Have a short somewhere, losing power to FSS

[yARIC008]

So today, convinced wife to let me take us out in the van for some errands. She never likes riding in the van but I've been working ******* it, trying to make it like new.

So anyway, we are going to the store and I go to turn into a driveway off the main road and bam, engine dies. Have to fight the steering wheel to finish the turn. Get it into the lot and of course she's all fed up with it as usual with the stinky old crappy van. Just can't win... Every time she comes along something breaks.

So anyway, i know at this point the FSS has lost power but have no idea why. I start checking the main fuses under the hood, they're all good. I look in the manual and find "ignition coil" so i go find that under the dash, it's blown. I replace it with a spare 30amp and it blows immediately. So... I decide whatever is causing the short isn't going to be stopping anytime soon. So i fabricate a jumper from some old wire i happen to have with me and jump to the FSS and get it running. Problem now is the tranny is without power. "D" just gives me fourth gear, second luckily still goes to second.

I limp it home in second and fourth and start messing with it. I find a wire running to the alternator that has rubbed through just BARLEY on the new belts i just installed. So i tape that, I really doubt this had anything to do with it, as there was nothing for it to short out on. I go around messing with other wires looking for anything rubbed through, find nothing. I replace the fuse and, of course, she works now. CRAP, didn't find the problem but now it works. Not a good feeling.

I go for another test drive and lose power right in front of my house. So... those alternator wires were not it.

Anyone have any good ideas how to find this? Right now I've got a new fuse in there and a meter on the FSS wire with 12 volts on it and now i'm going around shaking and wiggling all the wires to see if i can get it to short out again. I can't find crap...

It almost seems to be related to when i brake. Both times it happened as I was braking. Wherever the wire is that is shorting, when it slides forward it must be shorting... Brake lights are not shorting it.

 

[Ruger_556]

Hate to tell you this but... Intermittent problems cannot be fixed

 

[yARIC008]

Hate to tell you this but... Intermittent problems cannot be fixed

BOOOOO! Bad response! It must be fixed. The van must live forever.

 

[Ruger_556]

BOOOOO! Bad response! It must be fixed. The van must live forever.

Well they can once it becomes a permanent problem...

 

[idiabuse]

So today, convinced wife to let me take us out in the van for some errands. She never likes riding in the van but I've been working ******* it

Your better off with a partner who can be positive than what ya got. Always harder to be positive in a circle of negativity.

 

[Ruger_556]

Your better off with a partner who can be positive than what ya got. Always harder to be positive in a circle of negativity.

Wow, tell us how you really feel Way to tell a guy he married the wrong woman

 

[chris142]

Start shacking the looms?

 

[idiabuse]

Wow, tell us how you really feel Way to tell a guy he married the wrong woman

Nothing against the guy, At least he has us to come to for advice on his van. We know for certain he loves his Van because it will live FOREVER! I am the same way! My truck comes 1st! Now what the hell is a FSS? Fuel Selector Switch? I know if I had
a

and of course she's all fed up with it as usual with the stinky old crappy van. Just can't win...

I would become a direct short and catch on fire!
Never a good time to kick a guy when he is down even if he has a

stinky old crappy van

That surely don't make the day go by any better, Right?

 

[yARIC008]

Nothing against the guy, At least he has us to come to for advice on his van. We know for certain he loves his Van because it will live FOREVER! I am the same way! My truck comes 1st! Now what the hell is a FSS? Fuel Selector Switch? I know if I had
a I would become a direct short and catch on fire!
Never a good time to kick a guy when he is down even if he has a That surely don't make the day go by any better, Right?

Well yes, negativity is never good. But it's too late to fix that, hah.

FSS is fuel shutoff solenoid. It needs 12 volts to let fuel flow.

I was able to replicate the problem twice tonight. Both happened when i was stopping/braking. I pulled and yanked on every wire I could find and could not replicate the problem while not underway. Only happens while driving and braking.

