(Pt 1) PowerStroke Power Locks DISASTER!?

This 2014 Ford F350 PowerStroke Diesel came in with a complaint of the Power Door Locks not working.
Owner said that that it keeps BLOWING A FUSE in the BCM whenever you try to Lock or Unlock the doors.
Let's look up the wiring diagram and track down this SHORT to Ground using a set of Test lights and an Amp Clamp.
Doesn't take too long to find the problem...TOTAL CARNAGE!!
Can we fix the issue No Parts Required?
This one might be a time-consuming challenge to restore...
TOPDON Phoenix Plus 2:
www.amazon.com...
AstroAI Digital DC AMP Clamp Meter:
www.amazon.com...
Enjoy!
Ivan

[@mattmaxon7783]

the fuse kept blowing and someone installed a larger fuse

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

20Amp stock fuse was already wayyy oversized 😂

[@topher8634]

Exactly what I was gonna say. My first car had no illumination on the cluster. When I checked the fuse box, there was a blown 30A fuse. You couldn't read the required size, but I knew it wasn't 30A. When I got a Chilton's manual, it showed it was supposed to be a 5A. The load side of that fuse had melted to another circuit. I had to rerun the entire illumination circuit. The short was in the ashtray light. The repeated opening and closing of it broke the wire and it was laying on the dash support and the previous owner just popped in a 30 as a "fix". It's a wonder it didn't burn down, same as this truck.

[@alansoccer2003]

Yea I'm willing to bet that's not the first time that fuse blew. Probably put several fuses in in a short period of time and it cooked it

[@_RiseAgainst]

Damn, beat me to it! Eventually the wire becomes the fuse!

[@John-dp3ln]

Or installed a no blow ‘fuse’.

[@joesmith1366]

I have a shop called the wiring guy in MT and have had 3 superdutys with same issue and wires burnt from bcm to behind rear seats to all rear doors. We have 4 locks running on an under sized wire exceeding the fuse rating and melting multiple wires together

[@joesmith1366]

We pull seats and carpet and rebuild harrness ive had it wipe out windows sunroof mirrors and all sorts of chaos when it melts the bundle

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

WOW nice to know I'm not the only one with this issue! So what is the ROOT CAUSE of this problem?? Is it the Door Lock Actuators actually shorting internally??

[@joesmith1366]

The first one we had had an aftermarket alarm that had the lock and unlock pulse set way to long. The other two were bone stock with no other issues. Cant remember the wire gauge at the moment but the wire has multiple splices and runs more then 20 ft. Possibly key fob in pocket hitting lock unlock. Or impatients and hitting buttons multiple times generating heat. In billings it gets so cold we have low voltage on batterys locks pulling more current when frozen and with under sized wires running such a distance it all adds up to higher resistance with a large fuse. Scan it and to self test on BCM there are probably more issues then locks. Harrness not available usually so it turns into a big job we upsize wire and run new to prevent future issues

[@joesmith1366]

I have pictures of everything if theres a way to send to you

[@dongningprc]

@@joesmith1366 There is Ivan's email address in the channel intro page. KZbin will ask you to click on something to prove you are not a robot though...

[@robot5573]

Louis Rossmann had a video testing cheap fuses he bought from Amazon... and the results were really not good. I can't remember exactly but several far far exceeded their rating. Was a real eye opener.

[@marcusmohorco380]

One owner was tired of blowing 20 Amps fuses, and installed a jumper wire until smoke came out from under the trims. Then quickly removed it and passed it on to you in order "to deal with it". Problem: The harness melted together. Lucky he didn't set his truck alight. Ivan, refuse to deal with these kinda people unless they accept accountability, and are willing to bear the cost for the proper repair

[@crasher88]

get that in writing from the customer

[@fucamaroo]

Always deal with these folks. Morons like this pay the bills. Between diagnostic time and parts.... money is money

[@adotintheshark4848]

I knew someone who did the same thing to a VW Bug.."I'll see where the short is by finding where the smoke is coming from".

[@ncso911]

Exactly the issue

[@kurtwinkler6859]

At 3.32 in your video you can see where the heat of the blowing fuses melted the plastic cover.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Good eye!!

