K miles. Made it to my brothers house outside Big D and on the way to dinner my cruise control quit. I was doing 65 and it just quit. Would not come on no matter what. I drove it on to dinner and now I have no cruise control, check engine light and maintenance triangle lit up. Once dinner was done we left and when leaving the parking lot my 'TRAC OFF' w/ squiggly lines showed up on the dash. I decided I would wait until today to get with you guys to see if anyone ever had something like this before. Long story short, I just went out and started it up and the only thing showing is 'Maintenance Triangle' & no 'outside temp', I haven't tried cruise yet but no 'check engine' and no 'TRAC OFF'. Do you think it just missed me for two weeks and was being a little 'pissy'? Not sure what to think but once I get back on the road later today I'll post an update. Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post, I'm just a bit confused....

 

You need a scan tool to pull set codes. Anything else is guess work. Not that someone can't guess right, but..........

Still in warranty? Let the dealer do it.

Out of warranty? You need to be finding a quality independant shop anyway.

Even semi technically savvy? Get a scan tool and DIY.

Or the 'quick and dirty' would be a parts house free scan, record the codes and research them.

 

My money is on rodents. Look for signs.

 

Thanks guys, I have a scan tool but it's over 1000 miles away at home. I'll do a visual and check for rodents. I appreciate your input.

 

I'm guessing this will wind up in your in-truck tool bag in the near future........

 

I second rodents. Especially around that wharf. Or worse, crabs...

 

Have you looked under your hood?

 

Nothing worse than coming home from a cruise to find out you got crabs.

 

I made a fairly thorough inspection under the hood and did not see any obvious indications of damage from rodents. No frayed wires or any rat pellets but still don't have the outside temp. I drove it on the highway for a bit and 'cruise control' is working again, no 'Check Engine' light and the 'TRAC-OFF' not lit up, still have the 'Maintenance Soon' triangle. I'll post again when I get to the bottom of this. Thanks for your input,

 

Was there any flooding during that 2 week window?

 

When you initially started your truck, did it start right up or was the starter a little slow? I'm curious about the condition of your battery. I have seen a low and/or defective battery cause all of your listed symptoms other than the outside temperature issue. A voltage draw then surge can cause all sorts of strange things to occur.

If you have access to a battery charger I would recommend completely charging the battery. Driving around usually will not accomplish a 100% charge. Make sure your battery is holding a charge. Some auto parts stores will check it for free. Before having it tested, you need to remove the surface charge that's created when you drive. With the engine off, turn on your hi-beam headlights for about 30 seconds. That should draw down the surface charge. Then have them test your battery. If it's the original battery it may be going bad. I've seen the stock battery last anywhere from a few months to several years. There is no consistency with their longevity.

I would also disconnect a battery terminal and leave it disconnected for about half an hour or more. This will usually reset your computer. Yes, your codes will also be erased so when you get your OBDII scanner hooked up the initial error codes will probably be gone. If there is really a problem other than what was caused by low voltage when you first started your truck, the trouble codes will once again appear. Maybe a reset will also fix the outside temperature issue.

If you have a multimeter you can also check the battery voltage. Again, the surface charge must be removed. At 100% charge the battery should read 12.73 volts. A 90% charge is 12.62 volts and a 50% charge is 12.10 volts.

 

Yeah just go to a parts store and have em pull codes. Then Google the codes. I'd guess rodents as well.

 

This is good information, my battery died out of NOWHERE one morning when I went fishing. Truck started right up as I went to get food and then got to my usual bait catching spot. The truck remained on since I left my apartment and was not shut off until I arrived at my bait spot. I was there for 15 minutes then got back in my truck and it would not even crank. Battery was completely DEAD. It would just click rapidly until I pressed the Start Stop button again. I tried a jump and couldn't even get my headlights on with the truck off. I had to get a tow to an autozone and the thing read 4 volts! 4 VOLTS! That's absurd. 2016 Truck and the battery died a little over 2 years later.

Just relaying my experience in case it helps you consider more choices as to what could be wrong.

 

No flooding to my knowledge AND it is the original battery. I'll check that next, also my outside temp gauge became operable again. I'm going with battery for now. I'll post when resolved. Thanks to all of you, much appreciated.

 

Check your air and cabin filter for signs of rodents

 

Loose battery cables will also do weird things.

 

@scottybob6

Anything new? Update??

Just curious. Thanks

 

Battery checks out fine after 1,000 mi return trip even though it's 3 years old. Best we can tell, and that is talking with my dealer and a couple of other knowledgable folks, is there was an accessory left plugged in (but was turned off) and though it was ever so slight, the drain most likely caused the battery to come down just enough to not supply the onboard electronics with proper power. Thank you all for your input.

 

Yep

Just went through thjs

 

So everything is working like normal again?