97 limited Heater popping fuses

[specialized7]

Hey everyone my first post here.
I recently purchased a 97 explorer limited, that was in summer, now its winter here and -50 celcius.
anyways the heater up and quit on me one nite, so i replaced the fuse because i noticed it was blown.
anyways start the truck up turn on the heater it turns on for a sec then i hear a click and it doesnt work.
so i check the fuse and its popped.
so i get a new fuse try it again same thing.
all the controls work like its on but the fan keeps popping fuses anybody have an idea?

 

[Cobraguy]

Assuming this is ATC being it's a Limited, since a fuse pops from excessive current draw, there must be either a short in the wiring to ground, or the fan itself is drawing too much. First, are you certain you are installing the correct amperage fuse? The blower circuit on this vehicle is very, very simple. You should be blowing a 50A fuse in the Power Distribution Box. It powers the fan directly and is controlled by the blower controller by controlling the ground to the fan.

The fan controller could possibly be causing this. It's located under the hood, just below and to the center of the fan motor.

One thing you might try is to rig up a jumper wire between the battery and fan. Install the same amp fuse in the jumper. Hook the fan directly and see if it pops the fuse. That should tell you if the fan is the culprit.

If you are blowing a fuse in the fuse box inside the car, then I would think the fan controller is suspect...possibly the entire head unit. There are three fuses in that panel that deal with ATC. They all go to the ATC Controller (head unit) and have nothing to do with powering the fan other than powering the controller to control the speed. The power for the fan itself is in the Power Distribution Box fuse # 6 I believe.

Of course, pinched, burned, damaged, etc wires should always be searched for. All the above is moot if you have a shorted wire somewhere.

 

[specialized7]

Hey thanks alot for the info, looked into it a little better, the 50amp is not blowing its good.
althou i did find 2 other fuses that were blown and i can not find them in the manual or what they are even. i have pics.
this one had a 20 amp in it so i replaced that and it keeps blowing so i tried a 30 and its still blowing.

then this is the one that i discovered today and it has a blown fuse also and im going to replace right now to see if that helps. but does anyone know what it is?

 

[Blee1099]

Hey thanks alot for the info, looked into it a little better, the 50amp is not blowing its good.
althou i did find 2 other fuses that were blown and i can not find them in the manual or what they are even. i have pics.
this one had a 20 amp in it so i replaced that and it keeps blowing so i tried a 30 and its still blowing.

then this is the one that i discovered today and it has a blown fuse also and im going to replace right now to see if that helps. but does anyone know what it is?

That is not factory wiring.. See if you can trace that wire and find out where it goes to. Might be a wire for a aftermarket light set, or a stereo, amp, etc.

 

[specialized7]

hey i will try to see where it goes.
i changed the fuse in it .
i dont notice anything different?
also the rear blower is working and blowing heat but the front one wont.
could it be my blower motor?
also after i changed that fuse the headlights wouldnt stop flashing for about 30 seconds.

 

[specialized7]

also can anyone tell me what that fuse in the fuse box is for?
i change it and as soon as i turn the ignition over it pops

 

[specialized7]

also that wire is like a loop and its connected to this circle shaped thing which i have no idea what it is.

both of the wires connect on the bottom of the circle thing

 

[Cobraguy]

You have some extra circuits added to your vehicle by someone. It's time to find out what they are for and if they are still utilized. I'm not trying to be rude here, but you seem to be unfamiliar with the electrical system, so do you have a buddy who knows these things? He could really help you out.

 

[specialized7]

haha yea, im not knowledgeable in the electrical area.
i work on 2 stroke dirtbikes and quads so i never deal with electrical.
i am going to test the blower motor as i suspect that is the culprit.
also can anyone tell me what that green fuse in the box is for or is that aftermarket?

 

[specialized7]

well changed the blower motor and she works, still dont knwo wtf that green fuse it

 

[Blee1099]

if both wires were connected to the starter relay as shown in the 2nd to last pic you posted, then someone doesn't know how to wire.. If it was wired to one of the two connectors that you were essentially causing a short cause the hot wire was going back to itself..

 

[specialized7]

ok so what does this mean?
should i take the fuse out and just leave it?