YACT: Fuse keeps blowing..

[slycat]

Tailights don't work. Looked at fuse, its blown. Went to kragens and bought new fuses. Put new one in...blew again after 1 day. why?

Update: Removed the aftermarket cdplayer and now fuse no longer blows and tailights work!
Went back to the damn installer and he told me to go buy a new cdplayer deck

 

[TitanDiddly]

There's a short in the line. Take to mechanic. It will be expensive.

 

[91TTZ]

You have a short.

 

[slycat]

aw crap..just added new cdplayer...that the cause maybe?

 

[edmicman]

that, or loose change in the cigarette lighters??

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: slycat
aw crap..just added new cdplayer...that the cause maybe?

Check the ground (black) wire on the CD player - you probably jacked that up.

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: slycat
aw crap..just added new cdplayer...that the cause maybe?

Not unless you wired it completely wrong. The CD player and tailights should not be on the same circuit.

 

[farmercal]

You have a hot wire (a wire with 12 volts on it) somewhere in that tail light circuit that is touching a metal piece of the car and causing the voltage amps on that circuit to skyrocket which is blowing the fuse. It does that so your car won't burn up when the wire gets too hot.

 

[slycat]

anything i can do myself so i dun get raped?

i paid someone $20 to wire the cdplayer...maybe he fvcked up? or maybe he loosened something?

 

[Heisenberg]

Disconnect the CD player and see if the fuse stops blowing. If that's the only thing that's changed recently, I'd start looking there. If it still happens, try and trace through as much as the tailight wiring as you can. Look for loose connections or worn insulation.

 

[SuperSix]

Most factory radio harnesses have a wire that's HOT when the parking lights/taillights are on - he probably has it connected wrong.

I'll bet on it.

 

[NogginBoink]

It's highly unlikely the CD player has anything to do with the taillights not working. The two are not on the same fuse (else you'd be complaining to us that your CD player isn't working) and the wiring for the taillights is unlikely to be routed anywhere near the CD player in your car.

Go to a mechanic; they have the expensive tools that you don't have and ultimately should be able to fix it quicker and cheaper than you could alone.

SuperSix, I see your point, but I think the radio lights lead would still be on a separate circuit than the taillights, even though they'd be switched on and off together.

 

[slycat]

i'll try and remove the cdplayer if its possible and see what gives.
its a mazda 626 if it matters.

 

[rudeguy]

its doubtful that the two have anything to do with each other. I have seen weirder things than someone hacking into a taillight wire to power a deck. Like others have said, disconnect the deck and see if you still have the same problem. If that solves it, go find that guy and kick him in the nuts

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
Disconnect the CD player and see if the fuse stops blowing. If that's the only thing that's changed recently, I'd start looking there. If it still happens, try and trace through as much as the tailight wiring as you can. Look for loose connections or worn insulation.

What he said. If that doesn't fix it, replace the bulbs in the tailights. Sometimes they can crack and the filament will short out. It happens.

Always remember: When troubleshooting ESPECIALLY after tinkering w/the car you have to say "What was the last thing I did/was doing before it broke?"

 

[lightpants]

It is very likely incorrectly wiring to the radio is causing the problem. The illumination circuit for the radio lights could be on the same fuse as the taillights. If your aftermarket radio didn't use the wire and the installer just left it behind the radio touching metal you would get your short there. Or if he incorrectly hooked up the radio, that could cause the problem as well. Start by removing and unplugging the radio and see if that stops your short. What ever you do, do NOT put a higher rated fuse in the circuit!

 

[VTrider]

Yeah I would check the tailight bulbs, my rear left bulb has been out for weeks and:

Now my CD-player doesn't go on, wipers won't return to resting place, horn sometimes doesn't work, interior dome lights don't work anymore, rear wiper stopped working, rear defrost stopped working.

All because of a blown fuse, you think you got problems?

 

[Pepsi90919]

and the wiring for the taillights is unlikely to be routed anywhere near the CD player in your car.

stop posting.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

and the wiring for the taillights is unlikely to be routed anywhere near the CD player in your car.

stop posting.

:thumbsup:

 

[slycat]

so anyway...disconnected cdplayer and now fuse not blowing and stuff is working. Installer whom i paid $20 to basically told me to shove it and asked me to go buy a new cdplayer :disgust:
So...can someone knowledgeable walk me through some steps to check for loose or bad wiring?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: slycat
so anyway...disconnected cdplayer and now fuse not blowing and stuff is working. Installer whom i paid $20 to basically told me to shove it and asked me to go buy a new cdplayer :disgust:
So...can someone knowledgeable walk me through some steps to check for loose or bad wiring?

Do you still have the factory head unit plug? If so, buy the proper connector, match the colors to the CD player, and plug it in.

If he hacked it off and wired everything manually, hope that the wires are labeled..

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: slycat
so anyway...disconnected cdplayer and now fuse not blowing and stuff is working. Installer whom i paid $20 to basically told me to shove it and asked me to go buy a new cdplayer :disgust:
So...can someone knowledgeable walk me through some steps to check for loose or bad wiring?

Step one: Steal his CD Player, replace with yours. Consider it the best $20 investment you could make.
Step two: Get real friends. Make sure one of them knows how to install a CD player in a car, because it's not hard at all.
Step three: Enjoy CDs in said CD player, or pawn it to cover the expenses of finding the short.

 

[isekii]

dude you can even do the install yourself.

Go to the BestBuy Automotive department.
Give them your make/model/year and ask for a cd deck harness which should fit in with your factory wiring.

then you just plug away into the new deck.

It's easy.

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: slycat
so anyway...disconnected cdplayer and now fuse not blowing and stuff is working. Installer whom i paid $20 to basically told me to shove it and asked me to go buy a new cdplayer :disgust:
So...can someone knowledgeable walk me through some steps to check for loose or bad wiring?

I'd start by looking where the wires from the car connect to the CD player. Check and see if there are any that aren't hooked up and are exposed, and if the ones that are hooked up are tight. If the installer did the job right and used a harness converter, then it should be easy. If he did it the half-ass way by cutting the connectors off and splicing the wire, it'll be a little tougher. If you can find wiring diagrams for the car and the deck (the manual for the deck should have a diagram) then you can double check to make sure the proper wires are connected.