I’m without electricity or fuses

Question:

I have a 1984 Ford Mustang and have a short in the wiring under the hood. I now have no juice anywhere in the car. I have looked everywhere for a fuse box and cannot find one.

Someone told me that Ford has “inline” fuses but I can’t find them either. I would be grateful for any help you can give me in finding the problem.

Answer:

First of all, 1984 Mustangs do have a fuse box. It is concealed behind a trim panel located under the dash where the steering column and instrument panel intersect. Remove the trim panel’s screws and the panel will drop down.

To see the fuse box, you need to be a bit of a contortionist. The easiest way is to rest your head where your feet normally go and look straight up under the dash with a droplight or flashlight in hand.

The owner’s manual for your Mustang has a good fuse box diagram that specifies the location for each particular fuse in the box.

However, given that your car has no power at all, it is unlikely that the problem will be found in the fuse box.

Start your diagnosis with the source of power, the battery.

Test the battery itself and if it is good, take a good look at the battery cables. Are they tightly affixed with corrosion-free connections? The positive battery terminal should be connected to the starter relay with a red cable.

If the cable is good, check the function of the relay. The positive battery terminal should also have a yellow cable attached to it. This feeds power to a variety of components, including the ignition switch, fuel pump relay, and EEC power relay. But before this yellow wire reaches any of these it splits into two separate wires and each of these separate wires has an inline fusible link.

If there’s been a major trauma in the electrical system, both of these fusible links may have blown. Once located, they can be easily tested with a test light or meter.

If you find that one or both are bad, they must be replaced.