Fuse blows on A/C & radio circuit

BMBALIVE

MEMBER
1995 TOYOTA AVALON
15,000 MILES

Fuse blows on A/C & radio circuit. Both are on same fuse. Was told that it is a common problem that the A/C switch panel was the source of the short. I changed it out with a remanufactured panel, but the problem still exists. My next idea is to separarate the two items on different hot leads to cipher which has the short. Anything you can suggest would be more helpful would be greatly appreciated.

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 AT 6:14 PM

2 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
34,220 POSTS

You have the right idea, as far as it goes, but you'll still be blowing fuses all day long.

A simple trick to finding a short is to replace the blown fuse with a pair of spade terminals, then use small jumper wires to connect them to a 12 volt light bulb. A brake light bulb works well. When the circuit is live and the short is present, the bulb will be full brightness and hot so be sure it's not laying on the carpet or against a plastic door panel. Now you can unplug electrical connectors and move things around to see what makes the short go away. When it does, the bulb will get dim or go out.

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Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 AT 9:08 PM

BMBALIVE

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Great Tip! Going to give the brake light/test leads idea a try! I will let you know if find the short using this method.
Thank you for the help!
Bmbalive

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Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 AT 2:32 PM