[RamHunter]

On a recent trip up the mountain, I found that my Ranger had locked into 4wd (good news, since I could still get back home). At home, I noticed the lights on my 4wd indicator weren't working, which lead me to the fuse box. The 20 amp light fuse had popped, so I replaced it. Short drive around the neighborhood, same thing. So I started taking things apart to look for a worn wire, something grounding the circuit. No dice. I started disconnecting things, even the headlights, and the issue still occurs after 5 min or so of driving. What else is on that circuit that could be causing this issue?

Note - I had a light bar, but disconnected it to ensure it wasn't the problem to begin with.

 

[RamHunter]

Looked at this problem some more today.

The light fuse apparently pops as soon as I turn the key to the on position, which I am not sure it did before I started poking at things. Did a few things in trying to identify the issue.

1. Disconnected the rear lights. No change.
2. Disconnected the light switch at the dash. No change.
3. Cleaned the battery terminals, and pulled the 6 wires off the ground to the frame and cleaned them as well. No change.
4. Disconnected every cable going to the accessory bar up at the front. No change.

Any ideas?