Bought my first 74 Maverick can't find the fuse box. I don't have any dash lights, so I suspect a blown fuse. Thanks, Bigsmo
If its not behind a removable panel on the lower left dash...then its on the fire wall to the left of the steering column.
74 - it'll be on the firewall. Put your head in the drivers side floor and look up to the left of the steering column. The engineers at Ford must have been laughing their asses off when they decided to put it there.
Step 1: Fully recline the driver's seat. If you have a bench, remove it. If you have a bucket and you are taller than 5'8", remove it. Step 2: Put your feet on the rear seat, lay down on your back, and behold the fuse box. Step 3: Cuss yourself for forgetting the flashlight. Go get it. Return to step 2. Step 4: Having located the fuse box using the flashlight, you now realize you're going to need both hands. Find a place to perch the flashlight. Step 5: Cuss again as the flashlight falls and nails you on the forehead. Just HAD to get that cool Mag-Lite, didn't you? Step 6: Begin pulling and checking fuses. You may require needle nose pliers to get some of them out. Step 7: Haven broken one perfectly good fuse with the pliers, proceed to slash your thumb open. Now go get a Band-Aid for it, and find the proper fuse to replace the one you destroyed. (which will not be the one for your dash lights.) Step 8: By now, if you're really good at this, an hour has passed and you've managed to check about 3 fuses. Your back hurts and 34 year old debris has fallen into your eyes. At this point you realize checking each fuse is pointless. Snatch them all out by any means necessary. Step 9: Clean up the glass and smile to yourself, for you have just saved a bunch of time and pain by deciding to replace every fuse with a new one. They all go in pretty easily. Because of that, you know something is wrong. Step 10: Your dash lights still don't work, and now neither do your blinkers, radio and reverse lights. Pull each fuse out again and clean the corrosion off the contacts with a rat-tail file. Step 11: Reinstall the new fuses, put the seat back in, clean up all that crap you stirred up that's in your floor now, and take an Aspirin for your back. Go to bed because by now it's very late, you've worked several hours and you're still right where you started. Step 12: Reach behind the cluster and wiggle the electrical connector. Congratulations, you now have fully functional instrument lights!
At least you can see the fuse box on the firewall (if you stand on your head)...the early Falcon's have the fuse box plugged into the headlight switch that is located between the ignition switch and the wiper switch. Gotta pull the headlight switch and unplug the box to see the fuses. Now that was a real knee slapper.
Funny as hell and very true. Heres my procedure. Buy my apprentice a coffee and then complain out loud about the fuse box that it cant be done. Next thing hes contorted under the dash and stuck but thats OK. Pass him tools and fuses. Grab a leg and pull him out and thats that. New fuses.
this is a good candidate for the official " do it yourself/how to " section...been trying to find a oem/nos fuse box for my 76 mav on fleece-bay for the longest....
You forgot to mention if it's a stick car you most likely will get your head stuck between the floor and pedal at least once.
Thanks to all that replied, very amusing and helpful. Will let you know the results of my sore back, and neck. Smo
a test light will help you check the fuses with out brakeing them. i find that carosion is usually the culprit with our glass fuses. so you still end up braking them.
was given a fuse panel out of a 90's ford aerostar..thinking about changing it out what do you guys think?? pic of the fuse pannel layout is at www.ponyperformance.com/foxfusebx
where can I purchase a NEW or USED fuse box, mine is almost gone due to rust. Or how can I up grade. Thanks in advance. I'm new to this site. Please Help!
Hahahah - love the step by step! Very True! I was able to get under there to do my brake light switch without removing the bench seat though. It's a two person move.... Once you get yourself most of the way upside down with your head under the dash and the door open, have your helper close the door with the window open. You can put your feet out the window and leverage against the door. This will let your head lay against the ground so you can see what you're doing.
