Sxrxrnr

As some of you know, I am battling a problem where our 71 randomly blows its 20 amp brakelight/hazard fuse. While I have been given some great ideas from fellow forum members, I've still not isolated exactly where the extremely random short is,,but as I drive, Short Buddy continues to give me audio reports that he is on the job. Yesterday in 40 miles of driving, I received 2 different short notices.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...post1582368775

Currently using Short Buddy as a fix as it has a built in circuit breaker, and I am also using it to monitor the cars brake light eletrical system. This Bubba fix is resolving the fuse problem for now, but given worst case and I do not find the source of the fuse blowing problem, I need a less intrusive Bubba fix, so I was thinking of a circuit breaker as a solution.

Has anyone done this or any ideas on the best way to go about it. Currently I am tying Short Buddy into my fuse position in the fuse panel by soldering a wire to each side of a blown 20 amp fuse and running this wire off to Short Buddy(Short Buddy for some reason is designed for only modern "blade" fuses",,,and this working ok.

For a permanent fix I am thinking that someone may have a better more cleaner method.

I researched the entire forum and found no information on anyone who had done this.

TheCar

Any part store should have Snap in circuit breakers that fit right in place of a round fuse. There are two types that fit in place of 20 amp glass fuse. Hope this helps.



http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=413282_0_0_



http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=760306_0_0_

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...111_0361109187


Oh yeah. If you use one of these and it opens don't touch it. They get fraking HOT!

Sxrxrnr

Thank you. In 50 years playing with my old cars and hanging around auto parts stores, never had run into one of these. A great troubleshooting aid for those of us with these tough cases. Wonder if any of them would make an audible audio sound when they go off,,,now I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Any downside to using them besides heat as you describe and a couple of bucks cost over a fuse.

TheCar

Only drawback I can think of is once they open it does take a few minutes for it to cool off and close again. If memory serves I think the first would make a click although I would never hear it in my car!
Have you tried using a headlight bulb in place of the short buddy. Hook up a headlight bulb it will complete the circuit and not light up, but it will light up when the short occurs. You push and pull at the wire harness to try to duplicate the short when you do the headlight bulb will come on

http://www.crookedriverwriter.com/in...ght-trick.html

Plasticman

Wire a 12 volt powered alarm buzzer directly across the fuse or circuit breaker, and any time a short blows the fuse or circuit breaker, the alarm will sound.

Just make sure that the polarity is correct.....with the positive side towards the pos. on the battery.

Plasticman

Sxrxrnr

Damn, like a degree in electrical engineering.

dplotkin

Good way to associate behavior & operation with intermittant faults. However, as a 'lectrical guy, when it comes to matters of overcurrent, I'm opposed to doing anything short of finding the cause of excessive current draw. Circuit breakers are used where periodic overcurrent can be expected, such as power top & window circuits, and where blowing fuses is inconvienent. But a lighting circuit shouldn't blow fuses, so I'd go looking for the trouble instead of "negotiating" with it.

Dan

LoneStarV

You're treating the symptom not the cause. Your wiring harness is 41 years old. Time for a new one before you burn your Vette down to the ground.

builder

From a chaffed wire to a loose connection, something is wrong. The fuse blowing is not the problem. The fuse is working correctly.

Sxrxrnr

What would you recommend as the method to physically do this wiring?

Currently I've taken a blown fuse and with soldered 16 gauge wiring to each end of the fuse (from this I run the wires over to Short Buddy so that it monitors the circuit and alerts me if and when a momentary short occurs,,, SB resets itself afterward), which I then insert into the receptacle. In 25 miles of driving yesterday, I got only 1 such signal.

I know that there is a problem and not with the fuses, just have not figured out yet where it is so that I can deal with it.

Current new plan is to disconnect rear wiring harness under the dash. If I continue to get "short signal", I will know that it is somewhere under the dash, if not, I will know that is likely in the harness going to the rear lights of the car. Of course, no brake lights, TS, tail lights while doing so, but will try to force a problem by just banging away on brake pedal while sitting in the garage,,,but recently that has not been working so something with all my jerking and pulling has changed something.

Even considered taking the Yellow and dark Green TS/brake light wires in rear harness under the dash, and inserting a fuse in each of them individually to find which one blows. This would also tell me if problem at rear of car and on which side,,,,I think. Just do not care to split the wiring and spicing together later once problem is fixed. Another thought is just to pull either the dark green wire and the yellow wire to rear from the harness, one at a time and continue to drive that way,,,,then when error occurs I will know if at rear and on which side.

Last evening my local parts store supplied me with a 20 amp circuit breaker(inserts in glass fuse receptacle) that they had ordered up for me from another store.

And the beat goes on. I kind of like these challenges,,,,certainly happy that I am not paying my local Corvette appliance repairman to troubleshoot by the hour.