[Nikcona]

Hello, My chrysler has the V6 engine in it and suddenly fuse 23 which is for the ASD relay 3 blows every time I turn the key. It will crank but no start. Fuel pump is working. Relays are good I checked them all. I can’t see anything at the harness where it connects to the TIPM and I don’t know what other components are ran off Fuse 23. Does anyone know what I should check next? The voltage that is really high when key is turned at fuse 23

 

[Powerslavepa]

Voltage does not blow fuses, amperage does. You can run almost any voltage through a fuse, as long as the amps isn't high enough to pop the fuse. That is why they have 20A, 30A, on them, not 20V or 30V. Fuse 23 is a 15A fuse. ASD is part of the auto-shutdown system. Pull the relay, and see if the fuse blows after you pull it. If not, substitute the relay with another one, see if the fuse blows. If after you did that troubleshooting, and the fuse does not blow either time, then it's the relay itself. If you put another relay in, and the fuse blows, then there is a circuit problem. The ASD relay usually shuts down the injectors and coil packs, so it won't start. I don't have a service manual for the 200 yet.

 

[200_S_AWD]

Follow the Br/Gy wire from the TIPM to the six spark plug coils & noise suppression capacitors. Somewhere along the way you should find where the wire has rubbed-through & shorting to ground. Rarely will a coil or cap short, most of the problems at this age is the wiring harness.

Even what looks to be a blunt metal edge can 'saw' though the wire insulation until it touches the copper of a wire resting against it.
I have seen a short at the wiring harness on top of the engine (between the banks) where it has worn through.
I have attached a full-size wiring diagram below (4737-2).

 

[Nikcona]

Thank you so much. I have searched all over for wiring diagrams and had no luck. I start following wires tomorrow.

 

[Nikcona]

Voltage does not blow fuses, amperage does. You can run almost any voltage through a fuse, as long as the amps isn't high enough to pop the fuse. That is why they have 20A, 30A, on them, not 20V or 30V. Fuse 23 is a 15A fuse. ASD is part of the auto-shutdown system. Pull the relay, and see if the fuse blows after you pull it. If not, substitute the relay with another one, see if the fuse blows. If after you did that troubleshooting, and the fuse does not blow either time, then it's the relay itself. If you put another relay in, and the fuse blows, then there is a circuit problem. The ASD relay usually shuts down the injectors and coil packs, so it won't start. I don't have a service manual for the 200 yet.

I did check the relays and fuse still blows. I have a short somewhere I just don’t know where else to look for it. I appreciate the feedback and information. It has been difficult to find

 

[Powerslavepa]

Have you unplugged all the coils? That fuse provides power to the coils. The grounds are what controls the pulse width and duration of fuel delivery.

I would unplug all the coils, and see if the fuse blows. If not, plug each coil in, one at a time, and see which one blows the fuse. The coil inside a coil can short to the signal ground. Usually, that would stick the injector open, but a dead short will pop the fuse.

 

[Nikcona]

I am working on unplugging them all now. I was hoping to find the short on one of the back coils to avoid taking the intake off. No such luck though. I will have to pull the intake to look at the last two.

 

[200_S_AWD]

The coils can short, but rarely do so. I would more suspect the wiring harness.
Pulling the upper intake isn't that difficult. Snap a photo before you pull it in case you need to remember where something went.
Let us know what you find.

 

[Powerslavepa]

I am really starting to regret buying one of these cars...

 

[Nikcona]

Yea I unplugged every coil and looked at every wire and none of those things are causing my short. I am going to have to have it towed to a shop. I’ve been without a car for a week now and I can’t figure out the issue.

 

[200_S_AWD]

With the spark plug coils & noise-suppression capacitors unplugged, is the short still present?

I included the locations of C103 & C232 in post #3, so that those connectors could be unplugged to help find which 'leg' of the wiring circuit has the short in it.

See if the short goes away when disconnecting that part of the circuit, on at a time.

 

[Nikcona]

Thank you so much. I will try disconnecting the 232. Yes the short was still present after disconnecting all of the coils. I do have an after market sub and amp installed which I disconnected as well with no luck. The only other thing that looks suspicious is a bunch of loose wiring for the passenger headlight but I don’t think that is connected to the fuse. Could it possibly be my ignition? The car cranks just fine though, it just won’t start and the fuse blows on the first turn of the key. It blows before the car turns over. So confusing

 

[Nikcona]

The C232 does that run the radiator fans? Or the temperature sensor? Those wire harnesses have came loose from their mounts and are able to move freely so that would be a likely suspect actually

 

[200_S_AWD]

Any short to ground 'after' fuse #23 would blow it (follow the arrows). That's the only place the short could be.
If it is blowing consistently when you turn the ignition on, at least that should make it easy to find. If the short goes away or only occurs sometimes, it can turn into a real pickle to locate.

Loose connectors/wiring that can flop around or vibrate are really prone to causing problems like this. It is important to secure the wiring harness after working on a car. A shorting, wire fatigue/breakage problem like this may never ever happen or it may happen years later. It may have had radiator fans worked on by someone in the past?

 

[Nikcona]

Yes actually the radiator has been replaced. In fact the entire motor has been replaced in the car. I had to have one put in about a year ago.

 

[ggoose]

The loose wire on the passenger side may be for the hood ajar switch used with remote start. Is one of the wires purple and in a 2-wire connector?

 

[Nikcona]

It’s a bundle of wires of every color. The head light was replaced and the old pig tail was left in the car tied up with a zip tie. Bulb sockets are still active because I put a bulb in one and it lit right up. Looks like someone cut off the main wiring for the head light at some point and then wired in a new head light leaving the old wiring hanging there. You would have to see it to believe it lol

 

[200_S_AWD]

Believe me, I've had to clean up other people's messes before. An engine replacement would be a highly-invasive surgery. The final details of getting everything fastened down & back the way it was before releasing the car back to the owner is an important step. Loose wiring is a prime suspect for causing opens & shorts.
If the engine compartment can be made more orderly, problems may be easier to trace & be repaired.
Check their work. There may be missing or loose hardware, etc.

 

[Nikcona]

The C232 does that run the radiator fans? Or the temperature sensor? Those wire harnesses have came loose from their mounts and are able to move freely so that would be a likely suspect actually

You were absolutely correct on where the short was. Unfortunately, since I couldn’t find the exact spot myself I had my son tow it to the shop. Now I am paying them 750.00 dollars to diagnose and repair exactly what you have told me all along. I really didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing. I have no mechanical experience as I’m just a single lady that didn’t have money to pay a mechanic a ridiculous amount of money. I should have just replaced that harness myself even though I didn’t locate which coil was shorting out. DRATS! but thank you so much for your help. Next time I have an issue I am definitely going to ask you for your input. You guys are amazing with your knowledge. Very impressive

 

[200_S_AWD]

We are all here to share & to learn. Every day is a school day.
Pinched or cut wires can be difficult to see unless you are in the business awhile. It takes a practiced eye. You were on the right track.

What you came away with was enough to understand what was likely going on with the wiring (we narrowed it down to the Br/Gy wire) and enough to know that the shop was probably being honest & up front with you.

Sometimes they are hard to see and you may not see the problem on the first look. The trouble may be hidden & something has to be moved out of the way. Sometimes a 2nd pair of eyes might catch something you missed. Look for things like this: