24 views and no one has any input?
![]()
Wiring issues (FIRE!!!!) Long Read, NEED HELP!!!!
Last night while driving to meet some other Focus nuts to hang out, we had a small electrical burn happen in the ZX3. Pulled over immediately, shut the car off, and started tracing the under dash wiring by hand. No hot wires, no burnt wires that I could feel.
Car was running very well. Checked all wire harnesses that I could get to (even behind side panels). No burnt sections found. Assumed was due to lowering of car, and had 2 large adults in back, having hit several large dips in the road and heard rub on the inner fender skirts (cloth).
Continued evening out, no other problems experienced. Got up this morning to delve into the situation deeper. Well, found the whole left side drivers harness burnt in several places, but no wires completely in 2. Checked under dash, found the wires running from the fuse box to the side inner kick panel connector burnt as well. Found it had been chaffing on the metal around the fuse panel and had worn through the coating on the wire and grounded out. The wire in question that burnt was the orange/black stripe wire that is a constant power wire off the headlight switch, to the rest of the wiring.
I replaced a few sections of the wiring harness where it was burnt badly, reconnected, STILLL trying to burn. Traced the Or/Bk wire back to the connector on the inner side panel of the hatch. Disconnected the connector, burn stopped occuring. Traced the wire to tag lights and the rear defroster. Disconnected the wires from the lights on the tag lights, burn stopped, even with the rear connector now attatched.
BUT, NOW I have no right side parking/running lights on front or rear, even with the connector going to them connected.
I am at my wits end here, car is torn almost completely apart on the interior, so all the wiring is pretty much at my view. No other burnt spots/contacting spots found. BUT, still no right side lights. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe 5gals gas and a match?
![]()
![]()
Car was running very well. Checked all wire harnesses that I could get to (even behind side panels). No burnt sections found. Assumed was due to lowering of car, and had 2 large adults in back, having hit several large dips in the road and heard rub on the inner fender skirts (cloth).
Continued evening out, no other problems experienced. Got up this morning to delve into the situation deeper. Well, found the whole left side drivers harness burnt in several places, but no wires completely in 2. Checked under dash, found the wires running from the fuse box to the side inner kick panel connector burnt as well. Found it had been chaffing on the metal around the fuse panel and had worn through the coating on the wire and grounded out. The wire in question that burnt was the orange/black stripe wire that is a constant power wire off the headlight switch, to the rest of the wiring.
I replaced a few sections of the wiring harness where it was burnt badly, reconnected, STILLL trying to burn. Traced the Or/Bk wire back to the connector on the inner side panel of the hatch. Disconnected the connector, burn stopped occuring. Traced the wire to tag lights and the rear defroster. Disconnected the wires from the lights on the tag lights, burn stopped, even with the rear connector now attatched.
BUT, NOW I have no right side parking/running lights on front or rear, even with the connector going to them connected.
I am at my wits end here, car is torn almost completely apart on the interior, so all the wiring is pretty much at my view. No other burnt spots/contacting spots found. BUT, still no right side lights. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe 5gals gas and a match?
2
