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Fuse Problem

C

coolbrys

New CEG'er
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
8
So I've had my Contour for almost two months now, and it's a great car, but I have a problem with the fuse for the interior lights/clock/cd player. It burnt out about two weeks after I got the car, and I replaced it right away and things were great for another month... until it burnt out again. I replaced it once more and it has been working for about two weeks until today, when it burnt out. Now, when I put in a fuse, it burns out immediately. The light near the fusebox comes on for about a half a second and then the fuse dies.

My question is, how exactly can I fix this? What exactly is the problem?

Thanks for your help!
 
Welcome :) . What year, engine (Zetec 2L I-4 or Duratec 2.5L V6) , tranny (auto or manual) and how many miles?

Turn on the headlights. Go outside and check if the rear lamps are on. If they are not, then you have a headlamp switch issue.

If rear lamps are working fine, you have a short. You can try testing by removing one fuse from one other accessory at a time and when it doesn't blow the interior lights/clock/CD, then you know that is the cause of the short. Fuse information from owners' manual.
Download an Owners' Manual free www.fleet.ford.com

Edit. And read this thread.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=2518&highlight=fuse+diagram
 
Last edited:
Tony2005 said:
Welcome :) . What year, engine (Zetec 2L I-4 or Duratec 2.5L V6) , tranny (auto or manual) and how many miles?

Turn on the headlights. Go outside and check if the rear lamps are on. If they are not, then you have a headlamp switch issue.

If rear lamps are working fine, you have a short. You can try testing by removing one fuse from one other accessory at a time and when it doesn't blow the interior lights/clock/CD, then you know that is the cause of the short. Fuse information from owners' manual.
Download an Owners' Manual free www.fleet.ford.com

Edit. And read this thread.
http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=2518&highlight=fuse+diagram
Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay. It's an 1998, automatic v4 with about 88,000 miles on it. I'm positive it's a short, but I don't really know where to go from here. I will look at what you have given me and try to figure it out.
 
Yeah, with what Tony suggested, you can easily find where the short is related to your interior/radio fuse.

Unplugging one fuse from the fuse box at a time will remove power from whatever circuit that is, and if that circuit is the one that is shorted, then you will no longer be blowing fuses.

The cheaper way (rather than continually feeding fuses in to your radio fuse slot every time it blows) is to go to home depot, radio shack, etc, and get a resetable fuse with a wire lead on either end. Remove your radio fuse, and insert those leads where the fuse normally is. When the resetable fuse trip, simply reset it like a circuit breaker and try another slot as outlined above.

They even make resetable fuses with the leads crimped to a fuse-shaped insert, so you can place it in the radio fuse slot just like a normal fuse.
 
Sorry to hijack this thread (sort of). I have this same problem with my cigarette lighter fuse.
The same process would work for this right?
I will have to investigate. I had put this in the too hard basket and was going to take it to an auto elec to get it sorted out.
 
This process will still work, IF the problem is a short in one of the main wiring harnesses that cause one circuit to be shorted to another.

HOWEVER, as in the above situation (and your situation) if the short is simply from the positive connection to the frame (ground) then it will blow fuses no matter which circuit you remove, as it is not connected to any other circuit.

The short may be (in your case) the rear of the cig. lighter itself, where the 12V positive lead connects to the lighter itself. If it is frayed or loose and touching a metal support bar behind the console it will short out and blow the fuse, without being related to another circuit.

The above member needs to realize that this is a possibility for HIS situation as well.
 
Thanks Ray, I appreciate the input. I will start by checking the wiring to the lighter and move from there.
 
SVTC1136 said:
Thanks Ray, I appreciate the input. I will start by checking the wiring to the lighter and move from there.
Click to expand...
Ok, so an update. I went and bought a couple of fuses today and was playing around a little. I used the lighter and it got hot, though I had to hold it in the whole time (is that normal?). I pulled that out and put a power adapter in (for my fm transmitter) so that I could watch the light on it while a tried different things. Nothing happened so I went to unplug it and boom. When I pulled the charger out I actually heard the fuse blow!
I will put a new fuse in tomorrow and see whether that lasts without using it. Any further advice or suggestions?
Gives some weight to the short being behind the plug right?
 
Re: having to hold it.

Certain lighters don't click in.. replacement lighters may or may not click in. the plastic on the OEM one can also break. So, to answer your question: Either your OEM one is broken, the lighter ring (powered half) is cracked, or you have a replacement lighter that isn't made to click in.

As for the short? Lookin' more and more like it!
 
sounds like the power on the cig lighter is touching something. just have to dig in and find if the wire is rubbed. i would really only check around the center console area.

when i first got my car back from the ford garage, i had just about half the fuses blown on the interior fuse panel. that was fun starting the car at night with no lights. lol
 
Well I have extra information if it helps anyone diagnose my problem more - I live on a dirt road, and the previous times it shorted out was after I hit a bump that i couldnt avoid, but I could always replace it and it would work fine. This time, it's as if it bumped and never went back, cause now the problem that I talked about above (fuse burns out immediately) is happening.
 
i have the same problem and i have tried everything that was posted in this thread and nothing seemed to work, just wondering if you fixed the problem, and if so then how. im at a loss dont know what else to try to locate the foul wire. if anyone has any ideas im very open to suggestions..
i know its a little old thread but hopefully i can get some responce. thanks​
 
Well, I didn't know if it's "fixed" but I got some of the fuses at AutoZone, put it in, and it worked... and it hasn't burnt out since. That was back in November. Since then it's been through a minor accident and a lot of miles, and nothing has happened... I don't know if it's just luck or what, but that's whats happened.
 
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