Engine shut off and wont crank

[pmcdon]

My wife was driving her Mountaineer yesterday to pick up the kids and while at idle the engine suddenly shut off. She says there was no warning signs. Now the engine will not crank. all the gauges and electrical seem to work fine and the battery seems to have plenty of charge. It is a 2002 Mountaineer with the 4.6 AWD. I'm thinking that this is an issue in the ignition circuit. I can't hear the fuel pump come on but will verify when I have someone to help turn the key while I listen closer. All the fuses that I see look fine. I tried jiggling the ignition key as well hoping it was a loose connection in the switch but got nothing.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We heavily depend on this vehicle.

 

[pmcdon]

Engine Shut off and Wont Start

Quick update. I initially checked the typical fuses associated with the ignition switch. Went through the rest of the fuses and found Fuse 41 in the battery distribution box blown. Fuse 41 is for the HEGO, VMV, CMS, and PTEC circuits. This would explain why everything in the cabin seemed to work.

I still don't know where in the circuit caused the fuse to go. If you have an suggestions, let me know.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[TechGuru]

Sometimes fuses just get weak over time, vibration over the years can cause them to eventually develop a crack.

Does the fuse look melted or cracked?