I am hoping someone in the group can help me. I have(had) a 91 XLT with 117,000 miles. This week it had a fire in the fuse junction box that is next to the battery on the right fender wall. Unfortunately I was not home at the time and it pretty much toasted the entire engine bay. Has anyone heard anything or had this happen to them? I have gone through all the recalls and other complaints on the NHTSA and found 1 other instance. Ford said they would look into it, but I'm not sure they will be doing anything about my truck. My insurance company has totaled it as it's too expensive to repair. Thanks for any info you can give. Dave

Hum.  This is scary, because I've been hearing that popping sound, that no one has ever heard of before, and this sounds just EXACTLY where the sound is coming from. My power meter (that gauge thing with the battery on it, LOL) jumps in time to the pops -- and I've been worried about a fire because of it.   Can ANYONE help Dave?  Maybe me, too?

Alternator wire. If you replace an alternator on many fords, you will notice it comes with a wire because the old one (sometimes) melts. The entire wire is a hazard and where it connects takes a lot of current and heat. Replace the entire wire if the insulation appears rubbery or loose. I would expect this is a problem of the regulator going bad and not regulating the voltage at 13.5V but something higher. Take the alternator to AutoZone and get it tested. If that is bad, then there is no sense in replacing the wire just yet.       Chris Robertson

Ok, would this be the reason that my battery gauge is always closer to the "L" than the "R" in Normal?

Chris

Now that this has been brought up I also have a question.  Sometimes in the morning on my way to work I have the heater on and it smells like melting wires.  Before I had this truck I had a 1998 Contour.  The wiring harness in it burned up completely because of a bad resistor.  Thank God that was under a recall.  But my truck seems to have the same smell to it.  And I also cannot find any open recalls on it that have not already been fixed.  Any ideas here from anyone as to what may be happening?  It is not constant-only about once a week.   And all fluid checks are good, battery terminals not corroded, not losing power as I would with a bad or on it's way out alternator, etc.

Just

Just adding an up

Do you have anything running? Lights, fan, etc? I've seen the light switch and wiring burn up, The wire for the fan, the resistor for the fan burn against the plastic housing, the wiring for the electric fan (different car) heat and burn, power seats, seat heater wiring. Drive with nothing on (lights fan etc.) then turn on the lights, then swap the lights with the fan (on high) then any other option you may have. There have been many recalls for the wiring going to the switch (connected to the key) Not on an explorer so much but other vehicles. I though there was some switch recalls on the explorer. It is a key switch recall. Anyone else hear about that one?     Chris Robertson

Not true. I had a '91. I had to take it in for a recall on what I think was the battery cable or some cable around that area when it was only a few months old. They were woried about FIRE, double check the recalls around early to mid 1993, I think you will find one for this. I sold my '91 for a '93 so I don't have any of the paper work anymore to help you. Steve