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'97 Ram blowing 'engine' fuse

21K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  sideburns2009 
#1 ·
My dad's 1997 Dodge Ram keeps blowing the 10 amp mini "engine" fuse that is in the fuse block in the cab. It did it once about 2 months ago. I figured it was just old being a 13 year old fuse. It just turned off like I shut the key off. It took a bit of searching to find the fuse had blown. It had no spark and no fuel pump, being as how the fuse controls this.

It ran fine for 2 months then yesterday it blew it. He replaced it and it ran for about 30 mins then it kept blowing it everytime he would turn the key on, whether just turning it to on or trying to start it. He tried 15 amp, 20 amp, and 30 amp and they all blew. We had to get it towed home. After it sat for awhile he replaced the fuse again and now it's running fine, not blowing the fuse but he's scared to drive it, save having to get it towed again. From what I've read this fuse controls the injectors, fuel pump, ignition coil, and heated o2 sensors, (and I think egr but it doesn't have one). Any ideas on why this fuse would blow? And why this pattern?


I NEVER get problems like a bad alternator or blown rad. I ALWAYS get problems that are IMPOSSIBLE to trace and have no rhyme or reason. :(
 
#2 ·
Put an ohm meter to it and see if it has a short to ground. I'm thinking you may find a chaffed wire somewhere that occasionally touches, where a few months ago it was not bad enough to keep blowing.
 
#3 ·
My '97 Dak has a similar problem. It'd blow the only normal sized fuse in the cabin fuse block (which is a 15A fuse) only ocassionally. That powers half of the instrument cluster and the power windows. It blows it when I turn the key on. It started doing it a few months ago. I replaced the fuse a few times, then upsized to a 20A fuse, just to see if I could figure out the current that it takes to blow it, to start tracing the problem. But it hasn't blown the fuse since. I don't know if that's a coincidence or not.
 
#5 ·
The fuse block is secure. It's been running fine now so I don't know. I just didn't want it to randomly blow again.
 
#7 ·
I haven't really even looked at it because I don't even know where to start. My dad did. He said that after it was running and didn't blow the fuse, he wiggled every wire and harness he could find, including the ones under the dash and under the hood to see if he could get it to blow the fuse. It never did and it still hasn't blow it again.

I didn't know if there was a common problem that caused this fuse to blow or what. It's just another one of those annoying electrical problems i'll probably never find the answer to.
 
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