I have some ideas about a situation I’m having with my Ranger. Here’s the story and am wondering if y’all have ever seen this and have advice before I go tracing wires. Maybe there’s a common spot shorts occur for this...maybe? Or just wishful thing on my part lol...

Fuse Number 29 (Eng Compartment Behind Battery) blows when I turn on headlights/taillights/gauge cluster lights/trailer lights. Fuse 29 should be hot at all times. It’s power for the radio. But even when it’s blown, my radio works fine. It doesn’t blow until I turn lights on. Unless the short is so bad that my radio is robbing my lighting circuit of power, I don’t understand how this is possible for the radio to be on and the fuse to be blown lol.

Given the fact that wiring for the radio isn’t back by my tail lights/3rd brake light/trailer lights, I’m thinking that I may have a short between my radio power wire and my gauge cluster lights. I’m thinking this because those circuits are the only ones within close proximity of each other.

Another interesting thing is that my wiring diagram says that fuse 29 should be a 20A fuse. The stock fuse from the factory in my breaker box was a 15A fuse. Interesting.

Anybody have any input on this? Thanks in advance.

 

1996 Ford Ranger

Don't see a Fuse 29 in engine bay fuse box on my 1996 diagrams

Head lights use fuse 11 in engine bay

There is a fuse 29 in cab fuse box and it is for audio system


You can get 1996 owners manual here, fuse on page 312: https://www.ranger-forums.com/genera...1-models-3747/

Engine bay fuses are not numbered but it does should what each one is for

 

Sorry Ron, I should have specified. It's a 2001 Ranger 4x4 XLT model.

(if this changes anything)

Also, I've got my dash/gauge cluster bezel pulled out with the light and dimmer switches. Do you think it would be worth checking the switch and dimmer with an ohm meter to make sure it's not part of the issue?

 

Also, agree with the fuse 29 being for audio. But it is the one blowing when I try to switch on my lights which is strange.

 

Ron,

Fuse Number 33 is what I should be looking at. But the lid on my box says 29 because the drawing orientation was confusing to me. Didn't understand how Ford wanted me to be reading that... But it makes way more sense for this fuse to be fuse number 33 because that is a 15A fuse for a park lamp. Which would help me out with my lighting issues. It confirms my suspicion with fuse 29 being for the radio and the whole issue of how can my radio be on when the fuse is blown...

Also, you can see this thread for some help on my issue too. Mine is similar. https://www.ranger-forums.com/genera...talled-147829/
I also have an aftermarket stereo in my Ranger but I've had it in there since 2017. Will need to do some digging to see if I am having the same issues as the dude in there.

I think my answer is somewhere in here.

 

Yes, makes more sense

If you have the head light switch connector unhooked you can test each wire color to see which one has the short
Use OHM meter to ground then test each wire, 0 ohms is a short, probably Brown wire will show 0 ohms

The most common place for a short is DIY trailer light wiring in rear of vehicle

The brown wire, 12v, goes to dimmer so unplug that and see if short goes away, if not then go to trailer lights
The brown wire also goes to exterior lights, not shown in that diagram

Headlight switch can be bad but it has no ground to short to, so usually lights just quit working and doesn't blow a fuse

 

Thanks Ron I’m going to go and try these things. I did recently tow a trailer with more lights than the little boat trailer I usually tow so that definitely might be the culprit. Will report back when I make progress.

 

Ron you were right about the trailer connector! I isolated the entire circuit, disconnected radio, taillights, everything. My trailer light connector isn’t one that’s hooked up to a harness. I guess it’s wired in with the factory harness. But I snipped it a couple inches back from the 4-prong connector and as I connected everything back together, no fuse blowing. Got a new 4-prong in the mail and taped off each wire.

The good from this was that it gave me the excuse to go back behind the dash and remove the pesky little “OD On/Off” light! That dang thing has been flashing since I did my trans swap last year lol. Finally got around to removing it...

Thanks for the help Ron, always appreciate it.

 

Good work

OD light flashes when there are transmission codes being set or computer is noticing a problem with solenoids or sensors in transmission

 

Thanks for the help!

Yes its pissed cause it can’t find the 5r55e haha. You’ll have to let me know if you ever come across a PCM for a M/T 2001 4.0 because I haven’t been able to find one to get my speedo working again lol. I have tried and tried but can’t get the auto PCM to read the OSS in the M5R1.

 

Ah, a manual trans conversion

Thats odd, as far as I know the 2001-2011 M5R1s use the same ring gear and OSS sensor as the 5Rs

Try car-part.com

2001 Ford Ranger
Computer box engine
Then your area

4.0l M/T, since you are not matching old one I think any ID would work, $50-$90
I think they all had EGRs and Knock sensors

 

My thoughts too Ron thanks for the advice! Maybe one day I’ll get that speedo working again.

Well, this short has reared its ugly head again! Just when I thought all this was over. I was driving on a straight, flat road, and pop. There goes my tail lights/interior lights/everything like before. Even after my nice new trailer wiring harness it happened again! I’m starting to wonder if it’s something else now... time to dive in again and go digging. I guess I’ll do the same as last time, disconnect everything and reconnect things one by one.

How frustrating!