[@greggc8088]

15:10 How? Answer with funny example-When I was a rookie at Toyota in the 90's and had a Previa blowing a radio fuse, another tech told me to "smoke test it" after frustratingly trying to find the short. Straight jumper in place of the fuse revealed the radio amp in the back quarter was the problem but sadly it smoked the harness from the fuse box all the way back. So that's the answer-Someone smoke tested that baby. LOL

[@jefferyedwards5003]

Reminds me of a story of a woman who called a locksmith because her fob died and she could NOT get in her car while she was away from home. He came, took her fob chain that had all of her keys on it and unlocked her car manually with the car key. Expensive and humbling lesson for her. We have become a society that relies to much on fallible technology and convenience. Manual door locks and roll-up windows should be wave of the future!!!

[@lieutenantdan8170]

You can keep living in the 20th century in the mean time i will be enjoying my remote started car heated up and unlocked from inside my house instead of fiddling with a key in the cold

[@jefferyedwards5003]

@lieutenantdan8170. Understand, a man with "magic legs" needs all the creature comforts that he can get. But as with this person and the fellow with the pickup who's tailgate would not open because of faulty wiring, be willing to pay the piper when they fail. Hopefully, you have a PHAD living nearby.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

And the carnage continues!!!! Thanks Ivan!

[@BLARNEYBLARNEY]

Your current drop difference … The lower current reading was going through the test light and the door coils to find its ground…. In series = more resistance/ less current. The higher reading was direct through the test lights to ground. If you rewatch your testing the side of the tree with the short is obvious. As always … great stuff

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Take a close look at the readings... The difference was only 0.2A...so BOTH sides of the circuit were directly shorted to ground 😉

[@BLARNEYBLARNEY]

It’s three coils in parallel so the difference between a direct short and a path through the coils is small … but it is a measurable difference.

[@tylerwilliams3868]

great job breaking down the diagram and locating the issue quickly !

[@calholli]

Seeing you get frustrated and not want to keep going is kinda funny. lol.. I get that way sometimes on my own cars.. and I'll actually quit and go eat lunch or something.. And eventually I realize, "Lets just keep going, I'll keep peeling back the onion until I find out how far the melted wire goes".. and just accept what I have to do and then it always ends up being much easier than I was expecting and dreading. :) This is a fun one.

[@craiggoodwin9704]

Ivan, it looks like you have your hands full on this one. Looking forward to the next video. Thanks for Sharing! 🙃🙂

[@chevyequinox180]

There are several Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) related to the 2014 Ford F-350 PowerStroke, including issues with power locks. Here are a few relevant ones: Erratic Door Locks: Some owners have reported issues with door locks unlocking erratically, especially after hitting bumps or making turns. This can sometimes be resolved by checking the wiring harnesses in the door jambs for frayed or damaged wires. Electrical System Issues: There are TSBs related to the electrical system that might affect power locks. For example, issues with the Body Control Module (BCM) can cause power locks to malfunction. Fuse Problems: Blown fuses in the BCM can also lead to power lock issues. It's important to check and replace any blown fuses. You can find more detailed information and discussions on forums like the Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums and the Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum.

[@stevenakn1]

After they seen all the smoke you got the call🎉

[@marcusmohorco380]

That's what I thought, too! Scum bags

[@mattbrown5511]

Sand and other grit got into the wiring run and wore through the insulation on one or more wires. I've seen it before. As expensive as even used vehicles are, it would still be worth the cost to replace/repair that wiring harness. Great diagnosis as always, Ivan.

