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  #1  
Old 07-28-2010, 09:22 AM
seeburg220 seeburg220 is offline
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Default '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

The 15 amp fuse for the reverse lights / OD lockout button and two other circuits, keeps blowing.

Of course, when I pull it into the garage to work on it, put a new fuse in - it's fine. I've run the shifter (with engine on) through the gears many times. I've pushed the OD lockout button on the the shfiter knob a lot, and it won't blow it now.

The second I pull it out of the garage, I know it will crap out and blow the fuse.

I spent some time in the Ford Repair manual, and it was little help: they say to hook up one of their testers to the wires to find the short. Well, duh ! The only thing I've done, is get under the car and wiggle all of the connectors coming out of the auto trans.

These are the worst kind of problems !
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Old 07-28-2010, 10:33 AM
seeburg220 seeburg220 is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

update: sure enough, I pulled it out of the garage and after about 5 minutes, the fuse blew. Pulled it back in the garage. Turned engine off; replaced fuse. Turned key to "on" position. Activated the O/D off button. Clicked it about 50x. Finally, I ran the shifter through the gears (engine still off) and the O/D lit up to "off". When I hit first gear, I heard a pop of the fuse, which had blown again.

So, my problem appears to be in the steering column and/or the shift selector.

Will post what I find or don't find soon...
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  #3  
Old 07-28-2010, 12:44 PM
seeburg220 seeburg220 is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Problem solved ! Turns out, the wire leading from the switch on the end of the shift lever (called the Transmission Control Switch TCS), was grounding out on the steering column.

I took the plastic covers off of the column, and voila ! Big relief !
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  #4  
Old 08-01-2010, 10:28 PM
nvanrij nvanrij is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Thanks for posting this!!! I've been having the same problem with my truck. It was so inconsistent that I couldn't figure out what was causing my fuse to blow, I thought it was something with the blower motor. I spent a good day testing wires and connections until i found this post. Big Help
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  #5  
Old 02-21-2011, 09:04 AM
mdorty mdorty is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Just a quick note. This worked for me too, but I did not see the bare wire the first few times I examined it. Be sure to examine all sides of the wire....it tries to hide!
Thanx for this thread...it saved me a bundle!
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  #6  
Old 02-22-2011, 02:03 PM
swertyranger swertyranger is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

if your having trouble finding a short you can try instaling a circut breaker instead of a fuse. this will reset automatically allowing you to drive without replacing fuses and can help you find the short
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  #7  
Old 04-02-2011, 05:23 PM
HazardousRanger HazardousRanger is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

where would i get a circuit breaker to fit the fuse area?
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  #8  
Old 05-21-2012, 03:51 PM
edparr0 edparr0 is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Thanks for posting this and the picture. I have been trying to find the solution for this problem for some time. I was just about ready to take it to the dealership and tried one more search on Google! the wire was bare in almost the same place. I cant imagine the cost at the dealership for this fix. Thanks again!!!!!
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  #9  
Old 05-26-2012, 08:56 PM
klgrummick klgrummick is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Holy crap! I was having the same problem, saw the post, checked the wire and sure enough, the wire had a bare spot! Thanks much for the help as I was not looking forward to chasing electrical problems.
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  #10  
Old 07-13-2012, 01:31 PM
tazman49 tazman49 is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Would a manual trans have this problem
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  #11  
Old 07-13-2012, 01:42 PM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Nope
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  #12  
Old 07-13-2012, 03:01 PM
tazman49 tazman49 is offline
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Default Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Didnt think so. ANy idea what might cause this with a manual trans. new to rangers. I disconnected the switch on the trans and didnt blow. plugged it back in it popped.
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  #13  
Old 07-19-2012, 02:15 PM
9999ranger 9999ranger is offline
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Thumbs up Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

thank you!

the damage on the wire was in the very same spot as in the picture

taped it up and am going for a testdrive
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  #14  
Old 05-22-2016, 08:06 AM
brian.crawford@shaw.ca brian.crawford@shaw.ca is offline
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Smile Re: '00 Reverse light fuse keeps blowing

Excellent post. The same problem in my 2004 Ranger. Would have taken a while to find without this post. When checking this out look very carefully, mine was little more than a pin-hole size (1/32" or less) and tight to the metal edge just below where the wire exits the shifter column. Would have missed it if wasn't so convinced this was the likely problem. Nothing that 6 layers of Gorilla tape didn't fix .. and hopefully good for another 12 yrs.
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