The fuse for my gauge lights/tail lights/tag light keeps blowning. When I had the car at my shop I let it sit with the tail lights on for about an hour, didn't blow, but when I left to go home, it blew about 10 minutes down the road. its a 92 coupe, any body have this problem b4? Where should I start looking? Where is the ground for this circuit located? Thanks

 

Just download the FSM and trace the wires. Maybe something is shorting out when you hit a bump.

 

If everything checks out wiring wise you can throw in a fuse with a slightly higher resistance and see if that helps. This shouldn't pose a problem on something like tail lights.

 

It was a 15 amp fuse, I already changed it to a 20 amp fuse, but I don't want to take it any higher and risk burning the wire instead.

 

Where can I dl the fsm?

 

Just search. Theres a lot of threads that cover where you can download the FSM.

 

http://www.240edge.com/manuals/s13-ka24de.html

 

DO NOT!!!!!!!! put anything higher, there is a reason you put fuses in for certain "detonation" points if you apply something higher to what it requires, if something does screw up or shorten out there is no fuse to blow it can cause bigger problems than just blown fuses, i knew someone who had fuse issue thought it might be a good idea to change the fuse with a nail to keep the flow going well his car sparked in that area and started to light on fire. There is a reason manafacturers put certain fuses for certain items.... sorry didnt answer your question anything higher than 5volts added to what you are using(20 from a 15) like you said might cause issues. as for the actual issue trace wires, get a tester to see if its the wires somewhere loosing connectivity.

 

yeah never go up when it comes to fuses. if something goes wrong and the fuse doesn't go out something far more expensive will.

the pump might be going bad, i know mine kept blowing fuses before it finally croaked. i'd recommend you check your fuel pressure.

 

Yeah but like I said, taillights = a non issue, not going to break anything expensive in the very off chance that a 20 amp instead of 15 would cause a problem. But he said he already tried it to no avail so time to trace that wiring.

 

i'm not talking about the lights going out. i'm referring to the fact that the wire themselves are meant to allow so many amps to pass throw and then burn out. even if the wires don't burn out they will heat up and melt the plastic insulation.

melted insulation could lead to wires being grounded or hot when they should have no current going throw them. worse case scenario your car can catch on fire (i've seen it happen).

volts and amps are very different, most electrical equipment will work just as well and remain reliable if you increase the current by a few volts. but this is not the case with amps.

 

The best way to find a short-to-ground which is more than likely what you have is to get it where you can make it blow i.e. wriggle portions of the wire harness and connectors where your brake light/gauge light wires travel. If the fuse is blowing you know that the problem is more than likely happening on the power side of the circuit i.e. before the load(gauge and tail lights). This will help narrow down your problem a bit. Also if the car gets to where it will blow the fuse all the time, you can start unplugging different components first to see if the fuse still blows. When it stops blowing you can pinpoint the problem to that component. If it still blows after the component is disconnected, unplug different sections or wire until you can isolate the problem down to one component or section of wire. Be sure to check the FSM electrical portion for everything that particular fuse powers. The fuse box cover doesn't always list everything. The FSM is key b/c it should show you wire colors and the connectors at which to check. Your problem (intermittent short) is a tough one b/c it's not always occouring but it sounds like when you hit bumps or the brake pedal it blows so the wriggling may help. Good luck and I wish could look at if for you but maybe this will help.

PS: I know it may sound weird but check to be sure the correct bulbs are installed and that no aftermarket stuff is causing it. Good Luck.