My "Dash Gauges/Warning Lights" fuse has a ground short somewhere. Fuse blows as soon as the prongs hit the clips when I replace. Looking for trouble shooting methods with either a 12v test light or a voltmeter to determine were on the line the short is.
My wiring diagram shows it is red wire #5 and goes to the Tach then daisy chains to the other instruments. My plan is to disconnect each gauge and somehow check if I still have a hard short to ground. Unplug everything then plug back in one at a time till it blows? Is there a way I can test without wasting more fuses? Not looking forward to pulling wires on the gauges. Already pulled the spade lug out of the back of the voltage gauge. :(
Portion of wiring diagram attached.
EDIT: My Tach died about 6 months ago. All other gauges have been working until now.
see ya
ken
Not very likely, I chased the same type short for a long time, long story short, stored a metal item on top of the fuel tank, causing a short at the sender.
The last short i had in the dash was the an adapter unit of the tach sender was broken and shorting to ground. Do you have a multi meter? you could use the Ohm meter on that to check which wire might be shorted. that would at least narrow it down.
I'm going to assume, the coach starts? We all know what a bad ground can do, it can a create a "anomaly" where we have no clue where it's coming from. First thing I'd do, is replace the tach, you know it was needed, anyway. During that, dinking around in the dash, you may discover a loose ground or hot. Let us know where are you and Dori are, we may be able to help, we do carry medicinal Jamesons for emergencies! ^.^d
Shorts are a bummer (unless worn by a girl with nice legs).
I inherited one of the test devices, exactly like shown in the links below, from my father along with all his other tools. They must have been making them for a long time. I used it about 10 years ago to find a dead short in a old car. I was pretty dubious before I tried it, but to my great surprise, it actually worked! Found a broken power mirror wire, hidden behind a door panel, where it was touching the metal door skin.
I think they are sold under several different brand names. If you can find one somewhere for not much money, you might give it a try.
http://www.tooltopia.com/kd-tools-2524.aspx
Amazon.com: GearWrench 2524D Short Circuit Detector: Home Improvement (https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-2524D-Short-Circuit-Detector/dp/B000RH6JP6)
Quote of the DAY-- OK THE WEEK.
Circuit Breaker Blade Fuse 12V 24V Resettable 5-30A Marine Rally Automotive... (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circuit-Breaker-Blade-Fuse-12V-24V-Resettable-5-30A-Marine-Rally-Automotive-/321268071405?var=&hash=item4acd11bbed:m:m2Hic-WHY-PxWTpaC1LctHw)
@Chuck I just watched a youtube video on that tool. ^.^d
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZrCrBx4uFY
I may have to go that route. It looks pretty cool and if I buy it I'll never have another short. (unless it's Dori in her short shorts!)
@Mike Tried disconnecting the Tach and still have the short. :( The Tach was high on my list of possibilities so was willing to sacrifice another fuse.
@Travelingman Good idea. I might even have one of those in the bay. On the move tomorrow so will have to wait a few days to chase it down.
Thanks everyone for the help.
see ya
ken
Ken,
I would just get a 12 volt light bulb and wire it into the fuse holder. It will illuminate bright until you find the short and then will dim once you eliminate the short.
John beat me to the bulb solution. I keep a 12 volt bulb with wire soldered to it with alligator clips for finding shorts.
You could try removing the jumper from pin 1 to pin 5, then apply 12v to just pin 1 or pin 5. If part of the gauges work with just one of these pins connected then you will have eliminated at least some of the gauges. May narrow your search down a bit. When troubleshooting these types of "shorts" (not the other kind - Chuck) I will always isolate the circuit into two halves if possible and recheck to see which "half" has the issue. Then isolate that in half again.
A better diagram or schematic would also help your situation.
So I pull into Love's to fuel up today. Open the bay door and right in front of me is my propane extension hose with the big brass adaptor for the fire pit sitting right on top of the fuel gauge sender. I says to myself "That can't be good". Relocate the big brass adaptor to a safe(er) location run in, pop the dash, and pop in a new fuse. I got gauges!
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! I'm sure I'll use some of these down the road somewhere.
see ya
ken
George wins the forum for today ;) Let's hope he is rewarded with lots of salmon ^.^d
Easy is best! Congrats!
That's called the kiss principal 😂
.
Some days it's better to be lucky than good.
Or for me every now and again even the blind squirrel finds a nut.
When I first read this I thought "I don't have anything metal in my fuel bay". Apparently brass is a metal. Duh! If I'd just gone out and looked in my bay after I read this I'd have saved myself a lot of trouble. I guess it's true "Trouble" is my middle name!
see ya
ken
Don't feel bad, before I found mine, rewired tachometer and speedometer thinking that was the inmittent short. Also put a 10 amp circuit breaker in place of the fuse. I chased it for a year. Opened fuel bay and finally saw it, a replacement burner bar.
I'm thinking of just painting it with Gardner Bender LTB-400 Liquid Electrical Tape, Easy-on, Waterproof, Indoor /... (http://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-LTB-400-Electrical-Waterproof/dp/B000FPAN2K)
Be sure to buy it with the Fore Forums link if you decide to buy it! Go here first then go to the link above. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs... (http://www.amazon.com//ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll2&tag=foreforums-20&linkId=ec4c431d3a7cb6e3e3142d83437c19df)
see ya
ken