'97 Ranger, 3.0 manual, purchased from an 'electrician' had tons of wiring done in the center console, then truck was stolen a few weeks ago and cut out all of the wiring. I just finished redoing the center console wiring, stereo, ran proper grounds, etc.
Few days later, no start, fuse #24 is popping on key turn.

Person who stole it just twisted the lock cylinder, breaking the locking portion. It now turns without a key.
I've checked the ignition module for any shorting wires - none. Clutch switch looks like it's still operating, no diagram for me to chase that down.
I replaced the starter relay with an ACDelco, same issue.
Bridging the starter relay does crank the starter.

I'm thinking the lock cylinder wouldn't cause it to pop the #24 starter fuse, right?
If bridging the relay makes it crank, means the starter should be in good condition.
So the short is somewhere between ignition module and clutch switch?

 

Welcome to the forum

I grew up in "Reeferside", was mostly just orange groves back then, 1960/70's, I was there maybe 10 years ago and WOW, things have changed, lol

You said you redid Radio wiring, in 1998 Ford "officially" added a MUTE function to the radios, when fuse 24 has 12v it MUTES the sound, i.e. when starting engine
This would be a Red/black stripe wire in the radio harness, if this wire was not connected and was touching metal........................blown fuse 24



You need an OHM meter
Take the red/blue wire off the starter relay in engine bay, that's the wire that gets 12v from fuse 24 to activate starter motor

Put ohm meter probe on battery negative and other probe on red/blue wire, meter's display should not change, if it show under 100ohms then there is a short to ground, 0 ohms is a dead short

Pull out fuse 24, if it was in, retest
If short is still there then its between starter relay and fuse 24, so not ignition switch or its wire to fuse 24(could be radio if you didn't check it yet)

Starter relay--------(red/blue wire)------------[firewall]--------(pink wire)--------[clutch switch]---------(red/blue wire)-------------fuse 24

Fuse 24 only has 12v when key is turned to START

1997 could have an anti-theft system, so you could have a starter interrupt relay, but I have no idea where that might be

 

Wow, no kidding - small world! Yeah, it's interesting out here, came here from the LA side of California for school, ended up out here for work and all.
The thief was not kind, just cut across the whole bundle. I used the12volt's diagram to match it up with the new harness. The only things that were different, there were two grounds a black with green stripe and a solid black. I grounded both.
Otherwise, the illumination Light Blue/Red was capped with heatshrink.
This issue for sure rose after I repaired the wiring - whether or not it's connected is what has me stumped. Beyond the MUTE function (which I don't see a red w/ black stripe in there..) is there anything else that can short that starter circuit?

I also removed, what seems to have been, an alarm circuit tapped into the ignition module. I left the taps attached (insulation piercing) but everything is insulated.

RE: starter relay, I don't see a blue/red wire, just 2 red wires, one to each larger lug terminal. one thinner wire w/ red cap connected to the smaller lug (assume this is the trigger through firewall), and two black wires.

Starter Relay


So much wire collected in the center console... mostly aftermarket lights

Alarm? connected to ignition module.

grounded this wire, connected to ignition module/alarm

 

No, that's the only two things on fuse 24, clutch switch and radio MUTE

You could unplug the clutch switch then turn the key to START and see if fuse 24 blows, if not then wiring is good from ignition switch to clutch switch

 

Unplugged clutch switch, turn key to START and fuse 24 does not blow.

Because I can't find a red/blue wire attached to the starter relay, I'm attaching a picture and color coordinating what I'm finding.

Yellow appears to be GND
Red appears to be +12V to BATT

Green, Light Blue & Blue are all unknown. (repaired green connector with a normal ring terminal after picture was taken)
I am thinking green & blue are to the starter
Light blue is completely unknown, maybe ACC?

Green measures 1-3ohm to GND on battery - with or without fuse 24 connected.
Green to gray/red on clutch switch also holds 3ohm
Green to pink on clutch switch holds 0.3ohm

 

I found this feller, the previous owner had two cigar lighters but the new faceplate I got was 1 cigar lighter. I term'd these and separated them assuming it was a secondary cigar lighter. Black w/ pink stripe. However, there is no 12v to it when vehicle is on ACC, so not sure anymore.
Seems to be bound in the same loom as the ABS module, which you can see just behind the circles..

 

There is NO GROUND on the starter relay, the starter relay's metal base is grounded to the inner fender, but there are no ground terminals
The smaller stud, with push on red end, is where the red/blue wire would have been connected
That is called the "S" terminal, you can see the "S" next to it in your picture

The two larger terminals are Battery Positive, and "Out to starter motor"
Battery positive post on starter relay can have several wires on it beside battery positive cable, alternator and engine bay fuse box power wire for example, it was often used as the 12volt power distribution point for whole vehicle

The "out to starter" terminal ONLY 1 WIRE, EVER, it goes to starter motor



Cigar lighters had full time power, not key on/off power

So no red/blue wire
It comes from the 40+ wire connector on firewall just below brake booster, looks like this: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...agnostic.shtml
And this: https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f6bac6b7d4.jpg

Pink wire at clutch switch runs to cab side of connector then red/blue wire starts on the other side and runs to the starter relay

If you don't want to trace it back thru engine wiring harness you can run a new wire thru firewall from the Pink wire at clutch switch to starter relay "S" post

 

We have success!
When I was last ohm-ing the relay wiring, I felt the insulation to be brittle. Thought this was old age and heat.
Turns out, looking further down the wire, it was truly the red/blue wire as described above. The 'black' that I thought it was, was just charring!
Reterminating to a ring terminal, tightening down a nut to the relay, the truck fired right up.
I dissected the connector, in hopes of finding just one or two strands left - alas, it looks just fine.. Weird! The connector wasn't having a good enough connection that it started to be too great of resistance for 10A... insane!



But now, we have another issue. Getting a bad fuse #26.
Do you have the wiring diagram for this or where to start? I presume nothing in the center console or ignition area, so will start diving under the truck to see if I can spot a reverse wire and (hope) it's also just grounded.. Would make for an easy fix.

 

12v out of Fuse 26 in the cab is a purple/orange stripe wire that does run to Reverse Light switch on drivers side of Manual transmission, the black/pink stripe OUT to reverse light bulbs
If fuse only blows when you shift into reverse then problem is the black/pink wire, or the bulb sockets

Fuse 26 also powers Day time running lights(DRL) module(if you have the option), same purple/orange stripe wire, not sure where DRL module is on a 1997 Ranger


Detailed Factory wiring diagrams are available for FREE from local Library's online website
Stop by a local branch and setup a Log-in Account, card number and PIN, you can then log-in from home or ??
Look under Automotive Repair
All years and all vehicles are there, pretty amazing whats available, and not just for auto repair, lol
File I posted above is one of those diagrams

 

Looks like another charred wiring/connector..
Going to try and squeeze that switch out and test to see if the switch is also defective or just the connector. Though, I guess I could alligator clip the connections. PITA though, such tight space to work with.
I think I may also have some bullet connectors in that size from my R/C days, so will see if I can get by with those

 

Pulled the switch out, cut the old connector and wired in alligator clips. Manually switched with hand, reverse lamps came on.
Bought a new connector, wired it up and still a blown fuse.
Pulled the switch out of the transmission again and actuated, no blown fuse.

Bought a new Standard LS200 switch from O'Reilly's, popped it in and all good.
Seems like old switch was internally grounding to chassis.

Tip: use a 7/8 O2 wrench to get up there. O'Reilly rents em for free, made the swap painless and easy in their parking lot.

Thanks for the help all around RonD, now I can get back to restoring the rest of the truck that was wrecked by the thief!