120 amp main fuse keeps blowing

[tim_pato]

pulled over to answer my phone went to take off and the ute stalled, tryed again started fine let the clutch out and pooof, i replaced the fuse and pooof! i have torn the old girl apart, cant find anything. Ive pulled all the fuses out and still its shortibg somewhere, i pulled out all the relays and still no dice. any ideas?

[my67xr]

bad earth to the motor possibly or battery to the chassis?
this might cause the car to not enough power for the coils/ecu, when you tired to accelerate it couldnt keep it up and stalled?
then cranking it over with a bad earth killed the same fuse?

if im thinking about the right fuse, the 120A is for the Lighting and Starter motor.

can you check the voltage at the battery, with ign off, and then again when the engine is running?

post up your findings

[tim_pato]

Originally Posted by my67xr

bad earth to the motor possibly or battery to the chassis?
this might cause the car to not enough power for the coils/ecu, when you tired to accelerate it couldnt keep it up and stalled?
then cranking it over with a bad earth killed the same fuse?

if im thinking about the right fuse, the 120A is for the Lighting and Starter motor.

can you check the voltage at the battery, with ign off, and then again when the engine is running?

post up your findings

can't do naught, the fuse pops before the bat term is pushed all the way on. altenator maybe?

[my67xr]

is the alternator soaked in power steering fluid maybe?

[tim_pato]

dont think so

[Gaz]

Starter isn't directly fused, only the ignition wire to the solenoid IIRC. If you only popped the 120A main fuse and not any other fuses (check them all, inc in cabin) I'd be starting by checking for shorts in engine bay the fuse box perhaps the output of this fuse has someone earthed to the body. From memory power goes through the 120A fuse first, and then the smaller fuses for the various circuits.

[my67xr]

here is the wiring diagram if it helps-
http://fordforums.com.au/wsm/wire/aubx/Part%2024-5.html

[Barnaby]

No electrical cables fouling the clutch mechanism? Both in the cab & under the hood?

Are you handy with a multimeter?

[tim_pato]

Originally Posted by Gaz

Starter isn't directly fused, only the ignition wire to the solenoid IIRC. If you only popped the 120A main fuse and not any other fuses (check them all, inc in cabin) I'd be starting by checking for shorts in engine bay the fuse box perhaps the output of this fuse has someone earthed to the body. From memory power goes through the 120A fuse first, and then the smaller fuses for the various circuits.

checked all other fuses removed all of them and all relays, still shorted, looked for shorts and couldnt find/see any.

[tim_pato]

Originally Posted by my67xr

here is the wiring diagram if it helps-
http://fordforums.com.au/wsm/wire/aubx/Part%2024-5.html

thanks mate i apprciate that, however i do have a gregorys.

[tim_pato]

Originally Posted by Barnaby

No electrical cables fouling the clutch mechanism? Both in the cab & under the hood?

Are you handy with a multimeter?

checked all that. I have a multimeter, dont know how to use it.

[tim_pato]

after hiring a car trailer and geting it home. once unloaded i tryed disconnecting alternatot, nothing, as in no shorts, started fine, reconected alternator, no shorts, started fine! which is good cause its not going to be a ***** fight getting it into the shed, bad cause i still need to tear it apart to find out what and where it was shorting.

[mik]

done any modifications recently? fitted extractors got wiring with shielding burn`t through?

[tim_pato]

yeah pacemakers a few months ago, i did have a look, ill check again today. Plan is to pull the engine bay fuse box and associated harness out and give iy a good going over, ill try and chase up another altenator aswell.

[mik]

yes it`s surprising how even sometimes with a good installation you can over look something or it can shift due to the engine rocking or some other reason, in my brothers case recently he fitted a v8 into an old toyota wagon(sleeper) and had wiring tucked behind the head(not secured properly in his excitment to get a run in the v8 powered wagon) , it moved and got cooked on the extractors.
good luck anyway.

[AUFanboy]

Power wire from the alternator shorting out on the alternator housing? There's a little bracket it goes through, should be a rubber insulator in there.

[tim_pato]

FML, idiot of the week? only put this alternator in last week. oh well found a few places where the wires had rubbed through blown fuses waiting to happen i guess

[mrfordfairmont]

i had the same problem with the alt wire which stated a fire in the engine bay

[mik]

good find mate, , well done.