$850 bill for blown fuse

[Fuzzy]

Maybe the title is click bait. So… got this new to me 99 gsx. Had a stereo installed and all was fine… closed my door and my ignition fuse blows. Wtf… so I do the normal freaking out and calling friends. Finally took it to the mechanic and diagnosis is I need a new interior fuse box. $850… $550 was finding the problem.
I guess I’m just complaining. Knew this car would cost money but figured it would be with upgradable parts. Lol

 

[Snug_GSX]

Please elaborate.... Mechanic just said "You need a new fuse box"?

I myself have not heard of a faulty fuse box.

 

[Dericsh]

I’m a little suspicious of this diagnosis also, I hope your outcome is positive. Please keep us updated. Nice car btw!

 

[AWD-Tony]

Sounds like 4-5 hours to diagnose and repair the issue. You can expect these type of charges when you bring it to an independent shop for these type of repairs. I also find it strange that it blew the ignition fuse but I am no electrical expert . Hope that this fixed your issue.

 

[Fuzzy]

Yeah… I’m suspicious as well. Plus the fuse box is 2.5x the cost. It’s been a painful experience for sure. A friend recommended the mechanic. My ass hurts.

Alright. To elaborate, everything was fine. I had a stereo installed and I was very excited to finally have some music in the car. It was warming up and I was about to go tear up the streets. I closed my door and everything shut down. I checked around and found a blown ignition fuse. I put in a new fuse and as soon as I turned the key to ACC the fuse popped again. I jiggled wires, uninstalled the new stereo, played around with the relay under the stereo which was already bypassed, etc. Nothing I did made any difference. Every time I turned the key the fuse would blow.
I called Sun Devil Auto and they gave me zero confidence that they could figure it out. I called the one Mitsubishi dealer which is VERY far away and they said, "If it's lowered then we can't get it on the lift." My buddy sent me to Brandon at AAA around the corner from my house. He seemed confident that they could figure out the problem. He initially charged me for 3 hours with reassurance that if they found it quicker it would be less. Five hours into it he called me and said they traced it to the interior fuse box by the drivers feet. Made sense since it popped when I closed the door. So 5 hours of labor plus 2.5x the cost of the new part and another hour of labor for installing the new part... I can't say it's not legit... but things like this always feel wrong. Giving him the website for cheaper parts didn't work. He did say I could buy it myself but the expensive part was the least of my problems at that point.
Anyone in AZ have a good mechanic?

 

[idkiliketurbos]

It sounds like during the stereo installation, there became some wiring that wasn't done correctly. If you paid to have the stereo installed, I'd reach out to who did that and have them sort out the problem. Something is shorting out which is blowing the fuse from what it sounds like.

 

[Fuzzy]

It sounds like during the stereo installation, there became some wiring that wasn't done correctly. If you paid to have the stereo installed, I'd reach out to who did that and have them sort out the problem. Something is shorting out which is blowing the fuse from what it sounds like.

I wish it was so easy. The stereo install didn’t include any work on the fuse box. Just wired up the harness. They did spend a couple hours troubleshooting for me for free though. Uninstalling it was as easy as unplugging the new harness.

 

[Tyeler18]

I'm curious how they came to that diagnosis as well. If you feel like bringing the car down to CG we can probably work it in at my shop but were 2 weeks out right now. Which fuse number exactly are you blowing?

 

[Fuzzy]

I’m already dug in here. I’m not sure on the fuse number. It’s the 30 amp ignition fuse. They were able to unplug the whole relay box inside and start it right up. The replacement includes the wiring harness to that relay box.

 

[Tyeler18]

My concern is that 30 amp fuse just feeds power into the fuse box for various other circuits. The fact that unplugging it fixed it doesn't mean the box is bad it just means they unhooked the offending circuit.

Just to show how elaborate the 30amp ignition fuse is. Fuse 8 in the under dash fuse box controls half the car, including doors and the radio. I'd pull that fuse and see if the 30 amp still pops.

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[steve]

This is why most of the people here fix their own cars. Unless you're made of money it's difficult to own any old car unless you can do the work so it's not just a DSM issue.

 

[Fuzzy]

Just to show how elaborate the 30amp ignition fuse is. Fuse 8 in the under dash fuse box controls half the car, including doors and the radio. I'd pull that fuse and see if the 30 amp still pops.

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Oh man... I wish I could just pop over there and do that. My mechanic isn't even there today. I think I just want to stop talking about this. Next time I have a problem I'll hit up the forums first. Right now it's just going to make me upset with myself.

 

[Jk's97DSM]

It takes time to chase electrical issues especially if someone who shouldn’t be working on or wiring anything messes with it. Just my .02
Chasing wiring issues over the internet is about the same. You never know what people understand and what skills they have.