How to get to Flasher Relay? How to Remove Interior Fuse box?

EvMan2345 · 02-28-2009, 04:24 PM

Hello all, I have to replace my flasher relay on my 02 explorer, however I can not get to the top side of the interior fuse panel to get to the relay. Could someone explain how to get the fuse panel down? Thanks!

rrgone · 02-28-2009, 06:07 PM

Hi, you remove the screw (I think it's just one) and the block hinges down to access the top side.

airjeff · 01-31-2010, 08:47 PM

Check here
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...11#post2384211

RoboRob · 04-18-2010, 07:48 PM

This is no fooling how I changed the flasher relay on my 2002 Ford Explorer. No disassembly was required. First, I disconnected the battery. Then I laid on my back, reached up and wiggled the Flasher relay. It is the first one in the panel. I couldn't remove it with my hands so I took a 5 inch flat head screw driver, wedged it underneath the old relay, and it popped out. Since it popped out I did not see the orientation of the connector pins so I borrowed a small mirror from my wife. Using the mirror and sticking my head real close to the floorboard front I saw that the middle pin ran along the longitudinal axis of the car (front to rear) and the pin perpendicular to it was closer to the center of the car. I reached up and fiddled with the new relay for a bit and it fit right into the socket. Worked fine. No screws needed to be removed. Once I figured it out took about 5 minutes.

Changing other relays though looks like a pain in the you know what.

RoboRob · 04-18-2010, 07:49 PM

This is no fooling how I changed the flasher relay on my 2002 Ford Explorer. No disassembly was required. First, I disconnected the battery. Then I laid on my back, reached up and wiggled the flasher relay. It is the first one in the panel. I couldn't remove it with my hands so I took a 5 inch flat head screw driver, wedged it underneath the old relay, and it popped out. Since it popped out I did not see the orientation of the connector pins so I borrowed a small mirror from my wife. Using the mirror and sticking my head real close to the floorboard front I saw that the middle pin ran along the longitudinal axis of the car (front to rear) and the pin perpendicular to it was closer to the center of the car. I reached up and fiddled with the new relay for a bit and it fit right into the socket. It can only go in one way. Don't force it. Worked fine. No screws needed to be removed. Once I figured it out took about 5 minutes.

Changing other relays though looks like a pain in the you know what.

diatonic · 09-02-2012, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoboRob

This is no fooling how I changed the flasher relay on my 2002 Ford Explorer. No disassembly was required. First, I disconnected the battery. Then I laid on my back, reached up and wiggled the Flasher relay. It is the first one in the panel. I couldn't remove it with my hands so I took a 5 inch flat head screw driver, wedged it underneath the old relay, and it popped out. Since it popped out I did not see the orientation of the connector pins so I borrowed a small mirror from my wife. Using the mirror and sticking my head real close to the floorboard front I saw that the middle pin ran along the longitudinal axis of the car (front to rear) and the pin perpendicular to it was closer to the center of the car. I reached up and fiddled with the new relay for a bit and it fit right into the socket. Worked fine. No screws needed to be removed. Once I figured it out took about 5 minutes.

Changing other relays though looks like a pain in the you know what.

I removed the panel below the steering wheel and could see the fuse box. Then I reached up and felt where relay 1 was located. Based on the pic in the owners manual, I pried the bad one out with a small flathead, making sure to be able to see the correct orientation when I removed it. Then inserted the new one. Much less disassemby this way, and it was done in 5 minutes! Thanks!

freddy752 · 10-23-2012, 10:40 AM

there us no need to remove screws or panels to replace flasher relay, i observed a mechanic change mines in. less than 10 seconds, he simply went upside down on driver side floor where the emergency brake is located reached up to where fuse box is located, put his hand to the top side of the fuse box felt to the left of it, pulled upward with a screw driver as this relay is a little hard to pull out just using your hands only, with combination of screw driver and hand motions he ,
popped up the bad relay, then reinstalled the new one.. hope this helps someone, the first mechanic i went to wanted to charge me $30 for the relay and $30 for labor that only takes about 10 seconds, i went to auto zone bought the flasher for 15.99 and went to another mechanic which offered to do it for free

i tried doing this myself, but failed only because the space where relay is located is limited, wasn't aware i needed the assistance of a screw driver to pop it up as these relays usually don't pull out easily, the clicking sound on the AutoZone relay is not the same a the original, but it's not bag and you get used to it, it's better than paying twice the amount at the dealer

good luck to everyone

*mitchness* · 11-28-2012, 10:16 AM

I have a 2004, but I believe I have the answer. I swapped out all my lights to LED and noticed mine was about to blink itself and my brain to oblivion, so I replaced it. Here's what I did without removing a bunch of stuff.
Tools needed:
1. Patience
2. Kind of strong wrist
3. Little light
4. (OPTIONAL) Those long needle nose pliers with the 45 degree angle at the end.

