"Joe S." <anon@mous.com> wrote in message
news:gL2dnQFsQLttV1feRVn-sQ@comcast.com...
> Bought a used 1997 Mazda B4000 last week; been driving it for 10 days
> without a problem. Today, when I started it, I got two warning light
> indications:
>
> 1. ABS light comes on and stays on.
> 2. 4WD HIGH and 4WD LOW lights flash 2-3 times then go off. After a few
> minutes, they flash again, then go off. 4WD does NOT engage -- I flipped
> the dash switch into 4WD H and 4WD L, nothing happened, truck remained in
> 2WD.
>
> All fuses look good -- I pulled the fuses, looked at them, then put them
> back, did not replace any fuses.
>
> I installed my amateur radio transceiver in the car today and these
> warning lights started after I completed the installation. During the
> installation I did not touch anything else on the truck -- was very
> careful to avoid all internal wiring, etc. I did connect my amateur radio
> directly to the battery -- a pair of #10 wires, fused, connect to the
> battery -- one to the pos terminal, one to the neg terminal. I loosened
> the battery cable clamps, one at a time, and inserted the connector on
> the end of the pos and neg power leads for the raido under the head of the
> hex bolt that tightens the cable clamps onto the battery terminals. I do
> not have my antennas installed, so, I have not transmitted with the
> radio -- I know some vehicles have problems with RF energy from
> transmitters getting into the computer but that could not be the case
> here.
>
> I turned the ignition switch on and off several times, no change. Drove
> the truck a couple of miles, shut down, started, drove back. No change in
> the warning lights, they still come on. Everything else works fine.
>
> I have noticed, every day, a small wet spot on the ground under the
> truck -- it's brake fluid -- I stuck my finger in the spot and smelled
> the stuff. The spot is located under the center of the engine compartment
> (centered from side to side), just behind the front axle. I have not been
> able to find the source of this spot. Brake fluid level has not changed
> in the 10 days I have had the truck.
>
> Usually, when I start the truck, I hear a muffled "clunk" from underneath
> which I have assumed to be a solenoid in the 4WD system activating. Now I
> don't hear that sound.
>
> Is it possible that, in loosening the cable clamps on the battery cable, I
> interrupted the power supply from the battery to the truck's computer or
> something that would have caused these warning lights to go on?
>
Just returned from the dealer -- they tell me it's a GEM module.
-- ABS light stays on
-- The two 4WD indicator lights on the dash flash six times then go out;
wait 4-5 minutes, flash six times then stop; etc., etc.
-- Interior light does not work, either when open the door or flip the
switch on the dome.
Also found leaking intake gasket.
