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2000 Sport OD light not working

Explordinary

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April 11, 2015
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Year, Model & Trim Level
2000 Explorer Sport
The OD light on my 2000 Explorer Sport 4.0 SOHC quit working.

Checked and replaced fuse, still didn't work.

Removed shifter, did continuity test using test light, no light. So I peeled the wires and found that both wires were broken about an inch after they come out of the shift handle.

I splice, soldered and heat shrank both wires, retested and got a light, so I figured problem solved. Also tested button using a 9v batter to put power through button, got continuous light when button held down, so I figure it's good to.

Reinstalled everything, tried the OD button during test drive, but still no light and far as I can tell the trans is staying in Overdrive, so electric shift still not working.

It was working before, I guess that's about the time the wires broke.

Removed button from shifter and tested for voltage with key in Run position, got the voltage alarm on my multi meter so I'm getting power to the button for sure.

I'm thinking maybe a break in the harness somewhere between the Trans position switch and the tail lights.

Is there a common place in the harness I should check, or could it be something else altogether?
 



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The OD button is a momentary switch. They have been known to fail.
When I tested the button the test light stayed lite when I held the button down.

Are you saying the test light shouldn't stay lite when the button is held down?
 






Was the fuse for these blown?
 






Was the fuse for these blown?
It was a few weeks ago, and when I replaced it the O.D. light started working again, then quit working with no blown fuse. Likely the broken wires for the shifter caused it then completely separated.

I also found a wire for the horn underneath my battery with the wire exposed, fixe both those and no more blown fuses.

Anyway, I hooked my utility trailer to the vehicle this morning and test drove it where I knew I'd be going up hill; when I push the OD button the vehicle actually comes out of Overdrive, so the system is working, the light just isn't coming on.
 






The bulb should light during the key on bulb test.
 






The bulb should light during the key on bulb test
The bulb doesn't light up during the key on power test.

Also I checked all the fuses listed for the instrument panel and fuse 27 was blown again. It powers the DRLs, backup lights, DTR sensor, and the electric shift.

So I'm thinking there's ground/bad connection in one of those circuits, and the bulb for the OD light is probably bad.
 






I had issues with fuse 27 blowing and it was the OD button wiring way up o the shifter. It had a bare spot and would touch when shifted. Maybe that wire has more than one bad spot in it.
 






I had issues with fuse 27 blowing and it was the OD button wiring way up o the shifter. It had a bare spot and would touch when shifted. Maybe that wire has more than one bad spot in it.
Was the wire on yours bad inside of the shift handle?

I checked everything from the connector to where the wire goes into the shift handle. Both wires were broken about an inch from the shift handle.

I'm wondering if maybe one of the pin holes in end of the handle is loose on the wire; is it possible to remove the wire from the shift handle?
 






in the video, forward to 7:25 in for what is going on inside column to cause this.. Yes its an f150 but I think the problem occurs in all column shift fords

 






Yes, mine was rubbed bare halfway to the button.
 












I gave it a good pull and it came out. Mine had quite a bit coiled up in there. You can probably remove the button from the shifter and splice in a complete new wire.
 






in the video, forward to 7:25 in for what is going on inside column to cause this.. Yes its an f150 but I think the problem occurs in all column shift fords


Yeah, I already found the broken wires on mine, then spliced, soldered and heat shrank them. I also wrapped the entire length of the wire in 3M tape.

I doubt it's worn back through with little bit of use I've put on it since yesterday.

Also, this doesn't explain why the light isn't working even though the electric shift is working.

The ground that's blowing the fuse has to be somewhere other than the place I repaired. I checked the wire from where it comes out of the handle all the way to the connector and only found the 2 wires broken about an inch from the handle. So the ground is either inside the handle or somewhere in one of the circuits on fuse 27.
 






I gave it a good pull and it came out. Mine had quite a bit coiled up in there. You can probably remove the button from the shifter and splice in a complete new wire.
Did you have to pull the wires out of the part that the pins plug into or does that part come out the end of the shifter?

Mine has sort of a grommet or it may be hot glue where the wire goes into the shifter, if it's hot glue then someone has probably been in there before or that's how they come from the factory.

I guess I could put a small heat shrink around the wire where it goes back into the handle as a grommet once I'm done dissecting it.

This time I'm leaving everything off until I'm sure it's fixed for good. 🤣
 






I didn’t have to mess with the switch. The light not working is most likely just a failed bulb.

Easy to tell if it’s in the shifter. Replace the fuse and shift it several times and recheck the fuse. It’ll probably be blown.
 






I didn’t have to mess with the switch. The light not working is most likely just a failed bulb.

Easy to tell if it’s in the shifter. Replace the fuse and shift it several times and recheck the fuse. It’ll probably be blown.
I went to try that, checked the fuse before trying it and it was blown from previous driving.

Replaced the fuse, it was dark so I turned on park lights, put it in gear, pushed button, put it back in park and back in gear several times to see it shifting might be causing it. Should have done 1 thing at a time to isolate the issue.

Anyway, checked fuse, it was blown. At this point I had ran out of 15 amp fuses, so I put a 20 amp fuse in, started the vehicle, turned on lights, shifted from park to drive a bunch of times, pushed the shifter button a bunch of times. Did everything that might cause the fuse to blow, even took it for drive about a half mile down the road and back.

When I got back I went through the shifting procedure and button pushing again, even played with the light switch and the interior light dimmer/dome light switch.

I then turned off the engine and checked the fuse, it was still good.

It was blowing the 15 amp fuses, but it didn't blow the 20 amp fuse. I don't know if this is significant in any way, but it's a result.
 






An update on my O.D. light/shifter

It's still blowing the fuse.

I now know it's not in the wiring that runs through the shift lever, because I cut the wire, unhooked the connector and wired in my own push button that I mounted on the dash and plugged back into the connector.

Took it for a test drive, push the button and it kicked down out of Overdrive. At some point the fuse blew again.

There must be a ground somewhere else in the harness.

Some things I noticed,

1. The door ajar light is staying on
2. Sometimes when I remove the key from the ignition and open the door the bell that lets you know your keys are still in the ignition goes off even though the key is out.

One of these may have something to do with the issue, or it could be a ground somewhere else that keeps blowing fuse #27
 






Open the doors one at a time. Every time a door is open and the keys are in it’ll chime. When you open a door without a chime it already thinks that door (or hatch, or hatch window) is open.
 



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Open the doors one at a time. Every time a door is open and the keys are in it’ll chime. When you open a door without a chime it already thinks that door (or hatch, or hatch window) is open.

O.K. And that might be the source of the blown fuse.

Come to think of it, I think it's probably the drive's door, because sometimes when I get out and close that door I get a small electrical shock.

Then again I'm thinking that it might be a faulty ignition/key switch.

Edit: So I got to thinking, if there's a ground it's got to be blowing the fuse when I'm putting power through the circuit with the ground. Like maybe something in one door or the other.

So I decided to open the driver's side door, change the fuse, leave the door open then switch the ignition to run and back to aux. a few time and check the fuse.

Next I'd close the driver's door and open it a few times, then check the fuse.

Finally I'd open the passenger's door and close it a few times, then check the fuse.

So, I changed out the fuse with a new one, left the driver's door open, turned the ignition switch to Run and the fuse popped instantly.

The driver's side door? idk, thinking maybe I should try it with the door open half way.

If it's not the door, then there's a constant ground somewhere.
 






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