After browsing around and not finding any lazy-man's answers, I was prepared with all the needed tools to remove the dash panels. It turns out you don't really need to do all that.

Open the driver's door all the way. There is a small curved panel with a hand grip. Grip it and pull towards the driver's seat. You may need some force and it's pretty rugged. I've ripped it off a few times for other reasons and it's never been broke. Now I just grab and rip it out without hesitation.

Behind this panel, you will see:

Where you see "MILED" is where the flasher is located. On my car, this was blue and larger than the 2 black relays next to it.
The O.E.M. # on mine is F65B-13350-AA. I guess there's others very close to it and compatible.

Stick your head down in there and look up with your light and you will see the fusebox and not the flasher. If you look through that panel you took off, you should be able to clearly see your light unobstructed from the outside. You can even monkey wrap your arm up in there and take this picture yourself holding it. Just get a half decent grip on the top and pull up while wiggling it a little. This might take a minute, but don't strain yourself and be patient so you don't cause any future problems. My fusebox never even budged. It's more than capable of handling this.

Once free, just look in and see which pin is where. You might only be able to see 1 pin, but on mine it was the only one going straight above the 2 parallel to each other. This pin was facing the steering wheel column. It slid right in like a glove and works beautifully.

OPTIONAL: If you don't/can't crawl around like that, you can always use those angled headed longer needle nose pliers and just pry it out. There are no screws, clips, or brackets holding it in place.

Final step: Watch the door insulation when putting that panel piece back in. Tuck the panel under it.

Edit: Flasher I bought was for LED or normal lamps. My rear is still normal bulb. Front is not. They blink fine. The flasher's make and model is " TMILED #EL98-EP27 " It is not noisier than the OEM, but the sound is different.

properchopper · 01-02-2013, 05:00 PM

Symptom : one or two flashes, then stopped. Hazards worked. Replaced multifunction stalk - didn't cure problem. Used info here to look for flasher location under dash to right of steering column to no avail. Then with a huge DUH I pried the cover off a black box which exposed the flasher which was hiding inside along with window relay and four window safety breakers. Bought flasher from Ford dealer (and should eventually be able to walk straight after pain subsides from paying dealer price

). All better in the turn signal department now but (partial pun intended) I want my old Chevy Pickup back

Not relevant, but whatever : When I replaced the multifunction stalk I disco'd the battery for safety's sake. Four days later I failed my bi-annual smog test ; everything passed but the cormputer needed to re-educate it's darn self by driving a bunch of miles. Whatever !

02-28-2009, 04:24 PM	#1
EvMan2345 Wannabe Elite Explorer stamford ct 2002 explorer xls Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 1 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	How to get to Flasher Relay? How to Remove Interior Fuse box? Hello all, I have to replace my flasher relay on my 02 explorer, however I can not get to the top side of the interior fuse panel to get to the relay. Could someone explain how to get the fuse panel down? Thanks!

04-18-2010, 07:48 PM	#4
RoboRob Wannabe Elite Explorer Melbourne, FL 2002 Eddie Bauer Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 11 Vehicle Specs	2002 Explorer Flasher Relay This is no fooling how I changed the flasher relay on my 2002 Ford Explorer. No disassembly was required. First, I disconnected the battery. Then I laid on my back, reached up and wiggled the Flasher relay. It is the first one in the panel. I couldn't remove it with my hands so I took a 5 inch flat head screw driver, wedged it underneath the old relay, and it popped out. Since it popped out I did not see the orientation of the connector pins so I borrowed a small mirror from my wife. Using the mirror and sticking my head real close to the floorboard front I saw that the middle pin ran along the longitudinal axis of the car (front to rear) and the pin perpendicular to it was closer to the center of the car. I reached up and fiddled with the new relay for a bit and it fit right into the socket. Worked fine. No screws needed to be removed. Once I figured it out took about 5 minutes. Changing other relays though looks like a pain in the you know what.

04-18-2010, 07:49 PM	#5
RoboRob Wannabe Elite Explorer Melbourne, FL 2002 Eddie Bauer Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 11 Vehicle Specs	2002 Explorer Flasher Relay This is no fooling how I changed the flasher relay on my 2002 Ford Explorer. No disassembly was required. First, I disconnected the battery. Then I laid on my back, reached up and wiggled the flasher relay. It is the first one in the panel. I couldn't remove it with my hands so I took a 5 inch flat head screw driver, wedged it underneath the old relay, and it popped out. Since it popped out I did not see the orientation of the connector pins so I borrowed a small mirror from my wife. Using the mirror and sticking my head real close to the floorboard front I saw that the middle pin ran along the longitudinal axis of the car (front to rear) and the pin perpendicular to it was closer to the center of the car. I reached up and fiddled with the new relay for a bit and it fit right into the socket. It can only go in one way. Don't force it. Worked fine. No screws needed to be removed. Once I figured it out took about 5 minutes. Changing other relays though looks like a pain in the you know what.

