Finding electrical shorted wires basics
10-03-2009, 09:10 PM
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Car: 88 TPI formula
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Finding electrical shorted wires basics
I'll start with a post from a different thread from a member that covers it all, and I'll add to it a bit below:
...connect an ammeter in series with the battery.
With everything turned off and doors closed observe the current flow.
If you see more than a tenth of an amp pull the fuses
one at a time till the problem goes away.
That’s the circuit with the problem.
Happy Racing!
If People Drove Any Slower They’d Be Going Backwards
Fog lights are not driving lights. They look dorky. Turn em off slow pokes.
How bout those dorks too scared to drive without headlights on in the daytime!
.
.
...connect an ammeter in series with the battery.
With everything turned off and doors closed observe the current flow.
If you see more than a tenth of an amp pull the fuses
one at a time till the problem goes away.
That’s the circuit with the problem.
Happy Racing!
If People Drove Any Slower They’d Be Going BackwardsFog lights are not driving lights. They look dorky. Turn em off slow pokes.
How bout those dorks too scared to drive without headlights on in the daytime!
.
.
Last edited by turbosbox; 10-03-2009 at 09:18 PM.
10-03-2009, 09:18 PM
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 91
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Car: 88 TPI formula
Engine: L98 Vortech
Transmission: TH700r4
Axle/Gears: 3.27
Re: Finding electrical shorted wires basics
many of the threads are a variation of wiring shorts.
symptoms are usually a dead battery. I had and 82 camaro that had a shorted cigarette lighter, and simply taking it out solved the problem. So hard to know what item is shorted. Follow the advice above to find it.
current drain test tool cheap
A simple budget tool if you don't have an amp-ammeter, is to get a turn signal or tail light bulb and socket from any junk car. Attach one wire to the negative battery terminal after you have disconnected the negative wire from the battery. take the other end of the signal light and attach it to the disconnected negative wire. it will probably glow slightly, that is normal due to things such as computer drawing a little current, and radio clock, and alarm if you have one. if it is a bright light, that means you have way to much power going out, and your battery will run down. double check your ignition is off, and also lights etc are off, as that will of course cause a false bright reading.
then proceed to do like the other guy said, pull fuses one at a time to try to figure out what part, switch or wiring circuit is shorted.
a new battery and a new alternator are rather expensive ways to find out that it's a short somewhere when those items didn't fix the dead battery problems. you can start with the current drain test first to make sure it's not that as it costs next to nothing and takes only a couple minutes.
symptoms are usually a dead battery. I had and 82 camaro that had a shorted cigarette lighter, and simply taking it out solved the problem. So hard to know what item is shorted. Follow the advice above to find it.
current drain test tool cheap
A simple budget tool if you don't have an amp-ammeter, is to get a turn signal or tail light bulb and socket from any junk car. Attach one wire to the negative battery terminal after you have disconnected the negative wire from the battery. take the other end of the signal light and attach it to the disconnected negative wire. it will probably glow slightly, that is normal due to things such as computer drawing a little current, and radio clock, and alarm if you have one. if it is a bright light, that means you have way to much power going out, and your battery will run down. double check your ignition is off, and also lights etc are off, as that will of course cause a false bright reading.
then proceed to do like the other guy said, pull fuses one at a time to try to figure out what part, switch or wiring circuit is shorted.
a new battery and a new alternator are rather expensive ways to find out that it's a short somewhere when those items didn't fix the dead battery problems. you can start with the current drain test first to make sure it's not that as it costs next to nothing and takes only a couple minutes.
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