New guy with an electrical issue

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Oct 10, 2005 | 12:22 PM

jwith68

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New guy with an electrical issue

First off, hello to everyone. I just found this site, and it looks like a great place for all things Ford truck.

Secondly, I am having an issue with blowing fuse #19 in the under-dash fuse box in the truck listed in my signature below. I don't have a service manual for it (yet.) The owner's manual lists several items on that fuse, a couple of which are diesel only, and the overhead console (which I don't have.) The only other items listed are the GEM and the instrument cluster. The instrument cluster makes it easy to tell when it blows - all the gauges sweep back to their "key off" positions.

It is an intermittent problem, but it is happening with increasing frequency. The first replacement fuse lasted nearly a month, the second about 1.5 weeks, the latest one about 5 minutes - not a good trend. Have any of you had this happen, and if so, what was your fix?

Thanks in advance, John

Oct 10, 2005 | 12:55 PM

parcours

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John, welcome... As you can see, I'm new too.. Just got an '06 F250 4x Diesel..

On your question, on my '06 manual, fuse #19 is identified as a mini fuse 10A for the Body Security Module (BSM). Just what the heck the BSM is, I don't know..

Hope this gets you started in the right direction..

Juan

Oct 10, 2005 | 08:01 PM

n578md

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From: Allen, Tx

Is there anything in particular that you were doing when the fuse popped? Where you opening a window, closing the door locks, etc... ? I have a guess here, but just a guess. With the auto transmission, the most common item that short circuits on fuse #19 is the overdrive cancel switch. When the fuse is good, are you noticing that the overdrive switch doesn't quite work as it should? I noticed that people who raise and lower the tilt column a lot tend to get a short circuit in the overdrive switch because the wires that exit the shifter stalk are not very well protected. Over time, they will chafe and then the OD switch doesn't light up and the transmission is stuck in either OD ON or OD OFF mode. If that is the case, you can simply replace the whole shifter stalk assembly. It's only about $130 and realistically, it will be easier to replace it than attempt to fix the wiring. Because of the design, fixing the wires is almost impossible.

Oct 10, 2005 | 08:19 PM

99f350sd

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From: Lyndonville, Vermont

N578md has a good point. Thats my guess also.

Dick

Oct 10, 2005 | 09:41 PM

jwith68

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Thanks for the pointers, guys. Each time it has happened, the truck has just been driving down the road (driveway the last time, didn't make it all the way to the road.) I haven't been able to associate it with any particular action, each time there hasn't been anything going on other than normal driving. I will check into the O/D switch wiring. I haven't noticed any strange behavior there, but I do make use of the tilt wheel just about every time I get in or out.

Oct 10, 2005 | 10:12 PM

n578md

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From: Allen, Tx

Take the steering column covers off and push the shifter dust boot off to the side. There are three wires coming out of the stalk. At the very point where there is an oval hole in the stalk and where the three wires exit is where the chafing occurs. Maybe you can see if there is any damage. You can always unplug that particular wire harness and see if the fuse still pops but you may loose the overdrive cancel function. The harness is plugged in on the left side of the column near the dash. I believe that when the harness is unplugged, it defaults to overdrive ON, but I am not entirely certain and cannot check as the overdrive cancel switch is built into my right hand on my truck. (No, my nose doesn't light up when I am out of overdrive.) I have repaired/replaced 4 in the past 2 years and I noticed while riding around in each truck that hitting bumps on the road would giggle the wires and short them out. Moving the column up and down would do it sometimes too. Like I said, it's just a guess but it's still a valid starting point. And if 99f350sd thinks so too, then you should really have a look-see.

The old dudes are rarely wrong.

Last edited by n578md; Oct 10, 2005 at 10:15 PM.

Oct 12, 2005 | 07:56 AM

jwith68

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Good call, guys. I took a few minutes last night to check the O/D switch wiring. Sure enough, found a wire chafed through to a bare spot. It was not where the wires exit the stalk itself, it was about 1.25" further down, where the wire passes over the diecast aluminum upper support for the shifter. I didn't have a lot of time, so I did a tape job on it. Will drive it a while and see if that takes care of it.

I will have to do a more permanent repair in the near future. I took a close look at the wires exiting the stalk, and while nothing is chafed bare there yet, it isn't going to be too long.

Thanks again, John

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Oct 14, 2005 | 07:49 AM

jwith68

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It looks to me like heat shrink may be a possibility. Will have to take apart the harness connector to do that, but that's not too hard. I think that the exit hole of the column has a grommet, but it's hard plastic with sharp edges and rubs the wires anyway. If small enough heat shrink tube is used, it might be possible to work the end of it through the grommet for some protection in that area.

I'm sure this type of fix would be a lot less expensive than replacing the stalk, but I question how long it will last. This issue didn't show up until 75k miles, so a replacement stalk might not be a bad investment.

Oct 14, 2005 | 10:16 AM

#10

DZari

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Same wire failed on my old Ranger. I was able to slip some shrink tube over the wires cause they were separated then soldered and shrink wrapped. Lasted another 40k miles.