Typically, when your car’s electrical accessories start to misbehave, you think it is the car battery. And then a precursory check reveals the battery is fine, but you spot some solder splashed about in the engine bay and realize there is a short circuit.
At Acura of Tempe, we’ve seen one short; we’ve seen it all!
What Is a Short Circuit?
An electrical short circuit occurs when the current is not contained in its intended loop & gets shunted to a shorter path to ground or power. This can happen because of intersecting frayed wires that offer shorter paths for flow. Still, since these short paths offer varying resistances, there may be heat dissipation & a possibility of electrical fires.
Types Of Short Circuits:
Grounded:
If there is a frayed wire touching the car’s body, that creates a path for the charge drain to the ground. The fuses are in place to arrest such shorts at high amperage and show up as warning lights for electrical faults.
Power:
When too many wires in the engine bay are cluttered or bound together without checking whether they are frayed, these wires might find alternate paths to flow. As a result, your car’s electricals act out & don’t function in tandem with your control. These kinds of shorts can trigger electrical fires.
Diagnosing A Short
Keep your eyes on the dashboard light from time to time. If there is an electrical fault in your car, the warning will light up. If you want to DIY, diagnose the source of the short.
You need the following:
- An automotive diagnostic (ATD) tool for circuit testing.
- Layman’s pliers for pulling out fuses.
- Car owner’s manual.
- Insulation gloves.
The Procedure:
- Wear your insulation gloves and remove the negative battery terminal connector. Connect the clipped end of the ATD tool.
- Touch the pointy end of the ATD tool to the battery’s positive terminal. If the tester lights up, that indicates an electrical short.
- Locate the fuse box. Start by pulling fuses one by one using the layman’s pliers, putting them back to avoid a mix-up.
- If you pull a fuse and the tester light goes out, this is where the electrical short lies.
- If you have had any aftermarket accessories installed, you can check them first to narrow down the search. There is a possibility the fuse is blown if a particular component is not functioning.
- Get the fuse replaced with the correct amperage to restore the component function. However, if the short is power-related, you better get to the auto technician.
Suppose you have successfully diagnosed & replaced a blown fuse; good for you! But if the circuits are a tangled mess with power short, you best be on your way to your trusted auto shop & dealership, Acura of Tempe. Serving Tempe, AZ, we deal in brand new Acura, used, certified, & courtesy cars with fantastic deals & bad-credit financing, in case you decide on a trade-in from an electrically compromised car.
Meanwhile, schedule an electrical service at the hands of our ASE-certified auto technicians today!
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