I had my front seat reupholstered recently and somehow or another the front lumber fuse blew when all that happened. I couldn't figure out why the lumbar pump wouldn't work anymore after I put the seats in. I found the fuse blown and replaced it, only had a 15 amp spare though. It calls for a 30 amp for some reason. Anyway, discovered that was blow again tonight and replaced with a 30 amp. Not sure if that is related somehow or just coincidence. The manual calls it lumbar/power tap. Not sure what the power tap is.

After replacing the lumbar fuse the ignition fuse blew again on a test drive tonight but the lumbar did not blow again. I'm leaning toward it was just coincidence.

Only other thing I've done recently to the van is install the HID headlights. That required removing the batteries. Maybe I should pull those and see if they are squashing a wire down below...

 

[Agnem]

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of resolution in our electrical circuits. Key-on goes to about everything, and a problem with anything from the IP to the cruise control module, to the wiper motor module, to the radio could be the culprit. The best bet to try and resolve it, is to disconnect as many things as you can and still have it drivable and then slowly reconnect until you figure out what it is. Looking for stuff as you are doing is always the first thing.

 

[yARIC008]

I'm thinking I really need to find a good wiring diagram for it and see what all is wired to that fuse and start there as to eliminating things as you say. So far the only things I can really see that are controlled by the fuse is the FSS, the tranny computer, and somehow the charging of the alternator. The problem is finding 92 E-350 with a diesel wiring diagrams are never easy. It never quite matches what I have. It's like 1992 was some experimental year for Ford especially on the vans, and it's some Frankenstein of a 1991 and a 1993.

One odd thing I've noticed, is that when the fuse is pulled or is blown, the OD off light on the gear shift lights up about 30% brightness. No idea what that is about.

 

[idiabuse]

I'm thinking I really need to find a good wiring diagram for it and see what all is wired to that fuse and start there as to eliminating things as you say. So far the only things I can really see that are controlled by the fuse is the FSS, the tranny computer, and somehow the charging of the alternator. The problem is finding 92 E-350 with a diesel wiring diagrams are never easy. It never quite matches what I have. It's like 1992 was some experimental year for Ford especially on the vans, and it's some Frankenstein of a 1991 and a 1993.

One odd thing I've noticed, is that when the fuse is pulled or is blown, the OD off light on the gear shift lights up about 30% brightness. No idea what that is about.

Pull the pin connector off the transmission and inspect the pins, been fooled with lately? Also inspect the harness from the trans up into the body, just take your time and look for a ***** someplace, the weirdest crap could happen, rats, stick, drunk kid, just some wild stuff happens stuff that aint supposed to happens happens.
The longer you work on junk the more retardo crap you end up seeing!

Just lay under the van relaxed, and stare. get comfy, keep your phone with you, a pillow could be nice something, a empty 2 liter bottle works for a head rest.

look for cuts in the sheath covering the wires or some linkage close to a wiring bundle, do you own a power probe? that helps digging for shorts at the fuse panel also, great tool if you know how to use it.


Javier

 

[Wellused]

Id look at the grounds off the batt to body.If no go,pull the fuse that keeps blowing.Hook a test light(mine has a beeper also) attach the lead to batt positive and the probe to the suspect circuit on load side of fuse(not supply side) and wiggle wires until your test light comes on.When the short finds ground..test light should come on

 

[Wellused]

by the way..pull fuse for that circuit before doing this..also..electromagnet in FSS could be going bad.Mine failed(6.2 gm) had a crack in the black plastic coating of the FSS itself.I figure the diesel fuel ate the insulation off the windings inside.A self powered test light is better for this if you can locate one.O/D light with a low glow sorta points to a bad ground.

 

[laserjock]

Do you have a real voltage gauge? Just a shot in the dark but could it be the voltage regulator letting spikes through blowing the fuse. You mentioned that a charging circuit for the alternator was tied into that circuit. Might try unhooking the alternator and trying to recreate the event. You said that you had had some success recreating it. Batteries should be good for a short drive with no alternator.