[@joeyjo4183]

Had the same issue with the same door. If you keep looking you will find those wires go under the front bucket chairs back over to the BMC. I decided to just find another cab wiring harness and redo the whole thing. Turned out to be faster then trying to complete all the wire repairs. There was only 1 tricky plug to access which is under/behing the steering column, rest were not bad once the from seats were out.. Edit: dont put a 20A fuse, use a 10A. Better to replace the fuse every now and then and not replace buring wires again 🙂

[@corradoferrari6191]

Short must be in the door harness where it bends when you open and close the door, some times they melt far enough that you have to remove the seats and console to fix it.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

But I measured the resistance through the door lock circuit of the Left Rear door and it was OPEN! How do you explain that? 🤔

[@corradoferrari6191]

@ because it might have shorted to another wire not related to that ckt and created an open I have seen this many times

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@corradoferrari6191 so we have a bad door lock actuator AND a short in the door harness? That would be a BIG coincidence 😄

[@corradoferrari6191]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics just remove the rubber acorde on on the door harness before the connector and you will see if the wires are bad which I bet they are, most likely a thicker wire with power shorted to a thinner ground wire and caused the main harness to burn the way this one is, lock fuse did not blow until power was activated to lock or unlock.

[@corradoferrari6191]

Door harness if bad can be replaced if available it was on back order for years.

[@TheWrench97]

I currently have 2 2014 F550 from the same company in the shop with the same issue of the door lock wires in the cab harness burnt for both rear doors

[@windward2818]

Was the root cause a bad relay in the BCM?

[@TheWrench97]

@@windward2818 Not sure yet they still debating on fixing or replacing

[@verajavi12]

Whats the advantage of having a known amp testlight to test short ciurcuits ????

[@leonkernan]

Considering the other comms errors, I’ll bet there’s damage to other wires further down.

[@dustcommander100]

I always felt that vehicle wiring was a little overfused as compared to residential or industrial. Remember the "fusible links"? Vehicles these days have TINY wires in them, so when one ckt gets shorted to another, a tiny wire ckt can connect to a big wire ckt, so it's a mistake to run these ckts together in the same space. Looking forward to seeing how you undo this mess!

[@brianw8963]

Ouch, gives new meaning to the power stroke title. 👍👍🇺🇸

[@ovalteen4404]

Someone must have used a fuse that was measured in Ga rather than amps :) I guess if the body nicked the wire(s) at some point in the main harness, that's likely where the meltage will stop. Otherwise it's going through the entire length of wire and every connector back to the fuse block. At least Ford decided not to tape it up the entire way.

[@peterouellette3874]

Have a merry Christmas to you and your family

[@ronaldwilkinson6685]

I've seen this on the 2003 to 2007 GM full size trucks and SUV's for the cigarette lighters and high speed circuit for the blower motor for manual HVAC. They melt the wire insulation from the inside all the way out to the underhood fuse block

[@russellhltn1396]

I wonder if the owner installed a eBay fuse. There's been reports the Chinese fuses won't blow when they should. One channel even pointed out that all the fuses in the kit were the same (50A?) fuse internally, just with different colored plastic.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Yikes! Overload over a long stretch of loom. Fuse must be really oversized to handle all that current and not pop. Not possible to find the origin, without removing the door panel for inspection - the problem may have started on the floor loom and found its way through the door look wiring. Part 2 should be very interesting 🙂

[@volchip]

As my power class professor warned the students, "When you make a really bad mistake you will look out of the substation and see miles of aluminum dripping". In this case the wiring harness some of the wiring harness has been reconfigured. What a mess.

[@SHSPVR]

long current draw can do it just under the max draw so fuse just keep on going in tell final hit 20 amps

[@RK-kn1ud]

To add to what you said...since the circuit was a long length of ~18ga wire, the high wire resistance probably regulated the current while short-circuited. Also, I only buy legit Bussmann/Littlefuse fuses now after witnessing Amazon fuses operating well above their limit.

[@TheOnespeedbiker]

I have also seen fuses fail (either bad fuse or an accumulation of dust) the end result was a melted blob of a fuse that never blew. Very important to never buy cheap Chinese fuses (300 for $13.00), there is reason quality fuses like Littlefuse cost much more (40 for $25), it's because they actually blow at their rated amperage and protect your electrical system. Of course the caveat is fuses always blow for a reason, IOW the solution to a blown fuse is not to simply replace it.

[@windward2818]

Very good advice. I only stock Littlefuse and Bussmann automotive fuses from two suppliers that I know buy directly from Littlefuse or Bussmann.

[@douglasburford8452]

The harness in these era of F series trucks are notorious for shorts.

