crxb16er

the fuse to the bottom left hand side under the dash keeps blowing upon moving the key to the 3rd position right b4 hitting the starter. its the one going to the turn signals and backup lights. i cant find the short. what wires should i be checking what bulbs? what possibly could be causing it? ive got a multimeter just need to know what wires to check for continuancy. i tried all day yesterday and blew about 20 fuses, doesnt blow until u engage the ignition switch to the position right b4 u hit the starter. ANY HELP APPRECIATED cuz im stumped. when it blows it cuts out the tachometer side of the center gauges, the heat sensor and tach, but not the gas gauge and rpm gauge. i need turn signals.... TIA FOR ANY INPUT

92lx

that's very weird, because it's not usual for something that doesn't turn on with that switch to blow when it's activated....hrmm... I'd say you probably have some other wire (probably in the fuse box or in the same wire loom) that has somehow crossed with that one....That's really really odd. Do you get voltage to those things for even a brief second before it blows?

- Nathan

crxb16er

yah it gets voltage thru for half a second powers up and then blows i have no idea what it is, i doubt its the turn signals because they all work when i turn on the hazard lights. the rear lights both light up b4 the fuse blows also, and the tach also briefly goes up, same with the buzzer for the seat belt sensor. they all briefly work and then the fuse blows.... really irriating not being able to find the short

crxb16er

come on anyone know the exact systems this fuse goes to? looking for any help here?

crxb16er

ok finally found it, its one of 2 things, now i finally got it to stop blowing right away, after i ripped out my car alarm, fog lights, and turbo timer, shift light, and radio... lol what a PITA, then the fuse was good until i hit the ignition switch which meant it was down to one of a few things since this ruled out alot of subsystems in that particular loom, was down to thermo switch, brake fluid sensor, and oil pressure sensor, so i switched those 2 wires above the oil filter (whoever said they can go either way needs to kick themselves in the nuts b4 someone else does, and wiggled the wiring around the brake sensor and FINALLY it works again, NOW ive got to rewire my entire car in again. but at least the problem is finally fixed. what a fing pain, spent about 3 hours total with a multimeter elmininating systems that could possibly be shorted, found many wiring issues all of which were fixed, and some pretty shitty grounds. my hands are cut up and bleeding, my fingers hurt, and my car has wires hanging everywhere. all for something as simple as 2 wires.....

hondatech

learn to do voltage drop tests, continuity tests are weak at best. At honda school thats the first thing you learn about finding shorts. Leave continuity tests to things like relays and switches. Voltage drop tests will be the most accurate and the easier method to get faster results.

Did you have a wiring diagram? this will also cut down time spent looking for the problem. If you know all the symtoms and have a copy of the diagram, you can start eliminating parts of the circuit on paper. Shorts are not that hard if you do it this way, if you studied the wiring diagram with your symtoms, i bet you could have gotton down to a couple inches on the diagram, a few checks and you would have found it without the drama.

I'm not trying to belittle or flame here, I'm trying to help honestly. If you are interested, I have some Honda training material from honda school that you can have copies of. This stuff is the best methods I've seen to diag electrical problems

crxb16er

nah ive got the wiring diagrams, but it was hard to find until i got the fuse to stop blowing immediately because when it blew i had nothing to test, all systems had no power of course, once i got it to where i could start eliminating systems it was downhill from there. voltage drop tests only work if u know if how much and when the voltage should be going thru. when uve got a short that, is only connected during that brief period of the fuse not being blown its a little harder to find, and thats the pain of the #1 fuse it that it goes to many subsystems including the main hazard relay of the car. not as easy as a simple headlight short, but finally found it regardless.

hondatech

I understand what you're saying, you could have put an inline fuseed circuit breaker to stop the thing from blowing... I hear ya though, that can be tough