Q: Wire under fusebox burned fuse melted 2003 Ford Focus
A wire shorted Inside the fusebox under the hood causing another wire that I believe runs the fuel pump to burn from the fusebox to under the glovebox and the fuse to that wire was also burned so bad it melted it also damaged other wires in the cluster of wires inside fusebox and along the wiring harness I'm sure the whole wiring harness will have to be replaced along with the under hood fuse box or relay box to ...I have some auto repair experience but only as a shade tree mechanic ...I have looked the harness over and it also goes to the alternator and starter and probably a few other parts ..so what may have caused this and is replacing fusebox and wiring harness very hard to do and is it very expensive..... Thanks for any advice
My car has 157000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hello - most often, wiring damage is caused by shorts caused when wiring insulation is damaged and cut or worn away. The big charging cable from the alternator to the battery (or the starter cable) has a huge capacity for causing damage if it shorts out. Replacing the engine and (front) chassis wiring harness will indeed be an expensive proposition, simply because of the labor time involved. It is more tedious than hard. You are almost forced into getting a factory wiring harness and fuse/relay box (expensive), then either having a shop do the wiring work, or doing it yourself. Or - you could find an identical car in a recycling lot - easy since the Focus is a popular model - removing the used wiring loom from that car yourself, then re-installing it in your car (least expensive approach). Get a factory wiring manual, take lots of pictures and tons of notes are a good thing for this approach! This is a tough decision, since the alternative is to dump your car for cheap. Good luck!
Get an instant quote for your car
Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing