Fuses Keep Blowing
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Joined: Apr 2002
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From: ontario,canada
Fuses Keep Blowing
I have a 93 aerostar,which just started to have an electricial problems. I lost all interior lighting,all chimes,cruise control,speedometer,led odometer. When I checked wiring schematic some of these run on different circuits,I replaced a blown fuse only to have it go again when I start van up,also when I open drivers door my radio led dissappears,and when i close my door the radio loses memory,but the display comes back.Anyway my question is this,did anyone ever encounter this and if so ,is there a cure. I think there is a loose ground somewhere ,but where would i find it.
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much.
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Joined: Apr 2000
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From: PNW
Fuses Keep Blowing
>I think there is a loose ground somewhere ,but where
>would i find it.
From your description, you more than likely have a short to ground, not a loose ground. With all the things being affected, look for a point in the wiring where a short to ground would cause the problems you describe. Simply speaking, there are two sides to an electrical circuit, the high side (or hot side) and the low, or ground side. Look for the short on the hot side directly to ground, including any component (such as an electric motor). A low impedance short here will cause a large current to be drawn and will blow fuses. What fuse was blown? That's the logical circuit to start with.
A way to find the short would be to replace the blown fuses and one by one, work your way through the various circuits with an ohm meter (disconnect the battery first). Start as far upstream in the circuit as you can and check the resistance between the hot side of the circuit and ground. If you find a circuit that has a short, then work your way through each wire segment to narrow down its location. Don't forget to check the circuits with switches in both open and closed states.
Sorry if I can't give you an exact answer as to what it is, there is more than one possibility.
Just out of curiosity, did your van have the electrical recall performed on it?
>would i find it.
From your description, you more than likely have a short to ground, not a loose ground. With all the things being affected, look for a point in the wiring where a short to ground would cause the problems you describe. Simply speaking, there are two sides to an electrical circuit, the high side (or hot side) and the low, or ground side. Look for the short on the hot side directly to ground, including any component (such as an electric motor). A low impedance short here will cause a large current to be drawn and will blow fuses. What fuse was blown? That's the logical circuit to start with.
A way to find the short would be to replace the blown fuses and one by one, work your way through the various circuits with an ohm meter (disconnect the battery first). Start as far upstream in the circuit as you can and check the resistance between the hot side of the circuit and ground. If you find a circuit that has a short, then work your way through each wire segment to narrow down its location. Don't forget to check the circuits with switches in both open and closed states.
Sorry if I can't give you an exact answer as to what it is, there is more than one possibility.
Just out of curiosity, did your van have the electrical recall performed on it?
