'91 Electrical Questions

[riccbhard]

1991 Escort LX

1.) In the underhood fusebox there is a fuse in the wrong place. Where the "BTN" label is; there is no fuse; the 40A fuse for that circuit is in a "no fuse" labeled area right below where it is missing.

Fusebox label:

Picture of fuse arrangement:


2.) There is a blue connector up by the firewall on the driver's side that is not connected to anything; where does this go?
Blue Connector:

3.) The "Check Coolant" light has been on since we got the car, but the coolant is certainly not low. Where is the sensor located and how hard is it to replace?

[AzTumbleweed]

My fuse arrangement is exactly as is shown on the cover. You do appear to have the "BTN" fuse in the wrong slot.

I've never seen blue electrical connectors on a Ford. Could this be something after market? Like an alarm? Or is it the connector that fits under the cover that says "EEC TEST"? Doesn't look like original equipment to me.

The switch for the Low Coolant light is in the reservoir. If you look you will see three wires going into the reservoir top. All of that black plastic on the reservoir top will pop out and the switch will come out with it.

[riccbhard]

hmm... I put the BTN fuse back in and the hazard flashers turned on (the switch for them was on; I turned it off) and now the automatic seatbelts and underhood light works. The thing with the underhood light is that it is missing a screw and will only work if pressed up against the hood like it would be if it had the screw.

I still havent found the source of the blue connector. Does the cover come off of the box that says "ECC Check"? If so that may be what the connector is for.

Where can I find a replacement coolant switch? The only thing I can find at places like Advance is a "Coolant temperature sender/switch". Clicking on "Coolant Level Sensor" on Advance's website yields no results.

[AzTumbleweed]

The coolant level sensor has a float. Same principle as a toilet tank. I don't think there is anything to brake. It might just be hung up. Pull it out and have a look. You can probably get it working again. (Make sure it's plugged in.) Or just pull the bulb out. This light is really a waste of time. If you had a coolant leak your over temp light will come on first. If you check your coolant on a regular basis then you really don't need this. It's for people who never raise the hood.

The screw missing on the light under the hood is probably the ground. Put another screw in and it should be fixed!

That EEC Test cover comes off. It's a pain but it does. That's where you connect a 'code scanner' to trouble shoot the engine electronics. My plug is black though. (1993)

Sounds like you have the BTN fuse in the right place. Whatever BTN is