1990 Ford Ranger EEC Fuse

CMANUEL20

MEMBER
1990 FORD RANGER
4.0L
6 CYL
RWD
AUTOMATIC

First my car stopped while I was driving and days later found out my fuel pump fuse blew then when I changed it the eec fuse blew and when I changed that it drive for a couple days then died in mid-drive again! Since the first times it was the fuse so I changed the eec fuse again it started then blew. I changed it again and it didn't even start all the way without blowing so the third I did this the fuse didn't blow my truck just won't start. It cranks but won't turn over. Also that whole day when I replaced like 3 of them I was smelling strong gas everytime I took off or something. Please help! I've wasted all my money on 3 tows and 250$ on the first mechanic just to change the fuse a first time.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,738 POSTS

"Crank" and "turn over" are the same thing. If it doesn't do that, we have to look at the starter system.

For the blowing fuse, if you can get it to where a new fuse blows right away, that is the ideal situation because now the problem is present and ready to be diagnosed. The least desirable situation is when you replace a fuse and the circuit works normally. You know there's an intermittent problem just waiting to act up, but you can't diagnose anything when it's not acting up.

A simple trick to finding a short is to replace the blown fuse with a pair of spade terminals, then use small jumper wires to connect them to a 12 volt light bulb. A brake light bulb works well. When the circuit is live and the short is present, the bulb will be full brightness and hot so be sure it's not laying on the carpet or against a plastic door panel. Now you can unplug electrical connectors and move things around to see what makes the short go away. When it does, the bulb will get dim or go out.

For intermittent problems like yours the bulb may be dim already. Watch what takes place when it gets bright. That's when the short is occurring. It could be due to the rocking of the engine when you shift between reverse and drive. It could be due to the body flexing when you drive over bumps in the road. The bulb limits current to a safe value when the short occurs, in this case about one amp. If the engine won't start with a brake light in the circuit, try a headlight bulb. The low beam filament will limit current to five amps, and the high beam filament will allow about six amps to flow.