Blown ASD Fuse After Steering Pump Replacement

[johnnyk_6]

Hello,

I recently had a new power steering pump installed on my '05 SRT10. Less than 48 hours after getting the car back, I lost engine power while doing some spirited driving on the highway. I didn't lose battery power but the engine wouldn't turn over. Everything would power on as normal when turning the key, but pressing the start button did not cause the starter to turn over at all.

So I towed the car back to the same shop that replaced the power steering pump. The shop found that my ASD fuse had blown but couldn't narrow down the cause. They (supposedly) traced through all of the wiring on that circuit including the wires to the rear O2 sensors (which I've read is a potential culprit) but couldn't find any issues with the wiring. They gave me the car back with a few extra 20 amp fuses and sent me on my way.

I made it about halfway home before the car died again. So I hopped out in traffic and threw in a new ASD fuse which bought me about 50 ft before blowing again. With the car off and keys out (but battery power not disconnected) I attempted to replace the fuse again. The new fuse blew immediately when I put it in.

So I towed the car home and scheduled service with a certified Viper tech at Woodhouse. I'll be towing it there in a week to have more qualified mechanic look things over.

I would like to know if anybody has had experience with a blown ASD fuse, specifically related to a power steering pump. I'd really like to be able to trust the shop I took it to originally, but it seems very odd that my car is having (seemingly unrelated) electrical issues after being in their shop for 2 weeks.

Some more info about the car - it has ~23k miles on it and Magnaflow exhaust. I recently had a new catalytic converter put on the passenger side.

Any recommendations or insight as to what could be causing the blown ASD fuse would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[johnnyk_6]

Update for anybody who might be having this issue and finds this post:

I towed the car to Woodhouse about an hour away (the towing bill was more than the repair) and their Viper tech took a look at it. The problem turned out to be the PCM cable. My new metal braided power steering lines had rubbed through the PCM cable. Easy fix. Fortunately the shop that installed the new power steering pump agreed to compensate me for the tow and repair bills without any hassle.

[Steve-Indy]

FYI: By my recollection, more than one ASD 1 fuse has blown "spontaneously" in stock Gen III Vipers...without a root cause being found on subsequent evaluations. Admittedly, this problem seemed to be more of a one time surprise rather than a repetitive situation.

The first time that I received such a call (which was more like "S.O.S." ) was from a gentleman on a cruise in the South of France. He was stranded at his hotel with a "no go" on the start button. Fortunately, I had been recently schooled up on this malady by Viper Tech Tom Sessions. After swapping the ASD fuse with the adjacent lighter fuse, the man went happily along his way.

In a few cases, I believe some folks went to a 25 amp fuse for ASD 1...hopefully only AFTER no pathology could be found by a knowledgeable technician.

Disclaimer: I am not suggesting anyone else "up amp" any of their fuses as this can indeed be a risky business. My own preference is to carry a bag of extra fuses in all of our cars...and arranging for an experienced Tech to sort out the problem whenever possible.

[johnnyk_6]

That's great to know, I will be carrying extra fuses just in case I am ever unlucky enough experience a blown ASD fuse again. Thanks for your insight Steve!

[efnfast]

FYI: By my recollection, more than one ASD 1 fuse has blown "spontaneously" in stock Gen III Vipers...without a root cause being found on subsequent evaluations. Admittedly, this problem seemed to be more of a one time surprise rather than a repetitive situation.

The first time that I received such a call (which was more like "S.O.S." ) was from a gentleman on a cruise in the South of France. He was stranded at his hotel with a "no go" on the start button. Fortunately, I had been recently schooled up on this malady by Viper Tech Tom Sessions. After swapping the ASD fuse with the adjacent lighter fuse, the man went happily along his way.

In a few cases, I believe some folks went to a 25 amp fuse for ASD 1...hopefully only AFTER no pathology could be found by a knowledgeable technician.

Disclaimer: I am not suggesting anyone else "up amp" any of their fuses as this can indeed be a risky business. My own preference is to carry a bag of extra fuses in all of our cars...and arranging for an experienced Tech to sort out the problem whenever possible.

metal braided hose is nasty shit and saws through anything that comes in contact w/ it.