I have a short that is not blowing fuses but is shuting my fuel pump down

Tiny
BRAT WITH A BRAT
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 FORD EXPLORER
  • 219,000 MILES
96 ford explorer. I have a short that is shutting down my fuel pump without blowing any fuses. How I tested to see if I even had a short was by removing the negative cable and using a test light on the battery and the cable, light lights up. I just dont know how to find it
Friday, August 17th, 2012 AT 3:43 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Sounds like your fuel pump is bad. A short would blow a fuse or burn up a harness.

You have a voltage draw with the test you did. You need to remove the fuses one by one to watch the draw go away, then you know what circuit is drawing.

Roy
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Friday, August 17th, 2012 AT 10:07 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
For testing battery drain, you need to be sure all electrical components are disabled. The way you did it might not be accurate as the alarm, doors, dome lights etc if not turned off would give the result indicated.

Roy is right about the fuel pump, or you could have a failing relay.
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Friday, August 17th, 2012 AT 11:03 AM
Tiny
WRENCHTECH
  • MECHANIC
  • 20,761 POSTS
You can't really test for draw that way in today's cars. There are too many modules operating in the background.

There is a procedure for finding a battery draw like that.

You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 10 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.
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Friday, August 17th, 2012 AT 12:56 PM

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