Repeatedly Blown Fuses

Important: Never replace a fuse with a higher-rated fuse. Fuses protect wires. A larger fuse allows more current before blowing — which means the wire overheats first.

Diagnosing cause:

Fuse blows immediately on installation: Hard short circuit. Wire touching chassis metal somewhere. Unplug all loads and test sections individually to find location.

Fuse blows after minutes of operation: Overload — too much current for wire or fuse rating. Calculate actual current draw, verify wire gauge matches, verify fuse rating is correct for wire.

Fuse blows only at high volume: Sustained high power exceeding fuse rating. Check amplifier power draw (watts / voltage = amps). Upsize wire and fuse if needed.

Fuse blows randomly: Intermittent short — wire chafing against metal under vibration. Inspect entire wire run for abrasion points.

[VISUAL PLACEHOLDER: CommonShortCircuit_Locations.png] Description: Vehicle diagram highlighting common wire chafe points: door jambs, under carpet near B-pillar, through firewall grommet, under seat rails, behind kick panels