[@glenharper3136]

Thanks for the video Ivan.

[@PistonBikers]

Ivan What Brand And Modelo Is The AMP Meter ?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@PistonBikers see the description bro 😉

[@PistonBikers]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Thanks Ivan

[@kevin9c1]

20A is too large to protect individual small gauge wires. Kind of a bad design though maybe not different than other vehicles. If the system has any kind of feedback capability, it would energize the solenoid until it sees it lock/unlock (up to a timeout I would assume). This may be a case where you need to quote the customer for a wiring harness and not try to piecemeal it. I'm sure it's expensive, if it's even available. Or used may be a better option. But I would seriously consider just doing the entire harness where wire damage could have occurred. At least quote the customer and let them decide.

[@lorrinbarth1969]

I know what its gona take to properly fix this truck. So, time to pop some popcorn. This promises to be good.

[@TheVespap200e]

I love to see Carnage! But that is not going to be a no parts required fix Ivan! I feel bad that you have to deal with that disaster. FeelsSadMan!P.S. The moral of this story is DO NOT mess around with fuses if you don't know what your doing!

[@enzop.3227]

Door harness is broken in one of the doors. If a larger fuse is used it can cause the harness to melt together and it is unobtainuim.

[@roman-kk4ug]

thanks for sharing

[@eddiereichel9354]

When I first opened my shop and was just getting into diag I had a guy bring me a VW Jetta. It had windshield washer nozzle heaters. It starte blowing a 5a fuse. He had a pile of probably 50 fuses in the floorboard. All the colors 30a 20a 15a he just kept putting them in. It melted clear back behind the dash. I did get it isolated but it still had wires melted. Id bet that your customer was putting all kinda fuses in too.

[@additudeobx]

That wire is not 12-gauge wire. It's maybe 16-gauge or 18-gauge. Maximum current would be 10 amp. That fuse was rated too high for that circuit. It allowed constant over current thru the wire overheating it, before it melted the insulation and popped the fuse. This is an engineering design failure.

[@CUSTOMWORKS7.3PSD]

Had a similar deal on a f350 the security module (power locks worked through this unit) shorted and had to make a new harness and rebuild the board of the security module That sucked

[@joes2085]

There is a high inrush on lock solenoids. Howver, the circuit only pulses, so the wires are designed to be undersized. I'm guessing a short developed in the "unlock" circuit of that door as if someone kept their finger on the "unlock" button. That will toast the solenoid & the wire

[@SuperDave71176k]

If failed resistance is sending xtra current that would smelt wires.Its either a stronger current item or a small one like the door locks that would get used and repeat the occurrence often

[@crasher88]

defiantly take the door panel off and the rubber sleeve that covers the wires that go from the door frame into the door. There could be more hidden damage

[@major__kong]

If you have a larger wire split into 3 smaller wires, you have to fuse for the smallest wire or fuse the large wire and then fuse each of the smaller wires. But I like the theory others have said about someone just installed a large fuse when it started blowing. The previous owner of my house did that with a circuit breaker. Oh, the 15A breaker keeps tripping? Just install a 20A breaker. The real problem was the house was built in 1963 when people were using less electricity. That 15A circuit was actually powering a lot of the house. And then sometime in the 80s or 90s there was just too much stuff on it.

[@justinmize4316]

Get a used wire harness from a salvage yard. Lots of those trucks out there.

[@salviecudlip5326]

Would a power probe be good enough to load the circuit or better using the 5 amp bulbs?

[@tomtke7351]

Pt2 -- hope Ivan finds the root cause. The long length of melted wires means long time period of over current. As Ivan noted: door lock/unlock = quite short actuation times

[@jamesfitzgerald2361]

Time for a junkyard harness repair. He's lucky the truck didn't start on fire.I had a couple of wire fires scary stuff.

[@joevaagen6170]

I was thinking the exact same thing, not only are you fixing the original problem but also relieving any melted adjacent wires. I was thinking it had a water intrusion problem in that wire run because that would be the lowest area of the truck and if it's a Pennsylvania truck with winter snow the water has to go somewhere.

