1998 Ford Contour PCM Fuse

1998 FORD CONTOUR
110,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • MANUAL
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JEREMYPALU
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  • 1 POST
The other day i was getting ready to sell this car and I washed the engine bay, dont know if this has anything to do with it. After i was done i drove it to town about 15 miles and it wasent till i got to town that it blew the fuse. Tried replacing the fuse twice and blew both times, let it sit a day and tried it again and it ran for about 5 miles. Now if i even just turn the key it blows the fuse.

I have tried compressed air the length of the harness that i can see and blowed out the main conection to the computer in the passenger footwell and its been about a week, still no start.
Apr 20, 2010 at 7:16 PM
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CARADIODOC
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  • 34,308 POSTS
Hi jeremypalu. Welcome to the forum. I invite others to reply to your help request but in the meantime, you can fashion a test light to use in place of the fuse. Use pieces of wire to connect the bulb to the fuse box terminals. A brake light bulb works well. When the short is present, the bulb will be full brightness. Now instead of continually blowing fuses, you can move harnesses and unplug things to see what makes the short go away. When it does, the bulb will get dim or go out. Since it seems to be affected by the water, look for a harness that is rubbed through and bare wires are touching where the paint is rubbed off the sheet metal. This commonly happens where the harness moves back and forth as the engine rocks from accelerating and from shifting to reverse.

Also look inside electrical connectors. If the rubber seal leaks, corrosion can form on the pins. The extra water helps that corrosion conduct current. Usually that isn't a bad enough short circuit to cause a fuse to blow, but it's not something to overlook.

caradiodoc
Apr 20, 2010 at 7:52 PM