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blowing fuses

Started by _oikurtman_ , Feb 15 2007 01:48 PM

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19 replies to this topic

#1 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 February 2007 - 01:48 PM

i keep blowing fuses in the circuit that does the horn, dashlights, brakelights and tail-lights. I also have my guage lights running on this circuit, which are spliced off one of the dashlights.

it seems to go fine for a while, but when it rains heavily, i need to buy a pack of fuses to get me through the next few days.

it's weird too coz sometimes a fuse will last for 2 days after a rain, then blow, then when i replace it, the next one is fine for 5 minutes, then the next lasts 2 seconds, then the next is fine for a week. :huh:

i'm stumped...

anyone else ever have this problem or got any ideas?

cheers.

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#2 rodomo

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Posted 15 February 2007 - 02:10 PM

What car? Does it have a tow bar?

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#3 _oikurtman_

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Posted 15 February 2007 - 06:29 PM

LH 253. no tow-bar :huh:

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#4 _SLR5000_

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Posted 15 February 2007 - 09:46 PM

I had a simalar problem two years ago, I could not find any problems myself, I decided to take to auto electrican I stood there & watched him for about 15 minutes he found a short in the wiring near brake pedal all fixed for $40.00 best $40.00 I ever spent on my car

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#5 rodomo

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Posted 15 February 2007 - 11:31 PM

Your wiring to your guages hasn't got caught up in the foot/hand brake?

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#6 _finer70_

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Posted 16 February 2007 - 08:11 AM

I would check the splice to the gauges. If it were OK before you put the gauges in that may be the problem.

With wiring go back to basics. When was it OK. What was done prior to the problem.

That may not be any work on the wires, but other work that may have affected the wiring. Like cutting holes, pushing wires aside to fiddle etc.

To blow a fuse it is either a short or overload.

Also try to identify just what is working when it blows and trace each circut.

Your tailights are not filling up with water are they?

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#7 _oikurtman_

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Posted 16 February 2007 - 12:18 PM

the taillights was one of the first things i checked...

i'll have another look at the wiring, but yeah i think it might just have to go to an auto sparky :<_<:

more money!

cheers.

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#8 Dangerous

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Posted 16 February 2007 - 06:39 PM

Check your number plate light and wiring too. I'd also completely disconnect the gauge lights that you've hooked up, and see if you stop blowing fuses.

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#9 _coupe202_

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Posted 17 February 2007 - 03:13 PM

You can also check another thing see amps that fuse is pulling. Reason i ask that the fuse that you are useing is to small in amp size.
With all the extra gauges you have added the amp size of the fuse may be to small.

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#10 _AquaSLR5000_

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Posted 19 February 2007 - 09:50 PM

You could be right Coupe202, but if the fuse is blowing for the reason you have suggested, then the extra items fitted need to be on their own circuit. The original size fuse needs to stay original size to protect the orinal equipment...

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#11 orangeLJ

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Posted 20 February 2007 - 09:11 AM

I had a similar problem and ended up being a wire was so old and brittle that inside it all the wires had broken and when they breached the gap the sudden voltage blew the fuse..... also had my alarm flasher wire get caught inbetween the colum and mounts and caught fire!! ripped it out bare handed to save the car... boy do i regret that. A sparky will probably (well a good one) find a problem in no time, which would normally take you forever.

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#12 _raceme_

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Posted 22 February 2007 - 03:48 PM

the reason it blows fuses straight away some times and not for a while other times is because when a wire shorts it normally melts the wire a small amount and also causes the wire to oxidise, meaning that the two wires can touch but not short all the time, you may be driving along and hit a bump which just rubs the wires togehter enough to short circuit it agian and blow the fuse.

or its an overload as suggested, i would still think a short is more probable.

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#13 _oikurtman_

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Posted 24 February 2007 - 05:02 PM

ok... i've been keeping record of this bizarre activity and i have concluded that it is definitely rain induced.

but i can't see any water on any wires under the dash or in the engine bay, (except a tiny bit on the horn wires). Mind you, disconnecting the horns when they are wet does not make a difference.

any more ideas?

by the way, everytime it rains, water pools on the passenger floor. but i don't think theres anything on this circuit in that area, is there?

:<_<:

cheers.

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#14 rodomo

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Posted 25 February 2007 - 12:53 AM

Looking at the diagram, glove box light is also on the same circuit. Your car might not have a glove box light but the wiring is probably there anyway. Obviously these wires would be somewhere near where your water is coming in.
Maybe worth a look.

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#15 _Christian_O_

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Posted 25 February 2007 - 07:40 AM

I had a 6 cyl torana with a similar problem. I checked the wiring trough out the car and I pinned it down to the engine bay.

I found that engine harness, as it passes behind the cylinder head was shorting against the head. It looked like the insulating plastic on some of the wires had melted and they were shortening. When I pulled the whole harness out, I found similar problems in the starter motor wires. Ended up replacing the whole wiring harness with new wire and terminals. I'd have to agree, with someone elese on this thread, the wires were so brittle that they just snapped in your fingers. I also found that there was corrosion along the wires (green.brown looking stuff) along the wires.

Replaced the wires, problem solved.

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#16 Dangerous

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Posted 25 February 2007 - 12:48 PM

Hmm, rain induced strongly points to water getting into your tail lights, number plate light or front park lights.

Have you taken out ALL of your external light bulbs and inspected them and their holders for corrosion from water?

Have you removed your added gauge lights to see if things change?

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#17 _oikurtman_

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Posted 04 March 2007 - 07:18 PM

i think i may have found the problem...

the rear light wires were partially submersed in water, underneath the boot mat.

drained it and dried the whole boot up.

hoping for the best at the next rain!

cheers.

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#18 _oikurtman_

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Posted 20 March 2007 - 09:30 PM

well it has rained a few times and things were going well until tonight, it blew 2 fuses.

i checked where the water was before, in the boot, but it all looks pretty good in there.

i did notice something though. Just before each fuse blew, the red battery light on the dash would glow, not light up, just glow. It would stay like this for about a minute or so after the fuse blew as well.

any ideas?

cheers. :<_<:

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#19 rodomo

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Posted 20 March 2007 - 10:16 PM

The plot thickens.
Follow the loom backwards from the small wire at the alternator back to the dash.
Be just about going nuts by now, huh?

Edited by rodomo, 20 March 2007 - 10:18 PM.

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#20 _devilsadvocate_

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Posted 22 March 2007 - 04:16 PM

It appears that you have three different circuits popping fuses? Does the horn circuit fuse even if you arent using the horn? Does the brake fuse fail without using the brake? The dashlight fuse doesnt sound like its failing so possibly no probs at the dashlight side.
Water causing a short sounds like your most likely culprit, though my experience is even though water can conduct electricity it doesnt do it very well.......not usually well enough to cause fuse blowing currents.
The glowing of the light on the alternator suggests it is struggling to cope with the overload when it is happening, could something be shorting out on the back of the fuse panel especially since these three circuits are successive fuses.