Can't find electrical short

[Black_Havoc]

My "Room" fuse keeps blowing. So there is obviously a short in the system. This fuse seems to control all interior lights, including dash, and console lights, door locks, and the radio. There might be more but this is what I've noticed doesn't work. Has anyone had this happen? And where should I start looking? I recently re-installed my radio due to the old single DIN install kit broke. There are no open or shorted wires in there, nor can I find anything shorting. However when a new fuse is installed it burns instantly. I even tried a 15 amp to see if that would work, and it instantly blew. So something is definitely wrong. What other systems does the "Room" fuse protect? I went through all the wiring above the drivers footwell, with no luck. When it blew I was in a parking lot pulling into a space, full left turn, and it blew when I hit the brake pedal. I also smelled a faint sulfur smell, but it wasn't a blown capacitor smell. I've dealt with those on my PC. Any ideas? Has anyone had this happen? Gotta fix it quick, as I can't live without my radio, dash lights, and power locks for very long. I don't want to take it to the MitsuNazi's to have them tell me they can't find anything wrong, and then charge me 500 for their trouble. TIA all.

 

[Sotarts]

Remove the radio and whatever else you've installed with it, see if that solves the problem. Maybe you've accidentally pulled out another wire, or ground wire is touching positive... etc. Good luck.

 

[sedah]

one of my ecus went
would blow the room fuse but nothing else went wrong except a mild drain on the battery) later it turned out to be a heavy drain but tahts a different story

so i say just as a trial disconnect the ecu see if it pops the fuse

 

[luv2rallye]

If all else fails temporarily replace the fuse with a 12v light bulb. It should go on if there's a short. Then start disconnecting things (unplugging, removing bulbs, etc) until the bulb goes off - and there (or in that circuit) is your short. Start with the things you recently tinkered with (like the radio) and move on to everything else on that fuse (or you think might be) - interior lights, dash lights, console lights, door locks, dash dimmer switch, power windows, cig lighter, mirrors, turn sig, etc. Just try everything you have to - there are many things that use relays that go through fuses that are marked as something else.

 

[Black_Havoc]

Thanks for the replies. I don't think its my ECM, because it runs fine, but I'll go out now and check. I saw this neat tool on JC Whitney, called an Inductive Short Circtit Tester, its like 32 bucks, and it works how a timing gun works. They say you can waive the wand over the wires and it starts to buzz near the short. Think that would be worth the money? All this help is great guys, thanks.

 

[sedah]

i really dont think that'll work well
i had a "short finder" supposed to use magnetic compass along with a block n several other blah blah thinsg
but it jsut didnt work the way right

 

[FunkMasterChipZ]

i had same problem but the cd player worked and the tailights didnt, we looked every where but when me and dad took out the cd player a ground was plugged into the power out....hope that helps

 

[luv2rallye]

I don't know if the Inductive Short Circuit Tester will find a DC short but even if it does, waving it over a harness full of wires doesn't tell you which one it is. And harnesses go all over the place into areas you can't get to. It may work however (if it detects DC fields) in places where you only have 1 or 2 wires to check but there has to be current flowing to create the field (ie. the short has to be there which keeps blowing your fuse - so you need a way to keep the short there but not blow the fuse or melt the wires - the 12 volt light in place of the fuse would do this for you).

 

[tsigrl2016G]

do you have abs brakes?

The radio, dome lights, foot lights, part of the mpi unit's circuit, pwr door locks, (if you have and auto. tranny) the auto transaxle unit, and part of the abs brake unit's circuit, runs through #19 fuse in the multi-purpose junction box under the steering wheel next to the ft. pedals. Go through the circuits for each of those things that use that fuse, one at a time. Just first check the wiring for each of those things for any visible damage and then check the currents for the wires on each of those things. Do one at a time so that you can eventually isolate the problem. NEVER EVER EVER put a higher amp fuse than what it calls for. You have wires that are shorting somewhere from one of these things that uses that fuse, that's why the fuse keeps blowing. If you put in a higher amp fuse, and it trys to short, but doesn't , the fuse will be tolerated more than the wire can, and the wire(s) can get so hot, that they can melt and cause a small electrical fire, or/and melt to other wires...it happened to me. But try this, or as last resort, you could take it to and auto electrican. oh, and did that #19 fuse blow? it's in the bottom right hand corner,,,you said it was blowing right?
hope any of this helps
kylei