Ford Repair: 2000 F150, dash guages, water leaks

Question
Over the last 3-4 days, my f150 has run very rough intermittently.  Today, it appeared that the enire electrical system shut down, as if the alternator failed.  The entire dash (guages, tach, speedo) all dropped to zero.  The power window wouldn't work. No electrical at all.  The engine kept running,but finally stalled at a stop sign a block from home .  

The battery was dead, but started with a jump a couple of hours later.  And it will start right now, and run.  The battery light/symbol was illuminated, but the ammeter showed normal charge.

Any ideas will be appreciated.


Answer
Check the charging output at the battery, do not rely on the gauge to tell you it is ok. Your symptoms could be related to low system voltage. Also check the connections on the firewall where the positive cable is connected to a couple of large fuses, have found corrosion or loose connections there.  

Another area to check is the under dash fuse box. The GEM module is mounted on top of the fuse box, and there have been many cases of water leaks from the windshield contaminating this area and causing corrosion, which will affect many of the things you mention. You can remove the GEM and look for green or wet connections, a sure sign of a problem.