2003 Ford Escape, Fuel Pump Fuse Problem

Hi Everyone,

Please help!!  Today I installed an Alpine 150R alarm system in a 2003 Ford Escape.  The alarm system works fine but the vehicle doesn't start.  Troubleshooting for half an hour and find fuel pume fuse under the hood fuse box is blown.  Put a new fuse in and tried to start fuse blows.  Checked fuse pump switch on the passenger side kick and unplug it and by pass it.  Still can't start and still blows the fuse.  Unplug fuel pump relay and plug in new relay.  Still doesn't start and blows the fuse.   Please help!!

Joe  "Vancouver Canada"

email: jhmw001@hotmail.com

Hi Jeff,

I did not hook up fuel kill.  I just hook up starter kill on the ignition harness.  I cut the right wire and I think the color is tan/gray for the starter wire.  The fuel pump switch on the passenger side has two wire on it.  GREEN/ YELLOW on one side and Pink/Black on the other.  When I was testing for the door pin wires and the power door lock wire.  I took the driver's door panel off and found the color for the door lock is "Pink/white".  It required 2.2k resistor to lock and ground to unlock.  I found a number of wires near the door lock unit.  Tried to test for the door trigger.  There was Pink/Black wire had the gauge on the fuel pump switch.  The door trigger wire for driver's door is GREEN/ black.  Later on, decided to get the door triger wire from the dome light on the driver's piller is GREEN/ orange.  GREEN/ orange wire controls all doors plus the tailgate.

I just don't understand why the fuel pump fuse under the hood keeps blow when the ignition is on.  I done so many alarm system and never had this situation.

Joe

Well, I know this may sound obvious, but the fuse must be blowing because the fuel pump's wiring is shorting out to ground---the harder part will be to find out where and why this is.

On most Fords, there is a safety switch to cut off the fuel pump if the car gets rear-ended---I'd imagine that's what the switch in the passenger's kick is for.  One wire is likely to be the input to the switch, and the other is the output to the pump---but it would be nice if you could see the Ford service manual to verify this.

Firstly, I would revisit the places where you disassembled and reassembled the car, especially the kick panels and running boards.  Since the fuel pump switch is on the passenger side of the car, it's also likely that the fuel pump wiring runs down that side too, but it's not a guarantee.  Anyway, there's a possibility that you drove a screw through a wiring harness or whatever.

Another idea I just thought of:  Unplug the fuel pump switch, and replace the fuse.  Turn the key on.  If the fuse survives, your problem likely lies somewhere after that switch---meaning, running down the car's body to the fuel tank.  If the fuse still blows, the problem is likely before the switch---trace its path back up under the dash as far as you can, and also look up above your alarm install to see if you nicked any wires with your utility knife.

Alternate method from experimenting with fuses:  Unplug the fuel pump switch.  Attach one leg of a multimeter to ground; set it to Ohms.  Touch your other probe to each wire in the plug----the side that reads 0 Ohms or close to it is where your problem probably lies.  Also, I'm only assuming that the fuel pump is positive-switched and not ground-switched; it would be ideal to have another working Ford on hand for verification.

Thank you Chris Luongo for your post.  Sorry that I didn't have time to review your post.  You have some good suggestions.

I fixed the problem.  I know all Ford has a Fuel Pump Switch and every vehicle had a different locations.  The Ford Escape ran the Fuel Pump wire different than other old Ford Vehicles.  Usually, Ford will ran the Main Wire Harness across from the dash or on the firewall.  Ford Escape is different.  It ran from the engine through the driver side then loop it back to the passenger side.  The harness divided from and ran across from the driver seat through centre console and passenger seat then back to the Fuel Pump Switch on the Passenger Kick Panel.  I was installing an Alpine SEC-150R alarm system with two zone radar sensor.  I grounded the radar sensor on the Hand Brake mounting bracket.  The Fuel Pump harness and the factory sub amp  harness was run under the Hand Brake bracket.

Hopefully, everyone will becareful installing alarm system or stereo system.  The seats on this vehicle has lot of room to mount amps or CD changers.   Good luck.