Need help

[bigdogboston]

I have a 2013 . The truck will keep popping the 30 amp starter relay fuse. When you turn to acc. Everything is good when you cycle the key to start it pops the fuse. I ended up replacing the starter relay, starter, and also the battery cable harness. It started fine for two days and then it happened again. Any ideas. I will say when it happened again I replaced the fuse and tapped on the starter and it started again. I don't believe the new starter is bad. Any help would be appreciated

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Based on your description, it would seem that you have a bad ground somewhere, a short or a stray or melting wire somewhere that is causing a short (or some combo thereof) and hence the popped relays...

Since the starter & harness are new, perhaps the problem lies elsewhere in the path from the starter to the ignition switch....

 

[bigdogboston]

That is my next adventure, I am going to trace the wires and see if I have any brakes. I feel like it might be in the fuse box (fuse to relay). Didn't know if someone had the same problem and could help narrow the search

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Well, I didn't have any stray or broken wires or bad grounds, but I did have 4 relays go out, one at first, then the 2nd one, and then the other 2.....after replacing those last 2, plus the ignition switch, halo sensor, clearing/reprogramming the PCM, & $3000 later (mostly diagnostics & labor), nottaproblemo since then

All of them were in the path of, or related to, the "run/start" part of the system, which, when any of them fail, it triggers the dreaded flashing padlock symbol on the dash, making me think that something was wrong with the anti-theft system (PATS), when in fact it was just a power flow interruption issue from point A to point B to point C to point D....