Electrical Short?
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: Jonesboro USA
Electrical Short?
Hi all. My wife drove my truck to work yesterday and got home at midnight - all was fine. I get in today to come to work (freezing rain here) and drive a few miles, then the abs light starts blinking. Brakes are working fine, but I found a blown fuse. It's the one for the shift interlock, signals, cruise, etc. (#13 in fuse panel). I put in a new fuse, stepped on the brake to shift from park, and it blew immediately. I shut it off and shifted to neutral then restarted it & drove to work. Short somewhere? I have a '96 F150 4x4 w/300 engine & E4OD transmission, 158,000 miles (barely broke in!). If anyone has experience w/this, I'd appreciate your input.
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 550
Likes: 1
From: Hillsboro, OR
Did you check the rear brake light socket. We get some nasty freezing rain here in Oregon and it is possible some water got into the socket causing a short. This would be my first guess. I am sure others will chime in with some more ideas.
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: Jonesboro USA
Thanks for responding. You're the only one who did. Do you have a specific brake light socket in mind, or are you meaning check both? I can't see that one would be more suspect than the other, so I'll look at both today. As soon as I step on the brake, the fuse blows. I suppose it's got to do with the lights somewhere. I hate electrical problems...
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 550
Likes: 1
From: Hillsboro, OR
I am just throwing ideas out as I have not experienced this issue but I would check both sockets and if you have trailer wireing, check that as well. You may have got some water in the plug. Does the fuse blow when you use the signals or only the brakes? If so, it could also be your signal switch. It could also be the brake light switch. On my truck, it is mounted on the upper part of the pedal. Pull the wires off and jump them. If the fuse blows, then it is not the switch. Unfortunately, my ideas assume that you have an unlimited supply of fuses. Good luck.
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 73
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I've had this exact same problem, I checked almost every wire in the truck and found nothing wrong. So I settled on a 5 amp higher fuse and it hasn't blown since. Certainly not the correct method for fixing an electrical problem, but it's been working fine for over 2 years now. I would try disconnecting your taillights and pulling the ABS fuse, and then seeing if the fuse blew, that would atleast help isolate the problem.
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 58
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From: Jonesboro USA
That's the wierdest thing. I took out both tail light lenses, checked each bulb, put in a new fuse, pushed the brake pedal, and the fuse didn't blow and the abs light went off. ?????? Funny, though, the blinkers started blinking real fast in the middle of the brake problem and I used to hear them blink, but can't anymore and they still blink fast. Anyway, I've driven over 100 miles since yesterday and except for the fast blinkers, all is well. Go figure... Thanks for the ideas, guys.
Junior User
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 73
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You have a burned out turn signal bulb, I'm pretty sure there's spares inside the housing and when one burns out it causes them to blink at a much faster rate. Replace the defective bulb and you should be alright.
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Junior User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 58
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From: Jonesboro USA
That's what I thought, too, but every bulb I looked at had good filaments in them. I couldn't see any that were broken. I hit both signals and each one blinked. Anyway, I'll check them again and maybe replace the blinker unit.
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