Power Lost. Big Problem. Need Help. - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Ktulu · 07-22-2003, 15:07

Power Lost. Big Problem. Need Help.

Maybe this section will be better for this...

Quote:

Ok so My wife drives an 1993 Ford Escort Wagon. I'm not sure about which motor is in it at this time.. But anyways back to the story, She was coming back from the store. She parked the car without a problem, no nosies not flickers.. nothing... Then 30 mins she has to head back out so she goes out to start the car.. well she puts the key in and turns it.. nothing.. no power to the radio, key,door alarm,horn nothing that the inside fuse box runs... She can turn the headlights on thou.. I did some checking.. and There is power to the main Fuse box in the eng comparment but no power to the interior fuse box that runs all those.. I took (Forgot real name for the tool, but it lights up when power is running thought it.. its a lightblub with a wire and clamp on one end then an probe on the other) "light stick" and clamped the neg battery and probed the main fuse box.. it has power to all.. I clamped the pos battery then probed the body,eng anything metal.. it has power also.

I heard about this reset switch.. well it is not sticking out and there is no power running to it.. I tryed to look at the wireing layouts for this car. The only thing I could find that maybe in the middle of the main and the interior fuse box is an relay switch, EEC power Relay.. But it is 60 some dollars.. so I can't just throw money around trying things..

Has anyone ever heard of this? or can anyone help me? Is there a way to test this relay? and yes I probed the wires into this relay and power was on one of them. but not the others..

Am I missing something?

Thanks for any help..
Ktulu

xdc351 · 07-22-2003, 18:15

Being in australia I can really only guess because I have never worked on one of these cars. The tool you are refering to I have always called a test light. I do aplogise if I don't using the right terms in this post, I know how they work but not the exact names, etc!

Relays can be tested, there will be 2 pins that have a small 12v DC charge run across them to activate the 'switch' part of the relay, the points are usually on opposite sides of the relay (may be a pin in between), may be different colored to the other 2 or 3 pins, both face in the same direction and one of the wires will be a ground.

If you put power on these 2 pins you should hear a noticeable click (make 100% sure you have positive and negitave around the right way), if no click is heard its probably cactus. If your not sure which pin is which, take it to an auto elec. I don't reckon they would even charge you to test it.

Your headlights still working seems to indicate this relay, or something related to it, is cactus.

Ktulu · 07-22-2003, 18:27

The headlights do not run into this relay. And from what I can see it seems everything that does run through this relay is dead. I'm starting to worry that something on the fuse box for the interior is bad.. Its just my luck that it would happen that way..

But thank you for your reply.

Ktulu · 07-23-2003, 13:12

Ok well I traced power up to my Fuse box in the eng compartent. At one of the 40amp fuses it doesn't get power.. like its come lose.. but if I push the fuse around it works. at times I can start the car at other when i turn the key to On it kills all again..

If I had an wiring layout here at work I could point out which one.. (Any links to any?) does this just sound like a wire has come lose from the bottom of the fuse box?

EDit: The cirurit that I traced was from battery to main fuse then to alt then to this flakey fuse which leads into the dash then into a fuse inside by the driver door.

mongrelEB · 07-23-2003, 21:16

Sounds like simply a loose fuse wire - I suggest fix it and see what happens

*NOTE* no liability accepted for showers of sparks :)

SiX_iN_a_RoW · 07-23-2003, 21:44

A sloppy fuse can often be caused by bent/warped terminals, try replacing it with another and see how it goes

I once had intermittent indicators, traced it to the relay and if I moved it around they would come good, replaced it with another and havent had a drama since

Ktulu · 07-26-2003, 18:29

I noticed something while playing around the fuse box.. And I noticed one of the screws "bolts" for the main fuse was the wrong kind. It seems at one time someone else did some work of the fuse box. Getting used cars are never fun. Someone put an wood/metal screw inplace of the Bolt. after noticeing this I pulled out the screw and notice it went all the way through the box and it seems it got a little hot in there..

So went to junk yard, pulled out one from another car that had the same box. After the painful hours of playing with short wires in the dark. Got it all back together and connected the battery. Works. Turned it over.. Works.. Plugged in an tester and all seems to work as it did before.