Chrysler Repair: relay fails: 98 minivan, power door locks, plymouth voyager

Question
QUESTION: i own a 98 plymouth voyager. i have a five prong square fuse in the fusebox under the dashboard left of the steering column that keeps burning out(it starts clicking and then the car doesn't start anymore once you turn it off). ive replaced this fuse(relay)several times and the same thing keeps happening: used to burn out about once a month and now its minutes. its the second one from the right. what could cause this to keep happening

ANSWER: Hi Larry,
I am not absolutely sure which relay you speak of as there are 2 relays and a larger comboflasher/drl socket, just below the row of 10 sockets for "fuse-like" devices, and then a single relay in the next row down, and then 4 relay sockets on the bottom row. I assume that you are speaking of the top row, and thus the 'middle' relay which does have 5 prongs. If it is that one, that is the power door lock relay. If the clicking starts only after you have been driving  above 15 mph then what that relay does is try to lock the power door locks because it believes that one of them is not closed so it tries to lock it. I suspect that one of the door is not latched tightly enough against the door frame and so the pushbutton switch that is pressed in by the door is falsely alarmed. I would get in the van, close all the doors, then try pushing outward on each of the doors to find the one that turns on the interior lights. Then move the latch striker pin mounted in that door's frame in-board so that you can still close and latch the door but not set off the interior lights when you push outward. That should stop the door locking relay from clicking. But why it fails, if it is really failing, may require more circuit analysis.
Give this a try and let me know.
Roland
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---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the fuse box that i am referring to has two rows kind of up under the dash that i cannot  easily view, then a row of large fuses under that, and then a row of tiny fuses. the row that i am referring to is the row right above the small fuses with the large fuses in it. is this still the same fuse that works the door locks. the last fuse i put in the van burned out in 20 min. and the van never moved in my driveway. i never took it anywhere to reach 15mph. once the fuse starts clicking it continues to click even with the key out, and the van has no use of anything(completely dead). if i remove the fuse to stop the clicking when i put it back in, the car has no response to anything. when i turn the key to start it, or to the auxilary position, there is no response at all. no radio,no doorlocks ,no lights (interior or headlamp),the engine doesn't even attempt to turn over.its just completely silent: just like there's no battery in it. the only thing i do get is the clicking from that fuse i discribed to you. could the doorlock fuse disrupt the entire operation of the vehicle

Answer
Hi Larry,
I think we have a problem with terminology. The fuse box as I see it in the manual has 4 large multi-pin plugs at the top (36-wires each) arranged in a rectangle.
Then there is a row of large "fuse-like devices" called positive temperature coefficient devices (5 such devices) spread across 10 possible places to be plugged in.
Then the two relays plus either a third relay or a third larger relay for the flashers/daylight running module if you have that.
Then a single relay on the left row
Then a four relay row all the way across
Then 12 fuses in a row, all the slots being used.
At either side of the two rows of relays there are also 2 places for diodes of which two on the left are filled, and the upper one on the right is filled.
I am still not clear if what is failing is a fuse or a relay. Fuses usually don't click, relays click. Fuse burn out, relays usually fail (stop clicking).
So if you would give me another try, please describe what is failing and what it says on it/what color it is/any lettering on the box surface where it is plugged in. I just can't ID what you are speaking about.
Roland