02 F450 - nightmare

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Purchased this year. 4-door dually. Been the truck from he%%!!! Have had numerous electrical problems. Now keeps blowing fuse for horn & cruise control. Can't find short - any suggestions??

 

[skyeagle]

A good friend had the same elec. problems on his 03.
After a trip back from the UP. of Michigan with no heat.
He got tired of taking it back to the dealer and went
back to GM and he doe's work for FORD. FIX OR REPAIR DAILY.
He was saying that Ford went to a lot of China parts and just
killed their reliability. To bad I spent my childhood in Mich.
Sorry had to put that in.

Good luck

 

[cfpinz]

Being that your horn and cruise are both operated from the center of the steering wheel, I'd bet the short is in the steering column where the rotating assembly passes current to the stationary wires leading into your harness, but that's just a guess.

cfpinz

ps - Seen a bumper sticker yesterday that might work for you in the meantime - "Horn broke, Watch for finger." :lol:

 

[GMN]

Purchased this year. 4-door dually. Been the truck from he%%!!! Have had numerous electrical problems. Now keeps blowing fuse for horn & cruise control. Can't find short - any suggestions??

Have you hooked it up to a computer to check for problems, they also have a device you can buy (safe money) do it yourself deal, maybe some type of sensor out.

GMN

 

[JHH]

Purchased this year. 4-door dually. Been the truck from he%%!!! Have had numerous electrical problems. Now keeps blowing fuse for horn & cruise control. Can't find short - any suggestions??

Have you hooked it up to a computer to check for problems, they also have a device you can buy (safe money) do it yourself deal, maybe some type of sensor out.

GMN

I doudt that it is a sensor problem. Most likely as cfpinz said, the clock spring assembly, or could just be the horn itself. Try unpluging the horns.

Also just occured to me that MAYBE the cig lighter is controled by the same fuse? New cell phone or charger maybe causing fuse to blow?

Also just worked on a 150 and it had a recall for the cruise brake switch located on the mastercylinder and it was blowing fuses for the cruise also. Hope this helps. JHH

 

[BlackBaldyMan]

Its probably somthing really simple, just go to this website, sign up and post, guys on their are Extremely knowledgable....

http://www.thedieselstop.com

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks, I guess I really didn't expect anyone to solve my problem - just venting
I love my previous fords - 87 & 96 F350 4 door duallys (my car )
This one's been a nightmare - of course it was used & abused by previous owner - only 45,000 miles.
Horn was shorting - replaced.
My "mechanic" (farmer friend) thinks it may be in the steering wheel also.
I'll keep that site.
cfpinz - just might work for me!!!

 

[cfpinz]

Does the fuse blow when you lay on the horn or when using the cruise?

cfpinz

 

[KenB]

Thanks, I guess I really didn't expect anyone to solve my problem - just venting
I love my previous fords - 87 & 96 F350 4 door duallys (my car )
This one's been a nightmare - of course it was used & abused by previous owner - only 45,000 miles.
Horn was shorting - replaced. :roll: And there is still the same problem.My "mechanic" (farmer friend) thinks it may be in the steering wheel also. ;-) Did he replace the shorted horn? I'll keep that site.
cfpinz - just might work for me!!!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Cannot find a rhyme or reason for when it blows. Of course, the horn is so sensitive that it will honk when you turn the steering wheel & your shirt/coat brushes the face of the wheel. So, blowing the horn could cause it and you wouldn't know. But, when you blow the horn on purpose, it doesn't blow the fuse.
Disconnected one horn, and replaced the other horn.

 

[cfpinz]

Try unplugging both horns and drive it for a while like that, will eliminate something at the very least.

I've got one truck the horn button is so hard to push that I have to carry an 8lb sledge to call cows with! :lol:

cfpinz

 

[dun]

I have to carry an 8lb sledge to call cows with! :lol:

cfpinz

I bet it's hard to blow hard enough on that 8 lb sledge to make a noise.

dun

 

[Bullbuyer]

Does the sound come from the head or the handle of that hammer?

 

[cfpinz]

I'm glad I'm not the only smartass around here. :lol: :lol: :lol:

cfpinz

 

[Earl Thigpen]

Try unplugging both horns and drive it for a while like that, will eliminate something at the very least.

I've got one truck the horn button is so hard to push that I have to carry an 8lb sledge to call cows with! :lol:

cfpinz

cfpinz, wonder if this vehicle has a horn relay? If so AND the problem is on the uphill side of the relay then unplugging the horns themselves won't help. My bet is with something wrong in the steering wheel assembly or slip ring assembly. Oversensitive horn "button" is not normal so if you are on your way to getting that fixed you might also discover the real reason for the blown fuses. Just my two cents worth. Good Luck.

 

[cfpinz]

Good idea, Earl. I had forgot about the horn relay.

This is totally off subject here, but everytime I read your screen name I think of that song "Earl had to die", cracks me up. Don't take that personal, I wish no ill on anyone. But you might want to keep an eye out for them Dixie Chicks. :shock:

cfpinz

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks guys, I'm kinda leaning towards the oversensitive horn button. Not sure if my guy wants to dismantle the steering wheel? Don't know how complicated that is.
Thanks a bunch for all the input.
PS. You might be able to market that hammer

 

[Earl Thigpen]

cfpinz,

My fingers were too fast and they over ran my brain when I entered my "handle" for the forum. I tried to change it to something a little catchy but no one was able to tell me how to do it - can't do it on the "personal information screen". Any way the first name never caused me any trouble, it was the last name that caused me to get my nose broken several times when I was growing up.

I'm a lot older now and that kind of stuff doesn't bother me at all. Everybody's got to be someplace and the name is a family thing and I'm pretty proud of it.

Jeanne, taking the steering wheel off is not the problem. Getting it back on is a pain in the neck without the right tools. First thing your gonna miss when removing the 'wheel is the steering shaft is going to slide down (collapsable column) so when you get ready to put it back together the snap ring(s) holding everything won't fit because the snap ring groove on the shaft is two inches down the column. You then have to somehow hold the shaft up in place while at the same time attaching everything to the shaft.

I'd take it to a mechanic. That way it's their responsibility to make it work and work properly.

Good Luck!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Oh, that sounds like fun :shock:
Truck is at "my mechanic" - he's an ex-dairyman that does all my mechanic work - has a full time shop now. Comes to the farm for tractor breakdowns, lawnmower - you name it - he's my fixer-upper. May not be the most experienced at everything, but he's really good - and I TRUST him.
He's picking me up for lunch. We (neighbor farmer friends) get together for lunch on Thursdays.

 

[john250]

Oh, that sounds like fun :shock:
Truck is at "my mechanic" - he's an ex-dairyman that does all my mechanic work - has a full time shop now. Comes to the farm for tractor breakdowns, lawnmower - you name it - he's my fixer-upper. May not be the most experienced at everything, but he's really good - and I TRUST him.
He's picking me up for lunch. We (neighbor farmer friends) get together for lunch on Thursdays.

Check into Ford's recall program for a cruise control fix. Not sure if an '02 is part of that, but it might be your problem. Several trucks caught fire from the problem.