2001 Chrysler Sebring Engine Control Fuse Blowing

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.

That's my standard reply for blowing fuses. It is likely you have an additional variable in that the Engine Computer only turns on the automatic shutdown, (ASD) relay for one second after you turn on the ignition switch, then again any time there's engine rotation, (cranking or running). That kind of limits how much time you get to troubleshoot the problem. In this case, remove the ASD relay, then see if a new fuse blows. If it does not, that relay feeds the alternator field, ignition coil(s), injectors, fuel pump or pump relay, and the oxygen sensor heaters. Of all of those things, the only thing that I've heard of before is a wiring harness going to the oxygen sensors falls down onto hot exhaust parts. Once the wires melt, there will be a short to ground on that circuit.

Another clue is if that fuse blows as soon as you turn on the ignition switch, leave it on, then replace the fuse with the engine obviously not running. If the new fuse doesn't blow until you turn the ignition switch off and back on, that's the circuit you're dealing with.

You missed the important parts of my story. If that is indeed the ASD fuse that's blowing, it will only blow when the ignition switch is first turned on. After one second, the ASD relay turns off, unless you crank the engine. Once the ignition switch is on, the fuse has blown, and you're not cranking the engine, you will be able to pop a new fuse in and will not blow unless you try cranking the engine again.

To approach it a different way, put the light bulb in there in place of the blown fuse. You'll see it get full brightness for one second after turning on the ignition switch, then it will go off until you crank the engine at which time it will get full brightness again. The bulb limits current to a safe value and gives you a nice visual indication of how much current is trying to flow without wasting a lot of fuses.

Don't get wrapped up in the terminology because it can be confusing. Chrysler's term for decades has been the automatic shutdown relay, (ASD relay). There is normally a fuse called the ASD fuse, but the designation on the fuse box cover is somewhat geared for do-it-yourselfers and owners who don't know what that means, so they might use something else, like Engine Controller fuse. To be safe, that's why I had you do these steps to prove to me I was on the right circuit. If the test light doesn't respond like I described, you're in a different circuit and I'm going to have to dig out a service manual. I'm trying to avoid that because I had a recent major house fire and my manuals are packed away, and I have to drive 15 miles to sit in front of the library to get on their wireless internet.