[@windward2818]

The damage to the harness is extensive and clearly due to an over-current condition. I have only seen this when there has been some sort of event or damage where unrelated circuit wires are cross connected due to twisting or something penetrating into the harness wires. By cross connecting circuits you can exceed the current carrying capability to the point of damage of the insulation. Sometimes an object gets thrown into the bottom sheet metal, penetrates the sheet metal and into the harness cross connecting circuits. I have also seen this from someone working on a vehicle and inadvertently drilling into or nailing into a harness. Was any work being done on the vehicle when the problem started?

[@baxrok2.]

Thanks Ivan!

[@dhaggy1980]

I am almost wondering if it's not the door lock issue at all. I see there are heated seats, I'm wondering if that has an issue.

[@richardspees841]

Wonder if the owner, in trying to fix things, put in a higher amp fuse, possible a 30 and then tried to lock and unlock multiple times?

[@dendkmac]

Something to be said for manual door locks, buddy of mine his son asked where the power door locks were pull up for go press down for lock.

[@CuriousB58]

Ivan you are becoming the master of the cliff hanger. Can’t wait til tomorrow… Bad door lock switch? Sticking? Causing relays to stay on extended time thus heating wires? Maybe that blew one motor to open circuit? Motor windings became the fusible link?

[@norcal715]

Third! Cant wait to find out where the melty harness stops.

[@kerrylewis2581]

You are the first non bot

[@brianw8963]

I got here pretty early but laid low for a while. I was afraid Ivan’s cheer leaders might drag me under the bleachers and have their way with me. I hadn’t had enough coffee yet. 😂😂

[@jimdandy2275]

Has any equipment been added to the truck where someone tapped into door harness wires for power source inside the left kick panel?

[@Sandmansa]

Oh man, what a disaster. You can't tell me that the owner didn't smell that or see smoke. And there is no telling how many times that fuse was replaced trying to get those locks working again. How do you go about fixing this and prevent that damage from ever happening again? The factory wiring is simply not a heavy enough gauge to handle a dead short on a 20A fused circuit. Maybe replace the 20A fuse with a 10A for starters? Really, each door lock should have it's own 5A fuse. [Sarcasm] I have no idea what the engineers at Ford were thinking. If each door lock only needs 5A, why don't we just simplify the system and pile all 4 door locks on to one 20A fuse? That should work out fine, right? [/Sarcasm]

[@wernerdanler2742]

After seeing this, I think I prefer vacume operated door locks as all my previous cars have had.

[@kknows3512]

Power door lock delete, no parts required! Just repair the other wires damaged by this genius system.

[@ATSNorthernMI]

I wonder if kids were pressing down on the button long enough to cause this or the BCM randomly caused a hook on the unlock or lock circuit for an insane amount of time. I would ask the customer if he randomly had a battery go dead on him from this kind of issue. BCM's in these trucks have known to cause all kinds of weird issues like lights staying on draining the battery to keeping the network alive with random gibberish that also will cause the battery to drain really fast. It seems that once you start to add a million factors involved with unlocking and locking doors, that there is a lot of room for failure. These trucks had issues with fires. Just like a lot of newer stuff just randomly burning to the ground due to issues like this.

[@RK-kn1ud]

Is it possible that the original 20A fuse blew initially and was replaced with an Amazon fuse? I only use genuine Bussmann/Littlefuse fuses after witnessing Bezos fuses acting much higher/longer than anticipated.

[@richardmitchell7836]

Very Intersting for sure!

[@russellhltn1396]

What happens if a lock/unlock switch is held down? Does the BCM limit it to just a pulse, or is it continuous?

[@kerrylewis2581]

I never expected this amount of copper carnage for a door lock. Did someone bypass the fuse?

[@scrappy7571]

Or installed a circuit breaker....

