Troubleshooting a short
The fuse to the interior lamps and the fuse to monitor panel/radio both blow when the battery is connected, via the disconnect switch even if the all the light switches are off and no buttons on the p...
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One good way to test circuits without investing in a fuse companies stock... ;)
Use a +12V light bulb like a 1141. Get a red and black 16ga wire 12" long and attach alligator clips on one end of each wire. Solder the other end of the red wire to the center contact on the base of the 1141. Solder the black wire to the side of the base. Remove the fuse in question and clip it to each side of the fuse holder. If the light lights, there is current flowing indicating a short. The brighter the light the more current there is flowing. A bright light could indicate a direct short to ground a dimmer light could indicate a short to another circuit.
Since the 1141 bulb will only draw about 1.44 amps, it won't allow enough current to flow in the shorted wire to get anything hot enough to melt. This allows you to safely troubleshoot the circuit live.
Wiggling wires will sometimes make the short go away which you can instantly see as the bulb will go dark!
Use a +12V light bulb like a 1141. Get a red and black 16ga wire 12" long and attach alligator clips on one end of each wire. Solder the other end of the red wire to the center contact on the base of the 1141. Solder the black wire to the side of the base. Remove the fuse in question and clip it to each side of the fuse holder. If the light lights, there is current flowing indicating a short. The brighter the light the more current there is flowing. A bright light could indicate a direct short to ground a dimmer light could indicate a short to another circuit.
Since the 1141 bulb will only draw about 1.44 amps, it won't allow enough current to flow in the shorted wire to get anything hot enough to melt. This allows you to safely troubleshoot the circuit live.
Wiggling wires will sometimes make the short go away which you can instantly see as the bulb will go dark!
