Two fuses keep blowing

Tiny
IVANJONN
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 MITSUBISHI GALANT
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 276,000 MILES
Hello, I have the ES model.

I have two fuses that keep blowing on me. The first one is fuse number 13 in the engine compartment. It is the engine control fuse. I have tested everything by removing the MFI relay, and unplugging everything connected to that relay. When I plug different components back in, none of them would cause the fuse to pop. I decided to tug on the nearby wires and surely I found a location where if I push down on the harness, it will blow the fuse. It is the area of the harness right above the thermostat housing, covered in plastic. I have seen one post where if the plastic mount breaks, the harness can move and cause wires to rub on each other and cause the short. My current temporary solution that has been working so far is I took zip ties to keep the harness up by tying the zip tie around the harness and around the air intake hose. It seems to be working fine but how can I fix this permanently?

The second fuse blowing is an odd one. It is in the fuse box on the driver side door and it is the 10 amp reverse light fuse. This fuse only blows when I put the gear selector in the "2" position. When this fuse blows, the engine light comes on as well as the SRS light, and the transmission enters limp mode. The codes that come up from the engine light are typically the range sensor circuit, as well as the input and output shaft speed sensor circuits. I have replaced all three of these from parts at a junkyard. Perhaps new parts may help instead of used? I am at a loss because I am not very good at diagnosing electrical and wiring problems on cars.

I apologize for the lengthy post. All help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!
Monday, April 24th, 2017 AT 10:50 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,570 POSTS
To repair the first one, The zip-loom they use will have a slit on one side. Gently pull the wiring out through the slit until you uncover the damaged areas. Now use some liquid electrical tape to "paint" the bare wires. Do about three thin coats and let it dry. Then wrap the individual wires with regular electrical tape. Finally put two to three wraps around the wire bundle and slip them back into the zip-loom. Then put a couple ties back on it to hold it in place.

For the second one you will probably need a shop with a scan tool to watch what the transmission is doing at the time. It is possible it is the range switch, the wiring for the switch or a problem in the transmission control module. You could trace the wiring from the range selector to the main harness and see if there are damaged wires, they could even be in the first harness area as well.
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Monday, April 24th, 2017 AT 12:21 PM

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