01-02-2013, 05:00 PM	#9
properchopper Wannabe Elite Explorer los angeles ca 2001 2 dr sport Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 4 Vehicle Specs	Finally found/replaced flasher - 2001 2Dr Sport Symptom : one or two flashes, then stopped. Hazards worked. Replaced multifunction stalk - didn't cure problem. Used info here to look for flasher location under dash to right of steering column to no avail. Then with a huge DUH I pried the cover off a black box which exposed the flasher which was hiding inside along with window relay and four window safety breakers. Bought flasher from Ford dealer (and should eventually be able to walk straight after pain subsides from paying dealer price ). All better in the turn signal department now but (partial pun intended) I want my old Chevy Pickup back Not relevant, but whatever : When I replaced the multifunction stalk I disco'd the battery for safety's sake. Four days later I failed my bi-annual smog test ; everything passed but the cormputer needed to re-educate it's darn self by driving a bunch of miles. Whatever !

02-28-2009, 06:07 PM	#2
rrgone Wannabe Elite Explorer Tucson, AZ '02 XLT Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 665 Vehicle Specs	Hi, you remove the screw (I think it's just one) and the block hinges down to access the top side.

01-31-2010, 08:47 PM	#3
airjeff Wannabe Elite Explorer White Bear Lake, MN '04 Eddie Bauer 4.6 Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 18 Vehicle Specs	Check here http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...11#post2384211

10-23-2012, 10:40 AM	#7
freddy752 Wannabe Elite Explorer ny.ny Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 3 Vehicle Specs	there us no need to remove screws or panels to replace flasher relay, i observed a mechanic change mines in. less than 10 seconds, he simply went upside down on driver side floor where the emergency brake is located reached up to where fuse box is located, put his hand to the top side of the fuse box felt to the left of it, pulled upward with a screw driver as this relay is a little hard to pull out just using your hands only, with combination of screw driver and hand motions he , popped up the bad relay, then reinstalled the new one.. hope this helps someone, the first mechanic i went to wanted to charge me $30 for the relay and $30 for labor that only takes about 10 seconds, i went to auto zone bought the flasher for 15.99 and went to another mechanic which offered to do it for free i tried doing this myself, but failed only because the space where relay is located is limited, wasn't aware i needed the assistance of a screw driver to pop it up as these relays usually don't pull out easily, the clicking sound on the AutoZone relay is not the same a the original, but it's not bag and you get used to it, it's better than paying twice the amount at the dealer good luck to everyone

11-28-2012, 10:16 AM	#8
mitchness Elite Explorer Erie, PA 2004 Explorer XLS Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 30 Vehicle Specs	I have a 2004, but I believe I have the answer. I swapped out all my lights to LED and noticed mine was about to blink itself and my brain to oblivion, so I replaced it. Here's what I did without removing a bunch of stuff. Tools needed: 1. Patience 2. Kind of strong wrist 3. Little light 4. (OPTIONAL) Those long needle nose pliers with the 45 degree angle at the end. After browsing around and not finding any lazy-man's answers, I was prepared with all the needed tools to remove the dash panels. It turns out you don't really need to do all that. Open the driver's door all the way. There is a small curved panel with a hand grip. Grip it and pull towards the driver's seat. You may need some force and it's pretty rugged. I've ripped it off a few times for other reasons and it's never been broke. Now I just grab and rip it out without hesitation. Behind this panel, you will see: Where you see "MILED" is where the flasher is located. On my car, this was blue and larger than the 2 black relays next to it. The O.E.M. # on mine is F65B-13350-AA. I guess there's others very close to it and compatible. Stick your head down in there and look up with your light and you will see the fusebox and not the flasher. If you look through that panel you took off, you should be able to clearly see your light unobstructed from the outside. You can even monkey wrap your arm up in there and take this picture yourself holding it. Just get a half decent grip on the top and pull up while wiggling it a little. This might take a minute, but don't strain yourself and be patient so you don't cause any future problems. My fusebox never even budged. It's more than capable of handling this. Once free, just look in and see which pin is where. You might only be able to see 1 pin, but on mine it was the only one going straight above the 2 parallel to each other. This pin was facing the steering wheel column. It slid right in like a glove and works beautifully. OPTIONAL: If you don't/can't crawl around like that, you can always use those angled headed longer needle nose pliers and just pry it out. There are no screws, clips, or brackets holding it in place. Final step: Watch the door insulation when putting that panel piece back in. Tuck the panel under it. Edit: Flasher I bought was for LED or normal lamps. My rear is still normal bulb. Front is not. They blink fine. The flasher's make and model is " TMILED #EL98-EP27 " It is not noisier than the OEM, but the sound is different.