I'm no genius at wiring, I can follow schematics and make stuff work safely, but I have no idea on how this keeps happening. Maybe some of you who are a little more wiring savvy can help me out.

The fuse to my instrument cluster/lights keeps blowing and I have no idea what it could be from. It works fine for a little while, then pops/blows and the cluster lights/outside lights go off. Any ideas?

 

I would ask if you had a warrenty to take it to the dealer but I think they would laugh at you and void it.

 

lol i think you should do it just to see what they will say..

look behind it and see if any wires are pinched maybe?

 

Alon brought up a good point to check the wiring around all the tubes, see if anything's pinched, which could be it.

I'm pretty sure anything warranty related is no longer covered whatsoever on this truck, lol. I have to get to 36k miles before something really goes wrong, haha.

 

I had a fried wire problem recently. I purchased the Electrical and Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual (EVTM) for my year ranger from Helm Publications. It gives a good schematic of all electrical wiring. I spent two weeks fixing the fried wire and all the surrounding wires with it. Now works like a charm. Without this manual (and a lot of help from Bob), I could not have fixed it, and probably would have shelled out major bucks to a stealership to get it fixed.

 

Take off the steering column cover and check the wiring to the shifter lever(assuming its automatic) the wires tend to chafe in the column body and ground out blowing the use because it also powers the o/d cancel switch

 

I agree that it is possible for the hot wire to the TCS (O/D cancel) to chafe and short to ground. However, it is protected by fuse #20. The dash illumination and exterior running lights as a group are on fuse #31.

Downstream of #31, there is a branch circuit protected by a 5A fuse (#1) that serves only the dimmable instrument cluster and dash lights. If the 20A #31 is the one that's melting, then the problem cannot be in the dash lighting and must be elsewhere in the exterior running lamps or their wiring.

Assuming that no additional loads have been added to the exterior lamp circuit, I would look for a short to ground in the wiring that goes from the SJB to the front parking/corner lights or to the tails.