Question1996 chrysler concorde 3.3L When the engine is started it runs about five seconds then it blows the fuse labeled engine contlr.when the ignition switch is turned to the run position nothing happens until the engine is started and runs a short time.
AnswerHi Don,
I am having to use a generic circuit approach for trouble shooting your electrical short because I don't have a Chrysler shop manual with complete diagrams for your vehicle. The one I am using, the Haynes for 96-99 vans that also use that 3.3L engine shows their to be a fuse labelled 'powertrain control' of nominal value 9 amps located in the underdash fuse box (or junction box). As I look over what is drawing, on that fuse I find the following:
actuation coil of the fuel pump relay
egr valve solenoid
torque converter clutch solenoid
the powertrain control module itself (probably pin 9)
evap leak detection pump
evap purge solenoid
I am not certain which of these units might not be called into play until after the engine is started which would be a clue as to which circuit is overdrawing the fuse. The wire that carries this current is white/black trace, in color.
Is there anything in the history of this situation that would shed light on what might be related to it?
All of these entities seem to be related to actuation coils of some sort so that none of them is going to normally draw a big current and this is corroborted by the fuse being only 9 amp. So maybe you are correct and the problem is a short to ground somewhere in the harness, but then I don't know why it won't happen until the engine starts. When it blows it will cause the fuel pump relay to open which will shut down the power to the fuel pump and that is the proximate reason for the engine dying, I suspect. But exactly which component or wire is shorted to ground is the question. So may I suggest that you try pulling either the compoments listed above one at a time from their sockets or removing the plug from the item if that plug has a white/black wire, ONE AT A TIME, and seeing if the fuse still blows. Fuses are a bit expensive so if you had an ammeter capable of carrying a lot more than 9 amps then you could check the circuit without blowing a fuse, just put the ammeter across the fuse socket and only very briefly turn the ignition switch to start to observe any changes in the current draw through the fuse socket as the result of removing each component from the circuit. If you find the one that has a high draw then you can check the white/black wire to the component or the component itself.
I would be interested in knowing what you find out.
Good luck.
Roland
