Help needed Front Electronic Module FEM 2002-2005

[Gus Gutz]

My lights went off and my drivers window would not go down. The radio would not turn off when the door was opened and the windows do not drop. this happened twice in two days.

I am sure it is the front electronic module. Anyone know what to do and where to take it?


MODERATOR NOTE 2020- We've found a direct source for the FEM's!
You can now purchase a remanufactured FEM directly from a Ford dealer with a 2 year warranty! These FEM’s we are remanufactured by Ford and are covered by the nationwide Ford warranty for 2 years/unlimited mileage. The part numbers listed below are all of the versions of the FEM modules. They all carry a $1200.00 core. When a core is returned they will not refuse to refund the customer's money provided you follow the core return instructions. They do not list all of the part numbers on the site to avoid customer confusion. Since a VIN is required they just provide the correct product to the customer when the linked item is purchased.


1W6Z14B205AA
1W6Z13C788BA
3W6Z14B205AB
6W6Z13C788AB

Used units available on ebay occasionally:
2002 Ford Thunderbird Front Lighting Control. Click here to purchase on eBay.
2003-2005 FORD THUNDERBIRD Front Lighting Control Click here to purchase on eBay.
Part number 1W6Z 14B205 AA -

1w6z 14b205 AA for sale | eBay

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[Gus Gutz]

Thanks, Gus. I will look into this as I need to get it corrected, but hesitated to just take it to a garage and let them have free will to repair. I have been down that road before where they just change parts until they finally correct the problem.
Thanks for the reply, Alan

Look for other strange things happening. My wipers would just go off every now and then. My radio did not shut off when the car was turned off. Driver's window would not go up or down and the window drop didn't work. the top would not go up. A couple of times the headlights just went off and of course I would get off the freeway and the steering was still stiff. These were all intermittent. There were no codes in the computer pointing to a bad fem. The ford dealer couldn't find a problem but I had them change the FEM and no problems since.

 

[tbird]

Some of the Most Common Problems that are fixed:
Instrument Illumination Problems (No Dash illumination & Shift indicator)
Headlights issues.
Front Turn Signal Problems.
Window inoperable (driver side).
No Wipers, No Horn.
Convertible. Top
Power Steering Assist.(stiff) Code C1925 .
Also Codes such as :B1342,B1438,B1446,B1676.

Get it rebuilt here- https://ebay.us/iBkiek which currently has 4.9 stars and 2,324 Google reviews on Google.
Link to rebuild- hhttps://ebay.us/iBkiek

 

[vcionetti]

Look for other strange things happening. My wipers would just go off every now and then. My radio did not shut off when the car was turned off. Driver's window would not go up or down and the window drop didn't work. the top would not go up. A couple of times the headlights just went off and of course I would get off the freeway and the steering was still stiff. These were all intermittent. There were no codes in the computer pointing to a bad fem. The ford dealer couldn't find a problem but I had them change the FEM and no problems since.

Does anyone know what the actual part number is for the Front Electronic Module? THANKS!

 

[Gus Gutz]

Here is the label on the box. Ford gave the core to me in the box it was shipped in.

 

[Gus Gutz]

Kearny Pearson Ford in San Diego replaced mine . I was like you and not sure I had the technical knowledge to take it on. Here is the removal instructions. Kearny Pearson Ford gave me the core. I was thinking of getting it rebuilt as a spare.

 

[coat1971]

This list is an attempt to put many possibilities in front of users to possibly shorten their search/decision making. None can be construed as a recommendation but rather beginning info from which to investigate.

nomenclature list:
Powertrain Control Module (PCM)
Restraints Control Module
ABS Control Module
Front Electronic Module
Rear Ambient Lighting Control Unit
Remote Keyless Entry Module
Instrument Cluster Module
Electronic Automatic Temperature Control Module

Moderator Update 2024:
Get it rebuilt here- https://ebay.us/iBkiek which currently has 4.9 stars and 2,324 Google reviews on Google.
Link to rebuild- https://ebay.us/iBkiek

 

[jimtcrowe]

I recently developed all the symptoms, erratic wipers, window problems, power steering problems. Found info on this forum and self diagnosed. Had my module repaired and returned with no programming needed in 1 weeks time.

I tried to find a module initially and found almost impossible to locate and the ones I did find were $800 to $1700. Ford dealer wanted another $300 to install and program.

Saved me about $1500!!

