'91 XLT Electrical short

[schaller]

I have a '91 XLT, five speed four wheel drive explorer that until recently has given me few problems. On a recent trip to church I noticed that my turn signals weren't working; I checked the usual culprits and discovered that the 20 amp fuse for the signals had burned out. I replaced it and noticed that every time I stepped on the clutch the gauge that shows my battery charge took a nose dive, all the accessories likewise acted funny. All this continues until the 20 amp turn signal fuse burns out and then all goes back to normal. It seems like a dead short or a wire grounding out to the frame. I have done nothing unusual or otherwise to the electrical system in several years. The only splice in the system is for trailer lights. Am I missing something?

 

[boggs1227]

could be that the switch on the clutch peddle is shorting out against something under the dash...worse case and i hate to tell someone this but if you can't find the problem you can unhook the switch but this mean that you will have to put the truck in neutral every time you park or you can start the truck in gear if your not carefull . like i said i dont recomend doing this but it's a option regardless if the short can not be found .

 

[schaller]

Thanks for that reply. I did check the switch on the clutch; the truck wouldn't start with it disconnected. I did however find a wire grounding out to the frame this afternoon and after performing the necessary repairs the initial problem with the turn signals and amp meter appears to be resolved.

 

[boggs1227]

sorry about the info i gave ...just that i thought i had heard something like that before regarding the switch but great to hear you found the short tho