General Technical & Electrical General technical and electrical discussion for the Ford Ranger that does not fit in any other sub-forum.

big ohc wtf

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Old 07-19-2009
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big ohc wtf

well i installed my ohc. works great, broke the stupid little copper thing thats around the bulbs inside it. very annoying since it looks like its made to break. but anyways my problem is my dome light in my truck keeps popping fuses! as soon as i put the fuse in it breaks. had a 10 in it so i but another one in and it broke. then i put a 15 in and it did the same. then for only a couple seconds (since i know this isnt a smart thing to do) i put a 30 in and it kinda worked. only when the switch was on but not just when my door was open. im really confused at this point, whats going on? are my wires going to the dome light possibly backwards? i hate not having any light at night in there. help?
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Are you kidding me, putting a bigger fuse to make it stop blowing is one of the dumbest things you can do. Theres a reason the fuse is popping, you have a short somewhere.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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i wasnt going to keep it in there trust me. it was a quick test. im aware it would have caught on fire in a couple minutes.
ok im new to wiring. what is a short?
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Putting a 30amp fuse in place of a 10amp is a great idea, IDK how Ford didn't think of it.



If you don't even know what a short is, you honestly shouldn't be messing with any wires.
 
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Originally Posted by korey89
Putting a 30amp fuse in place of a 10amp is a great idea, IDK how Ford didn't think of it.



If you don't even know what a short is, you honestly shouldn't be messing with any wires.
Truth
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Since the fuse is blowing that means you either have a bare wire touching the metal somewhere or it hooked up wrong. Go back over all of the wiring and make sure everything is secure and correct.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by korey89
Putting a 30amp fuse in place of a 10amp is a great idea, IDK how Ford didn't think of it.



If you don't even know what a short is, you honestly shouldn't be messing with any wires.
no one asked you to come here and be a dick. i know a short is some sort of connection problem. if someone can tell me what could happen to cause a short it would be much easier to find my problem
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by 04blackedge
Since the fuse is blowing that means you either have a bare wire touching the metal somewhere or it hooked up wrong. Go back over all of the wiring and make sure everything is secure and correct.
ok, thank you that helps a little. i know where my problem spots were where that might have happened.

oh and that should just be the wiring with the dome light that i need to check over right?
 
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I would check over all of it to be safe. What are you using to connect the wires together?
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by 04blackedge
I would check over all of it to be safe. What are you using to connect the wires together?
yeah. im hoping i got the 2 wires backwards that go to the dome light. i used but connectors and some little blue connectors. said quick spice on the box.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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a short is when the connection between the wires is not good, like the wires may not even touch. Also, I started out using butt connectors but since I have done more wiring I got rid of all my butt connectors, they are good for beginners but once you understand wiring more, u will realize they are not that good, they are good for beginners and for a quick fix but that is about it. you are more likely to have shorts and such and bad connections with butt connectors. I twist the wires, and then tape them up real nice. I like to use wire loom and zip ties to keep the wires neat and tidy. this advice should help a little bit
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by j99ranger4x4
a short is when the connection between the wires is not good, like the wires may not even touch. Also, I started out using butt connectors but since I have done more wiring I got rid of all my butt connectors, they are good for beginners but once you understand wiring more, u will realize they are not that good, they are good for beginners and for a quick fix but that is about it. you are more likely to have shorts and such and bad connections with butt connectors. I twist the wires, and then tape them up real nice. I like to use wire loom and zip ties to keep the wires neat and tidy. this advice should help a little bit
thanks for the info, ill have to try that next time. i fixed it. i have no idea what the problem was. i checked my wires and replaced what looked like it could cause a problem and thats all. but it all works good now.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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For your dome lights in the OHC its just the copper "ribbon" for the contacts for the lights right? My guess is that ripped and now the positive and the negitive is touching, therefore causing a short.

Sorry there is no way of fixing those ribbons.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by malydeen
For your dome lights in the OHC its just the copper "ribbon" for the contacts for the lights right? My guess is that ripped and now the positive and the negitive is touching, therefore causing a short.

Sorry there is no way of fixing those ribbons.
thats the only thing not working now. cant i buy another one of them? right side doesnt work. thats the one i ripped. left side works though
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by malydeen
For your dome lights in the OHC its just the copper "ribbon" for the contacts for the lights right? My guess is that ripped and now the positive and the negitive is touching, therefore causing a short.

Sorry there is no way of fixing those ribbons.
I made the mistake of taking the bulb out on mine to clean it cuz it was really dirty and not very bright and that copper part ripped. I figured I would be better off to buy a new console.

and also to the OP you should go to harbor freight and buy a continuity tester that will help you find your problem.
 
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Originally Posted by j99ranger4x4
I made the mistake of taking the bulb out on mine to clean it cuz it was really dirty and not very bright and that copper part ripped. I figured I would be better off to buy a new console.

and also to the OP you should go to harbor freight and buy a continuity tester that will help you find your problem.
so i would have to buy a new console now? thats dumb.

and i no longer have a problem
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by OVERtheEDGE
no one asked you to come here and be a dick.
He's not being a dick. he is motivating you to find the problem. Check ALLLL your conections, use conectors, then wrap all of them in electrical tape, that will help A lot then upgrade your acc. fuse to a 30 amp. You will probly find a wire touching metal somewhere. check them all bro. STL installed Jazz921's OHC and he had the same problem, just a wire hittig metal, its not tough. Good luck!
 
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Originally Posted by OVERtheEDGE
thats the only thing not working now. cant i buy another one of them? right side doesnt work. thats the one i ripped. left side works though
just use super glue to reconnect them. it works fine. Mine is ripped and works great! Take your time, be patient.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by OVERtheEDGE
thats the only thing not working now. cant i buy another one of them? right side doesnt work. thats the one i ripped. left side works though
No you cant buy another one. I think you can get the whole dome light assembly from Ford, but just getting another OHC would be cheaper.

If I were you I would just take out the bulb, trim the ribbon back so its not touching and call it a day.
 
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Old 07-19-2009
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Originally Posted by jeweler54
just use super glue to reconnect them. it works fine. Mine is ripped and works great! Take your time, be patient.
just glue them on the underside of it? because the top side touches the bulb?
 
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