STOP fuse keeps blowing!

My STOP fuse keeps blowing. I’ve been trying to trouble shoot this for a bit, and I decided to replace the stoplight switch. I got the new one and it worked for a day, then it kept blowing fuses again every time the brake was pressed. Can someone help me figure this out?

 

I suggest finding a digital copy of the FSM (just search 2003 factory service manual) and you'll find it available for download as a pdf somewhere. It contains all the wiring diagrams for your truck. There will be a wiring diagram for that circuit somewhere in there.

Or.. you could just start tracing the wires connected to that switch. It's likely something else is grounding out to it.

 

The brake light circuit worked for a day.

I would look at the wires near the switch that may have been moved installing the switch

Double check the old switch and new switch it might have failed all ready!

 

While this should be complicated to diagnose.
Testing is going to suck. Unless you get luck.
The best “test” location is behind the center of the dash in the JB #3 box.
Attached below is the diagram for the Stop circuit. (Download the file)

You see the 3F connection? It is in the JB #3 box.
That’s a handy spot to test from. Otherwise you have isolate a lot of stuff.
Should you want to actually do this correctly, I might be able to provide diagrams.
But explaining the process is going to be a bit difficult.

 

Check out the light sockets and wiring as well. If the short is there or in the wiring the power could be dumped across the short instead of across the bulbs.

 

The fact it worked for a day has me thinking some place near the switch.

Lets not forget the ever evil 4 pin converter box playing havoc with lights.

I do not recall ever seeing one on a EWD because it was a dealer install in those early years.

 

Is the trailer plug corroded?

 

At this time no clue if it has a trailer plug.

 

No the trailer plug is not corroded

 

I’m trying to see if there’s a short to ground. I got my multimeter put it to ohms and put on side to ground and the other in the back of the plug. I did not get a OL status. Does not having a OL status mean that the circuit is good? Or does it mean there is a short to ground? I’m very new to this.

 

That means no continuity. That means that you do not have a short to ground.

One of the conductors should be a ground. Find that one and touch the body.

 

The hell this even mean lol

 

Only one of the wires shows a number. All the others are OL

 

“OL” stands for “open loop” or no connection. If there’s a connection you should get a reading in ohms. If it’s a short it will be a very low number. If it’s measured across an entire circuit(such as through the tail light bulb) it will be a higher number.

 

just wanted to come back on this thread. I noticed that I had a short to ground somewhere in the Cricut. I was going through all the confections and wires trying to find something out of place but I never noticed anything weird. I had gotten a new interior fuse box a while back for something else, and just for the hell of it I decided to put the old one back in. And it fixed my problem, so I guess something wrong with the new fuse box...

 

Thank you for reporting that. Many times we never hear if the problem is fixed or not.