[@phprofYT]

I wouldn't touch that harness with a 10 foot roll of automotive tape. It is full replacement or nothing. Personal opinion. By the way, that is a poor design. The wires are too small for the fuse. There was a failure to analyze what would happen if a single point of failure on one branch would create a path to ground that would draw all 20 amps through that one path resulting in an overload on the wire. If you think about it, if you need up to 5 amps on each lock then 4 x 5 is 20 amps which makes sense but with that circuit if one lock starts to short just a little bit it will draw more and more current from that circuit since they are all in parallel. The lowest resistance path draws the most current. Remember that the owner reported that at first it was only one lock that didn't work and over time it got worse until the fuses started blowing. That damage is the result of a gradual process. The circuit needs to be redesigned to either have heavier gauge wires or so no one branch can draw more than the rated current for that gauge of wire. I could get a second year physics student to figure that out.

[@n6dl321]

is that a piece of warmup tape on the bcm cover bu the relay?

[@johnt.848]

What a mess, why were'n't the wires insulated or rather, taped by the driver side? Had somebody been in there and removed the tape previously?

[@bobby9195]

Dang that's a bad short 😮 you gonna replace the harness or what? Big repair, good luck and merry Christmas 🎉

[@DependableAutoTruck]

i have a 2006 GMC 1500 that the cig lighter wires and the power outlet are both melted as far as you can see the cig lighter burned insulation completly none left on either wire

[@billjohnson2000]

Can you say “thermal event”? 🔥😳

[@johnboywaltonbeard4699]

Ivan…I think you should have removed the left rear door panel and investigated. Maybe water got into the left rear door lock motor and shorted it out.

[@jefferyedwards5003]

Kid in the back seat was holding the door unlock down continually until the wire melted!??? Thanks to a faulty fuse?

[@mikefoehr235]

I am amazed the power joke didnt become a CAR B Q. I know from personal experience, Ford has many electrical gremlins.

[@LesReeves]

I seen on an SMA video that they had tried to make the wire insulation out vegetable oil /corn sryrup & vermin like the taste maybe it is heat resistant too ?

[@robertheim352]

Trying to help the analysis: 1. What is the actual melting point of the insulation? 2. What current was applied that elevate the conductor to this melting point? Simple questions, but difficult to find an answer. Lets say the insulation softens (melts) at 150C and an 18 gauge wire is stressed to 20A. I predict a 125C rise in the 18 AWG copper. At 25C ambient this is close to the failure point. So maybe Ford doesn't know how to fuse a circuit?

[@CajunShrek]

Lock switch got held or stuck or relay?

[@theblackhand6485]

This rally is a big disaster! Man! You just want to push this truck down your drive lane across the road and forget about it.

[@6996brandyl]

Maybe you'll find what made it shot and its cause by something the owner can turn into his insurance company and the insurance company can pay for the repair? GOOD VIDEO!!!

[@6996brandyl]

@@Runco990 No I'm not, if a person has full cowage on a vehicle and something cause this damage their insurance will cover it. Why pay for auto insurance if your not going to use it

[@russellhltn1396]

Theory: The larger window power wire shorted to the door lock wiring. The locks connected to ground via the BCM when not locking/unlocking. Not enough current to pop the window fuse, but too much current for the door lock wiring. There's no fuse to protect the lock wiring from short to power, only the fuse in the power source. That kind of carnage take time, and locking/unlocking doesn't give time. So I think another circuit has to be involved. But what caused that initial short?

[@10100rsn]

Yeah, 20 amp fuse looks maybe more than double the wires current rating. I'd say 5 amp fuse should be good enough but with all locks actuating together it would need a burst of at least 8 amps and a 5 amp might blow if you hold down the lock/unlock switch.

[@5TheFlyingFarmer5]

My gut says the driver door hinge wire pass through has broken and shorted wires, but that's just shooting from the hip... (After watching the video that's why we test, don't guess. Data-driven diagnostics and logic)

[@JOHNSUE28]

My Gut Also says go to the Most likely stress point, And Ivan will find the source of the issue. Seen it many times.

[@allant2742]

Wow. I am unsure if the owner is lucky or unlucky the truck Didn't set on fire and be able to claim on insurance. This is why i don't understand electrics. In my mind the fuse should have blown way before all this damage, or am i wrong?

