Need help finding a short.
03-23-2018, 10:32 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-23-2018
Location: Boerne Texas
Posts: 1
Need help finding a short.
So I'm having this issue with my 2010 Chevy HHR. One night I was driving along, tapped my brakes and my radio button LESs turned off. I really didn't think much of it because my cars a tad of a lemon... The next night coming home from work, people behind me kept flashing their brights at me, and when I got home I checked my parking lamp taillights and they were out too. Weird. By brakes still lit up when compressed, but I felt my parking lamps and radio LED's were connected. Also my passenger dim bulb is out (though I haven't pulled it out to see if it was connected to the other lights or went out as a coincidence). I changed the #69 fuse and it blew immediately without the car even being on. I got the corresponding parking lamp relay and put in another fuse. Blew again. After doing some more research I found that there's 2 grounds that go back to the tail lights. Since I already know where the short is (i.e. meter used on fusebox), how would I go about finding this ground or getting to the wiring near the tail lights? Anyone else have this issue? Cheers!
03-24-2018, 06:33 AM
#2
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Join Date: 10-13-2011
Location: Welland,Ont Canada
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03-24-2018, 06:59 AM
#3
Platinum Member
Join Date: 12-06-2009
Location: Alabama
Posts: 11,089
A short that blows fuses is generally caused by a "hot" or positive wire that is shorting.
If I'm reading the OP correctly, you think it's a ground wire causing this ? You may want to recheck that.
quote: "I got the corresponding parking lamp relay and put in another fuse."
Hmm. Not sure what this means.
If I'm reading the OP correctly, you think it's a ground wire causing this ? You may want to recheck that.
quote: "I got the corresponding parking lamp relay and put in another fuse."
Hmm. Not sure what this means.
03-24-2018, 09:15 AM
#4
Technical Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,670
The tail lights and all 4 marker lights and the waterfall lights and license light are all on the same fuse and relay.
Has anybody done anything to the car lately? Any LEDs in the rear? Anybody add any electrical things at all?
When people that think they understand DC wiring go fixing digital electronics there is sometimes a mess made.
Somehow when you stepped on the brakes that shorted the tail lights. i.e.: grounded the hot side of the circuit.
This is a guess: Somebody, maybe had a trailer, messed with the light wiring in the rear. You need to look at the wiring around the tail lights. I am having a hard time thinking of a way the brakes might be involved.
I guess it is possible that one of the bulbs somehow got a filament crossed. Inspect the bulbs.
Has anybody done anything to the car lately? Any LEDs in the rear? Anybody add any electrical things at all?
When people that think they understand DC wiring go fixing digital electronics there is sometimes a mess made.
Somehow when you stepped on the brakes that shorted the tail lights. i.e.: grounded the hot side of the circuit.
This is a guess: Somebody, maybe had a trailer, messed with the light wiring in the rear. You need to look at the wiring around the tail lights. I am having a hard time thinking of a way the brakes might be involved.
I guess it is possible that one of the bulbs somehow got a filament crossed. Inspect the bulbs.
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