Repair Manuals vs. Me : I Win....
 

[Begin Rant]

So, I bought my '05 F-150 to tow a new popup camper..... Towed it once with my minivan and said "ummm... i don't think so"... bought the truck used.. 20k miles.. full warranty.. good deal, etc.

So, I had a plan to head out for a couple days on the lake for a 'test run' w/ the truck... hooked up the trailer to factory hitch/wiring... all was good, except for the fact that the left brake light/turn signal on the trailer was inoperative.

Since it worked on the van... must be the truck... grab the voltmeter... test the 7pin.. Yup... no voltage at the left signal line...

First thought.... fuse is blown. Go to the fuse panel.... cool... there is a block diagram embossed into the cover...

Now all I need is a way to translate the block diagram into the fuse functions... In other words... what fuse is the one that leads to the left signal on the 7 pin.

Check the owners manual... nothing there other than the same stupid block diagram.. no descriptions.

Go to the internet... cannot find a fuse panel diagram anywhere. ugh. The internet is losing it's spunk.

Go to the local auto parts store... chilton manual is out of stock...order it... wait 4 days... it's also out of stock at the warehouse (thanks for telling me)... go to another auto parts store ... haynes manual is in stock .... buy it... go home...

Manual describes in great detail about how to properly use a ridge reamer and check journal clearances using plastigauge.

But loe and behold... NO FUSE PANEL DIAGRAM. And the vehicle wiring diagrams look like they were designed to educate junior high school students (note: there is no mention of brake light wiring ANYWHERE on any of the 10 pages of diagrams... AMAZING)

!@#$%

Now I have two choices. Probe EVERY fuse in the panel for continuity (not fun, considering there are around 40 of them).... or take the damn thing to the dealer....

So, on these forums... someone made mention about alldata.com... I used to work with their stuff in the early 90's when I was still turning wrenches... Turns out they have a DIY'er type setup where for $24.95/year you get full access to the shop manuals, diagrams, TSB's, diagnostic guides, labor and parts estimates, etc for a single vehicle.

Signed up... 5 minutes later.. I had the fuse panel diagram... found out it was fuse_42.. Pulled it... yup... blown...

Now the morale of this story is:
1 - Shame on ford for not providing the fuse panel diagram in the owners manual.
2 - Shame on Haynes for publishing a HORRIBLE repair guide.

[End Rant]

Feel better now? :)

It does sometimes help to vent - and others learned from it as well; so, a win - win.

Unless they changed; the owners manuel usually gives enough discription of what fuses control, that you can make a discovery in a reasonable time.
My 02 is pretty good for that.
It has the list for the engine bay and a seperate list for the dash.
A dealer can print out these lists from their parts data base.
It should be reasonable to expect an owner/operator to be able to replace a fuse while towing, just from the owners manuel.
If you don't have a manuel, either get one or print one out, off the Motorcraft website.
I have collected all weight and towing data as well as carry the brake controller info because I tow up to 12,000 lbs gross weights, at times.
Already had a brake problem once and turned out to be a bub-thru on the trailer brakes.
Anything can happen so it pays to be proactive and have at least some tools in the storage area or wait for the hook or catch h*ll from a cop for a light out.

owners manual...
 

I looked all over for the fuse diagram descriptions. Motorcraft.com , ford.com, etc.

The latest ford owners manual (5th printing) completely misses this information. They show the fuse #'s, but not what they relate to. The motorcraft site allows the downloading of all the ford owners documentation... which surprise! is also missing the information.

There are some things that I can understand the need to eliminate from an owners manual. But, basic user-serviceable electrical parts (fuses) shouldn't be excluded....

Did you know you can get a copy of the service DVD used by dealership technicians for less than $20? Shop around. If you can't find it, e-mail me.

not to hijack the thread but thanks steve i didn't know that either:thumbsup:btw thanks also for the advice on my 84's rearend problem.

technically the ford service dvds arent allowed to be resold, so make sure you arent buying the DVD, that you are paying the guy the service of giving you the DVD.

I currently own 03-04, 05-06, 07-08 :D

got'cha:thumbsup:

I have fuse diagrams... oh wait... I work for ford and have access to fmcdealer and the paper wiring diagrams... :)

If you asked on here I'm sure you would have gotten a response from one of us techs...

You're lucky it already had all the trailer relays in place or you would really be ranting.

That topic is being hotly debated right now in the higher courts. The concept is commonly referred to as "first sale", which means that, once Ford sells them, they have no more say in what happens to them, including resale. It comes up on eBay when someone sells a record that's labelled "For Promotional Use Only - Not For Sale".