Moderator Update 2024:
Get it rebuilt here- https://ebay.us/iBkiek which currently has 4.9 stars and 2,324 Google reviews on Google.
Link to rebuild- https://ebay.us/iBkiek

 

[HKS]

Has anybody change the FEM by yourself. I have losen the two nuts, but it seems to stay put. maybe the FEM is glued to the wall. Is tere only to nuts to unscrew?

Two 10mm nuts and one 8mm bolt.
Service manual has errors.

 

[cobrajeff]

My Retro Thunderbird is my daily driver, so I was concerned about sending my FEM out for repair and driving the car without lights. I bought a used FEM off of eBay, and installed it myself yesterday. While I had the FEM out of the car, I confirmed that the car would start and run. The headlights, supplemental lights, and front turn signals did not work. I also confirmed that the rear tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals DID work.

The cluster illumination in my Thunderbird quit working quite some time ago. I tried all of the easy things first, check all of the fuses, disconnect and reconnect the battery, etc., to no avail. I talked to a Service Advisor at my local Ford/Lincoln Dealer, and was completely unimpressed with his answers to my questions: “Have you serviced many retro Thunderbirds with cluster lighting issues?” “No”; “Can you give me a rough idea what it might cost to diagnose or repair my cluster lighting?” “No”; “Do you have a Ford authorized electronics repair shop that you deal with to have electronic modules repaired?” “Uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about”. He certainly did not make me feel comfortable about leaving my car with them for diagnosis and repair.

I developed a simple “work-around” temporary fix for my cluster lighting. I bought a cheap battery powered light at Walmart, painted it Black to make it less obnoxious, and velcroed it to my cluster finish panel below the speedometer. When driving at night, I turn that battery-powered light on, cruise up to the posted speed limit, turn on my cruise control, then shut the light back off. This worked well for me while a I sought a cost-effective solution to my cluster illumination issue.

I was pretty nervous about having this repair done upon hearing several horror stories about people paying anywhere from $1200 to $2500 to get their cluster lighting fixed, on top of the fact that FEMs and clusters were out of stock and no longer serviced by Ford. After reading everything on the internet I could find about cluster lighting issues, I was fairly confident that my FEM (Front Electronic Module) was bad. I had the symptoms most reported associated with the FEM – cluster lights out, PRNDL light out, stiff steering. I’ve read about some electronic module repair shops – along with some horror stories about modules that couldn’t be repaired, and some that got lost in shipping. I decided to take a gamble on a junkyard FEM, and started watching for one on eBay. A couple showed up on eBay a few weeks ago, and I made an offer on one that was accepted. I finally got around to installing it yesterday, and now I have cluster illumination! I plan to send my original FEM in to be repaired, and then keep it for a backup.

For anyone thinking about removing their FEM module themselves, here are some pictures and tips I learned while doing this procedure. The first thing you should do is disconnect the negative cable of your battery.

Removing the cowl side trim and close-out trim panels under the dash requires a little tugging and a trim panel tool to release the plastic rivets. Once you’ve removed these trim pieces and folded the carpet back, you’ll be able to access the FEM module. I zip-tied the dangling footwell light to the steering column shaft to get it out of my way. You will need to unbolt and remove the dash brace that blocks access to the FEM – a 13mm nut and a 13mm bolt hold it in place. You will also need to unbolt the junction block at the corner of the toeboard and swing it out of the way – two 10mm nuts hold it in place. Disconnecting the electrical connections to the FEM is a finger-numbing exercise. I was able to disconnect the four hardshell connectors at the bottom of the FEM while it was still bolted in. The FEM is bolted in with two 10mm nuts and an 8mm bolt. Remove all of them and wiggle the FEM out. I released the two connectors on the rear-facing surface of the FEM after getting the FEM loose so that I could access their release tabs and get a little more leverage to disconnect them.

When reinstalling the FEM module, I had a great deal of difficulty getting the junction block bolted back in. It was hitting the corner of the FEM module, making it impossible to seat on the studs in the floorpan. I ended up grinding a half-moon shaped relief in the wall around the left bolt position so that I could squeeze it past the corner of the FEM module and bolt it back in. If I do this again, I’m thinking that I will cut about ½” off of both of the FEM mounting studs to make R&R much simpler. They are much longer than they need to be, and made removing and installing this module for service even more difficult than it should be.


Temporary light


I painted the lamp Black and attached with Velcro

Temporary light affixed to cluster finish panel under the speedo

Temporary light in use

Cluster lights again with my junkyard FEM installed

FEM module exposed (junction block with heavy Red wire needs to be moved over)

Upper mount for dash brace


Junkyard FEM on left, my original on right


Grinding a clearance notch in the junction block

 

[cobrajeff]

You didn't have to program the replacement FEM when you installed it ??

Correct - I did NOT have to flash or reprogram the used replacement FEM module. Just plugged it in and it worked fine.

 

[Spencer Shepard]

Radio doesn't shut off with ignition, HVAC module has no power, seat warmer light flickers. Can these be related?

 

[Gus Gutz]

Radio doesn't shut off with ignition, HVAC module has no power, seat warmer light flickers. Can these be related?

When my radio would not turn off it was one of many issues that was fixed when I replaced the FEM. The FEM failure can cause all sorts of strange problem.

 

[edward301]

Finally pulled the FEM out of my 2002 T Bird parts car where the dash lights do not work.

Here are a front and back photo of the FEM. I really thought there would be more to
this module, but in reality it is quite simple.

Two 1 ohm resistors, quite large most likely for the front turn signal bulbs, and a ohm
bar of .005 ohm, not sure what this one does.

Going to check all 11 transistors to see which one is bad.

Truthfully some of these transistors are not heavy enough for the load they take, may
be why some fail.

 

[cobrajeff]

The release tabs were a bear to get to, as I recall. They were almost completely obstructed by bundles of wire harnesses,

 

[LBBRIAN]

I sent my FEM out to MIdwestern tech to be repaired about eighteen months ago. It took about a month to get it back but it solved the problem and the price was reasonable. Around $250 with shipping each way.


Good luck!

 

[edward301]

I sent the FEM from my parts 2002 T Bird to Midwest Tech since the dash lights were out when I bought it, then after sitting for 5 months most
everything else the FEM controls quit. Sent April 30th, just got back today, and everything works perfectly, they did a good job. Now I have
a good spare if one of my good 2002 T Birds has FEM problem.

Now this parts T Bird works perfectly, even with 129k miles.

 

[Yellow 2002]

The FEM for my 2002 just returned. The mechanic who removed it reinstalled it, but now the car doesn't recognize either of my keys. They are both the ones that came with this car when it was new.

 

[Larry Hunt]

We recently bought this 2002 Thunderbird with only 22,000 actual miles in early fall of 2020. Driving late one evening we noticed that the gear indicator light and most of the dash instruments would not illuminate. After reviewing this site I thought the front electronic module was at fault. I removed this module and had it looked at by a module repair specialist. He found no issue with the module. I reinstalled the module and traced power back to the fuse box. It indicated I had 13 volt power going from fuse 13 to the instrument cluster and fuse 5 to the transmission shift selector when the main light switch was activated. I am pretty sure others with this car have had this issue and would like to get feedback if possible on what had to be done next by others to resolve this issue. This is the only electrical issue with this car. Everything else associated with the Front Electronic Module works fine. I also changed out the Instrument Panel Dimming Module to no avail. Trying to avoid dealership diagnosis cost if possible.

Thanks
Larry Hunt

 

[Frankie the Fink]

We recently bought this 2002 Thunderbird with only 22,000 actual miles in early fall of 2020. Driving late one evening we noticed that the gear indicator light and most of the dash instruments would not illuminate. After reviewing this site I thought the front electronic module was at fault. I removed this module and had it looked at by a module repair specialist. He found no issue with the module. I reinstalled the module and traced power back to the fuse box. It indicated I had 13 volt power going from fuse 13 to the instrument cluster and fuse 5 to the transmission shift selector when the main light switch was activated. I am pretty sure others with this car have had this issue and would like to get feedback if possible on what had to be done next by others to resolve this issue. This is the only electrical issue with this car. Everything else associated with the Front Electronic Module works fine. I also changed out the Instrument Panel Dimming Module to no avail. Trying to avoid dealership diagnosis cost if possible.

Thanks
Larry Hunt

Its almost certainly the FEM if the shift indicator AND the instrument lights are out....I have an 18,000 mile 2002 in which that was the only issue and some Bubba had hot-wired a patch inside the instrument cluster itself to have the lights on full time. I reversed that and then had the FEM repaired and all is well. There is more going on that just fuse voltages...the sash light switch sends a signal to the FEM which then determines what the instrument lights and shifter light do. There is a workaround by sending voltage to the shifter light to "backfeed" the instrument cluster lights and adding an external on/off switch which I have done and guided others through. Not perfect but very functional and can save an owner about $500.