Well I have a problem, my car keeps blowing #4 Fuse under the hood (10A). Which controls all the small lights on the radio buttons, roof consol, bezel button lights, lock/unlock, heated seats, and my taillights (unless brakes pressed), and all my exterior lights are off as well (everything but the lowbeams/highbeams)...

The hazards are ok too.

My most recent modifications were replacing a burnt bulb for vsa, heated seat switch, and 3/4 buttons on the guage bezel. This was about 2 weeks ago.

And about a week ago, I installed rockblocker taillight tints, during that install, i removed rear side markers to place tint on. I sqeezed my hands through top of trunk panels to do so, is there any chance that there is any grounding point there?

Is it possible I could have damaged a wire in center console? I'm usally very careful with assembling and disassembling, and have done it many times before.
And why would it have taken 2 weeks to blow a fuse?

Any other reccomendations or suggestions?

 

It's possible that when you were installing the rock blocker stuff you cut/knicked a positive wire and it's grounding to the car... ?

I would guess it was something in the back vs. something in the center console / gauges

 

USUALLY the lights are all on a circuit by themselves EXCEPT headlights and the brake light/hazards (different circuits).

From your story - it sounds to me like there is a possibility that in working on the tints that some wire has gotten pinched. Probably not grounded or it would blow right away. Maybe a hot wire that got partially caught under the flare of a bolt that has a cap or hat or shoulder or whatever you would like to call it. It will flatten the wire and cause excessive resistance there (maybe not a LOT, but some) and after a while it will be enough to blow the fuse.

Will be a hard one to find, but retrace all the steps you have done in the "recent" past and check all the wires to make sure none are pinched.

At least if I were in your shoes, that's where *I* would start. <g>

As always, YMMV. <wide grin>

Tom

 

Makes sense.

I did check the sidemarkers and the wires connected to their pin connecter, looked ok to me.

I also didn't have any sharp objects near any wires, i did cutting away from the car.

Unfortunatley, i need to wait until the weekend to look very closely at everything. Sun will set by 4:30 which won't be enough time...

 

So I took apart the trunk area and center console, I didn't find any flaws. I test each console button individually with a new fuse. None of them blew the fuse.

My lights are working fine now, atleast I know now that it wasn't a bad wire. My only guess that could of caused this was maybe ground wires in the console area pinned against something else...

I'm glad it worked out well, and thanks to everyone who posted, cause finding a shorted circuit would have been a real bitch...

 

For the update, had been "checking on you" every so often to see if things had gotten better.

Glad it worked out for you.

Tom

 

Thanks buddy

 

I have a 2000 TL and I am having the same problem brotha. I took it to a shop because something was blowing the small light fuse, He is saying there are about twenty components that are connected with that fuse. I have replaced it since all the lights went out and it worked for about three weeks. Then leaving rhineharts It happened again, (of course after Ive had a few). so im driving down the road and a motorcycle stopped next to me, hey your tail lights are out and theres a cop back there. anyways its at the shop and he called me to see if I had done anything lately and I havent' any help......

 

In my case, I never found the actual cause..

It happened to me after taking apart the center console (I forget what mod I was doing). Then that fuse kept blowing out, I'm assumed their was a short circuit in there. So I took everything apart, tested a new fuse, and it somehow worked fine again

So all I can say is try retracing your steps for any recent mods, make sure there isn't any wire interference..