Hi All,

New blood here! I feel that a contribution to the cause would be the best way to break in. Sort'a make a contribution to the Community, before I ask for help.

This involves my'88 Bronco II 2.9L V6 and a perplexing electrical problem which plagued me for nearly three months before I accidently stumbled on to the problem. I was at my wits end and almost ready to set fire to the beast.

Anyway, I kept having this intermittent loss of power and complete shut down while driving. I never knew when it was going to occure.

It would die coming out of shopping centers, while driving down the road, normally untold miles from home, or when I was suppose to be at a job site on time, at rush hour while at the worst intersections. Hit a little bump on a hot day and "Dead".

Nothing quite as scary, as coming out of a secondary road and having your car just die, and you coast across the road, fighting the loss of power steering and brake booster, nearly being broadsided by on coming traffic.

My best friend must have rescued me at least 20 times, miles away from his home, Bless His Heart!

It never seemed to die when it was cold, usually when it was hot. Off on the side of the road for about hour, (with the hood up, maybe 30 minutes), and it would start right up like nothing ever happened.

We replaces everything from computer to spark plugs over a couple months, and still no resolve. Hundreds of dollars spent chasing the problem around.

With every dollar spent and part replaced, there was little or no change. I learned quick, that most electrical parts, like the darn computor, are non-returnable
items. Sensor Location 101, what a trip!

One evening after being rescued from a Home Depot parking lot, 23 miles from my friends home, I finally made it home, engine running, popped the hood and was leaning in with a screw driver in my hand, contemplating torching the beast. I had done everything else??????

With the screw driver in hand like a drum stick, I was tapping away on the battery cable, comng off the same erminal was another smaller wire. I tapped the smaller wireby accident and the car shut down!!!!!

Holy Moly.....I started the car back up and jumped out and tapped the wire, it died again. Jump back in, start it up, get out grab the wire and bent it back and forth, and just like a light switch, I could turn it on and off. An in-line Fusible Link. Duh!!!

I shut the engine off, removed the (+) cable and Link wire, began stripping the wire and found a complete hair line burnt break in the link wire. Spliced in a fuse holder and proper amp fuse (Maybe $2 total), and never had the problem again.

The hair line burnt break was so close together that cold or cool the wires would touch and complete the circuit, once hot under the hood, the break could be made by hitting any bump in the road, or even a quick take off from a light.

So, Guys and Gals, check the "Fusible Links" first, if you have similar symptoms, and certainly before spending hundreds of dollars like I did.

 

Thanks for the post, good advice.

Welcome to the site.

 

I feel your pain.

Dave Powell

 

Welcome, that was good information.

 

I am a complete novice at this but can you explain how you exactly fixed this problem. I have a 1995 and it dies too. Did yours lose all power even bells and whistles.

 

Hey Mark,

Yes it was always total power loss, total shut down.

However, my original post is in error, in so far as the location of the fusable link wire(s).

To Everyone:

~~Correction~~

The fusible link wire(s) on the 2.9L '88, possible as many as 3 small fusible link wires, are coming off the starter solinoid, not, the positive battery terminal. Sorry!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-Aug-02 AT 08:58 PM (EST)]Once I located the burnt Link wire, I just spliced in a fuse holder, and loaded it with a fuse of the same resistance as the Link.
The proper resistance is marked on the link itself, and also stated on the appropriate wiring diagram for your vehicle.

On the '88 Bronco II 2.9L, the starter relay is under that three sided square black plastic or nylon cover, on the passenger side engine comparment fender well, in front of the battery. Look close!