1996 Explorer fuse 19 issues

[michaelT23]

Hello. New here to the forum. I'm having a new serious issue with my 1996 Ford Explorer Sport 5spd 2wd. This vehicle has been in my life since 98. It has over 200,000 miles on it and has never had a serious mechanical issue. 2 weeks ago as I was turning on a side street I hit a pothole that jolted my car roughly. Soon after I noticed my explorer was not running pushed in the clutch pedal and it would rotate the engine but wouldn't start. Pulled of the street and started to investigate and found it blew fuse number 19. I replaced it with a new 25 amp fuse and it fired right up with no problems.
So now to the present day. I was four blocks from my house driving on a decent road and accelerating from a red light it stopped running pulled off the road and looked at fuse 19. It was blown again. So I replaced it again and I was off and running for about 1500 feet and during upshifting it blew the fuse again. Replaced it, pushed down the clutch pedal and turned the key and it blew as soon as it hit the run position. Ran out of fuses so had to get towed home.
At home started investigating. Looked at wiring diagrams, checked relays, ground connections. All looks good. Wiring has never been altered and nothing added. I bought more fuses and unplugged harness to coil pack and turned key and blew fuse. Replaced fuse and unplugged PCM harness and still blew the fuse. Unplugged the radio noise suppressor and still blew the fuse. I'm stumped?
Does anyone have any other ideas? Clutch interlock switch, column mounted ignition switch? HELP PLEASE.

 

[C420sailor]

I don’t have a 96, but google makes it look like it’s the fuse for PCM power and ignition coil. Both of those are kinda important.

Fuses pop bc of lots of current. Check the wiring for shorts to ground.

 

[Pete Deering]

Hello. New here to the forum. I'm having a new serious issue with my 1996 Ford Explorer Sport 5spd 2wd. This vehicle has been in my life since 98. It has over 200,000 miles on it and has never had a serious mechanical issue. 2 weeks ago as I was turning on a side street I hit a pothole that jolted my car roughly. Soon after I noticed my explorer was not running pushed in the clutch pedal and it would rotate the engine but wouldn't start. Pulled of the street and started to investigate and found it blew fuse number 19. I replaced it with a new 25 amp fuse and it fired right up with no problems.
So now to the present day. I was four blocks from my house driving on a decent road and accelerating from a red light it stopped running pulled off the road and looked at fuse 19. It was blown again. So I replaced it again and I was off and running for about 1500 feet and during upshifting it blew the fuse again. Replaced it, pushed down the clutch pedal and turned the key and it blew as soon as it hit the run position. Ran out of fuses so had to get towed home.
At home started investigating. Looked at wiring diagrams, checked relays, ground connections. All looks good. Wiring has never been altered and nothing added. I bought more fuses and unplugged harness to coil pack and turned key and blew fuse. Replaced fuse and unplugged PCM harness and still blew the fuse. Unplugged the radio noise suppressor and still blew the fuse. I'm stumped?
Does anyone have any other ideas? Clutch interlock switch, column mounted ignition switch? HELP PLEASE.

You must have a short ( wiring insulation is damage and the conductor is grounded ( touching a ground point).
I am assuming it 5.0. You did not state which engine.
From the diagram, it show the components that fuse 19 feeds.
Once the fuses blows ( or not same process), use a ohm meter and start at fuse 19 & ground and ring out the wiring. keep one lead connected too a good ground and the other lead, use too test each component point. Disconnect the four ( pull the fuse) component it feeds. Pull the relay and uses a spade terminal in the socket or just probe the connection and look for a short. Follow the diagram and go branch to branch.
At the PCM relay. First check for voltage ( before you pull the fuse). There are two terminals that have voltage. One terminal is grounded. And one terminal that is open because it a switch, which part fuse 13 circuit. I mark the top of the relay before I pull them which help with the origination when re installing them and when I look at the bottom, you can see the number. Yon the relay two terminal are for the coil, the other Two are for the switch circuit fuse 13 . you can also ring out the relay too figure out the coil terminal. They are standard numbers.
The radio capacitor you can check that point.
Check the harness too the ignition coil.
Also the diode, will only ring out one direction.
Too save yourself sum time, do a visual inspection of the wiring first.

 

[michaelT23]

Thank you. I noticed the wires to the V.S.S. on the transmission were touching each other. Could that do it? My engine is the 4.0l OHV. All other wiring is in good shape.

 

[C420sailor]

Define touching each other

If bare conductors are touching, they need to be repaired immediately. I’m not sure what short protection the PCM has inherently (for sensors and other downstream things) so I can’t definitively say whether or not that would cause the fuse to blow.

But it sure ain’t helping

 

[Josh P]

Pull the power diode and PCM power relay, see if the fuse blows then.