A few months ago i had some trouble blowing the fuse for my tail lights and guages. I came here and a few people though i may have a short with my radio. I though so too because when i checked there was one wire i forgot to tape up. I couldnt figure out what it shorted but the problem seemed to be fixed.


THE PROBLEM: Now today when i was driving i noticed my guages going all over the place. I got home and pulled the fuse for my tail lights/guages, and it was melted!! But not yet blown. i cant figure it out but im afraid a fire is gonna start. any tips will be helpful.

 

hrmm, surge of power..seems like something isnt grounded, but i dont know much about this problem of urs

 

remove all wiring that you have made, put it back to stock and start over again. tripple check everything before you make any cuts or connections. i know it sounds tedious but it will put you on the right track if not fix it.

 

yeah ive checked everything. I dont understand why the fuse wont blow with enough curent to melt it though. I know its the correct fuse too. any other ideas while i keep looking?

 

sounds like you need some grounding.....i would probably leave everything how it is and just make sure its all hooked up into the right places....

i HATE removing butt connectors....

 

the only thing i have added to my car electrical wise is the stereo. I checked the ground to my deck and amp and both are good. Nothing at all appears to be shorting. i replaced the fuse and continued driving tonight, and its fine for now. I dont know what is causing this.

 

take a multimeter and measure how much current is going through that fuse. that should tell you how big of a problem you have.

a slight over-current could heat up the fuse and melt it without popping the link. i've seen weirder things...

also, while measuring the current on your problem circuit, pull fuses for all the other circuits one at a time until you see a substantial drop in current. does that make sense? that should help you identify what circuit/device is shorting out with your gauges.

 

i just put the m DVOM in series in place of the fuse correct?

 

correct!

 

i got 14.11Volts and 5.21 amps. Im not sure if either of those are too high. I tried to pull some fuses and none of them seemed to make it drop at all.

 

did you use a harness to hook up your radio or did you splice into the factory harness?

check you ground. you might have switched the dimmer wire with the ground wire; (the dimmer wire shows ground when the parking lights are off, and +12V when the lights are switched; that could cause your taillights to keep going out)

 

yeah i used a harness. i checked every wire and everything seems okay.

Anyone know if 14.11V and 5.21A are acceptable numbers for the fuse for the tail lights?

 

something is touching

 

wow... 5 years old thread and so informative answer.