Chrysler Repair: 1997 LHS Engine Control Mudule fuse blown, amp fuses, transmission control module

Question
Yesterday I started my 1997 LHS and put the car in reverse and the car stalled.  I heard a pop sound that came from the engine compartment.  I found that the Engine Control Module fuse had blown at the power center in the engine compartment.  I replaced the 20 amp (blue) fuse and tried to restart the car.  With the key in the run/on position the fuse held.  As soon as I tried to start the car the fuse blew again in just a few seconds.  One more time for good measure, same thing.  I do not have wiring diagrams for cars this new.  Can you shed some light on this for me? Any and all suggestions would be helpful.

Thank you for your time,
Steve

Answer
Hi Steve,
In my manual it shows 4-20 amp fuses, and the one that most closely related to the engine control module is the fourth one back on the inside row of 5. Is that the one you have found to be blowing?
If so, I would suggest that you pull the autoshutdown relay which is the rear inboard corner relay and measure the resistance of the rear socket pin to ground. It will no doubt be very near 0 ohms. If that is so, then there are several components whose plug needs to be pulled to identify which one is responsible for such a low reading. The current is carried on a dark green/orange wire to the engine control module, the transmission control module, the fuel injector rail, the spark coil pack, and the alternator. One of those devices is shorting to ground or possibly a wire to one of those components has a opening in its insulation that allows the wire to touch a piece of metal. Once you find out which component, when unplugged, causes a jump in the resistance reading that is the one to consider for replacement.
Please let me know what you find and we can go further.
Roland
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