[@georgepeck-g4h]

i am a retired truck mechanic, i had a 96 e350 ,the fuel pump shorted out and burnt the wire from inside the fuel tank to the inertia switch tn the cab ! would have been beter if it had set the truck on fire !

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

If the wires are melted all the way to that door switch, look for a short in the door switch. as it is a passenger door, suspect a youngster who spilled a drink and failed to tell anyone about it. It's possible.

[@mikechiodetti4482]

Whenever I found wire like that with a larger fuse, or worse a large circuit breaker, I figured like everyone else, that they thought the larger circuit fuse would fix the problem, "OR" they wanted to see where the short was located saving time by letting it burn. NOT A GOOD IDEA!

[@sevenof14]

I have a tough one I'd appreciate some input if you can.2012 f150 plane Jane 3.7 no dash gauges,no power steering,sometimes the wipers work , sometimes it won't start have to try it a few times pull the shift lever back and the headlights dim ,was thinking PCM ,can not get any communication with scan tool only able to communicate with HVAC nothing else.but it will start and drive any idea where,what,I should be looking for

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Headlights dim? Check the battery connections?

[@sevenof14]

@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics battery good,new alternator puting out 14.3v

[@sevenof14]

Headlights come on only dim like switching to low beam when you pull the shift lever back

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

@@sevenof14 Is that the Daytime Running Lights setting? What if you turn the lights switch to ON? High Beams work?

[@sevenof14]

@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics no control of the lights at all with the switch the lights come on when you turn the key on and sometimes both lights come on and sometimes only the left one comes on it's really unusual like it's possessed where it's really confusing is no power steering no gauges but runs and drives

[@dealerauctionnightmare4689]

A buddy bought an Altima a few years back and all the lock actuators were bad....😮😮😮😮🤣🤣

[@JohnDoesGarage]

I see other people have said this, someone put a no-blow fuse in it to find the problem, and they did.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

"no-blow fuse"...where can I buy some? xD

[@DaveBigDawg]

​@@PineHollowAutoDiagnosticsI heard of slow blow the no blow are the jumper wires type lol 😅

[@francoispapadakis76]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Have seen paperclips or alu-foil as "no-blow-fuse" in old MG's... 🤔

[@HouseCallAutoRepair]

It has been my experience that the entire length of wire, from the actual short, all the way to the source of power, reached glow status. EVERYTHING in contact with that stretch of wiring is compromised. 70-80 feet of wire, a few feet of heat shrink, and several hours of soldering.... So lucky that didn't ignite.

[@FD3959char]

My guess is fused popped and was replaced by a cheap online fuse that don't blow as required. Amazon is full of them.

[@mikedauphinais3713]

The problem is in the wire harness at where the door and body hinges

[@adamtrombino106]

I definitely want to see the root cause problem. Even if the circuit was over-fused, as Ivan stated, the circuit is only energized for a very short time. BUT if an actuator stuck energized, suspect lt rear door, I could see it making a toaster out of that circuit since it's over-fused. It's not yet a direct short, it's a toaster for an extended period of time.

[@steveb3679]

Check the lock/unlock button in that door

[@joer9276]

Dog in back with paw pushing on the switch for long periods while sticking head out of the window?

[@Carcrafter7165]

15:13 this could have been a Truck 🛻 Fire 🔥 down the road.

[@michelbrown1060]

20 amps feeding a 18 gauge 18 wire will toast it easilly

[@jwray9799]

owner did a fuse by-pass,,, and he thought it worked when his drivers door worked,, but it sat then and fried the harness.. so shortly after the By-Pass it finally blew the fuse.

[@breikowski]

Put a 12g Romex across that fuse after it blew. (The smoke was good indication where problem was)

[@scottp5331]

Yes, that's the test of maximum smoke.

[@georgebell3964]

👍

[@joecoyne5660]

There is more to the story that Ivan did not get, to burn wiring like that would require extended periods of current flow, usualy door lock/unlock circuits or active for less than a second. The only way to melt wiring like that is to have the circuit activated continously.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

That was my thought exactly! Or pushing the button 100 times in a row haha

[@jdtractorman7445]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics I was wondering that too, does he have kids that sit back there? 🤣🤣