I have a '98 F-150. noticed the tail lights and instr. panel lights were out the other day and tracked it down to a circuit fuse under the hood. with the fuse replaced, i turn on the parking light switch and their on for about five seconds before the fuse blows. I was curious if anyone else had experienced anything similar to this. any suggestions would be much appreciated.
*note: i did see a technical services bulletin that said a wiring harness #14401 would chafe and cause accessory fuses to open. does anybody know how i would locate harness #14401? Thanks.

 

A couple places I've seen shorts to ground are on the frame behind the driver's front wheel and in the back where the taillight wiring goes from under the box to the lights. The wiring in the back isn't very long and can rub through on the corners of the box. Pull the taillights out and follow the wiring. You'll probably find the problem there.