It is difficult to underestimate the role of fuses in a car, which can protect the electrical circuit of the car from failure in the event of a malfunction. Every driver has seen the fuse box; many have faced the need to replace these elements of the electrical circuit. But a situation in which fuses regularly blow out cannot be considered normal, and you need to figure out the reason for their failure.
Causes of car fuses blown
Each automobile fuse, located inside and outside the block, is responsible for the stability of a certain electrical circuit. If it burns out, it means a malfunction has occurred, which can be isolated or develop into a trend. There are several main reasons that lead to fuses failure:
If one or more electrical appliances in your car stop working, the first thing you should do is. Their failure leads to a break in the circuit, as a result of which current stops flowing to the equipment and it does not function.
Since the price of fuses is more than affordable, many car enthusiasts carry with them a whole set of similar elements that can be installed in an electrical circuit if necessary. A blown fuse is a normal situation, since no electrical circuit is protected from surges in current and voltage. However, when a fuse blows regularly, you should not only think about diagnosing the electrical components of the car, but also carry it out as quickly as possible.
If a fuse blows almost immediately after it is installed in the circuit, it is necessary to determine which device is causing such problems. For this:
Once the faulty electrical circuit component has been identified, it must be repaired or replaced.
Automotive fuses are priced hundreds of times lower than the cost of the equipment they protect. That is why it is not recommended to save when buying fuses, giving preference to dubious models. It is necessary to purchase only circuit protection elements whose parameters are perfectly met.
Since it is not possible to check each specific fuse from an unknown manufacturer, when purchasing such electrical circuit elements you should pay attention to the brands that produce them. Some of the more well-known companies that make quality fuses include Bosch, Hella, Vibe, Hollywood, CarPoint and SoundQuest.
When purchasing many fuses from an unknown manufacturer, do not be lazy to check them before installing them in the car. To do this, short-circuit the new fuse to the battery and pay attention to its behavior. If it blows instantly, it means the fuse is of high quality, and it will be able to break the circuit if a current exceeding its parameters flows through it. In the case when, during a short circuit to the battery, the fuse does not blow out, but begins to melt, you should be wary of installing it in a car - it will not be able to instantly break the circuit, and a destructive increased current will begin to flow to electrical devices.
The role of fuses in a car is very important. They perform a protective function, protecting expensive electrical appliances from short circuits and unexpected power surges. While preserving any electrical appliance, the fuse sacrifices itself and stops functioning, burning out. To restore the previous operation of a certain electrical device in a car, you simply need to replace the corresponding fuse. But there are cases when the fuse blows too often. In this regard, it makes sense to think about whether everything is in order with the car's electrical wiring? If you are interested in why this or that fuse in a car blows, then you will find the answer in this article.
The main reasons for a blown fuse
Among the main reasons why the fuse of a cigarette lighter or some other consumer of electricity blows, there may be both very serious and quite banal. For example, let’s look at a situation where the size fuse blows. As soon as you turn on the car light, it immediately goes out. And the reason may be completely ridiculous - the installed fuse has less power than is necessary for correct operation.
Let's say the current passing is 15 A, and the fuse is designed for 12 A. Of course, it will melt, since it is not designed for such a current. That's why It is necessary to install fuses only of the power that meets the requirements. Under no circumstances, as you already understood, do not install fuses with a lower power, much less a higher one.
In addition, if the fuse in your car constantly blows, then the fault may lie in the electrical circuit itself. Let's say the contacts on which the fuse sits are in poor condition. Carbon deposits appear on them, or the fuse is poorly secured. As a result of poor contact, sparks occur, which causes the fuse to blow. And it doesn’t matter how high-quality and powerful the fuse you installed, it will still burn out until you get rid of the problem, that is, you don’t clean the contacts.
The most serious problem is, of course, a short circuit. For example, two wires with opposite polarities come into contact, resulting in this phenomenon. In this case, do not be surprised if your cabin heater fuse constantly blows, because until you replace the wires or insulate them, the situation will remain unchanged.
And of course, fuses can melt due to their poor quality. Such things happen, alas, quite often. Therefore, you should not skimp and buy fuses that are too cheap and unknown.
So we have discussed the most common problems of blown fuses. It is worth noting: if replacing a blown fuse with a new one and cleaning the contacts does not produce results, the best solution would be to contact a qualified car service center. Electricity is not something to joke about, since in such cases your car is at great risk of fire.
Checking the functionality of the fuse
There are two methods that can be used to check the functionality of car fuses. The first is to remove them and visually diagnose them, which is not entirely reliable. In this case, we mean using a tester. When checking a fuse with a tester, it must be set to check the continuity of the circuit. If the fuse is intact, the tester arrow will tend to zero, which means zero resistance.
The second way to determine a blown fuse is a more convenient method than in the first case, and when using it, the fuse does not have to be removed from its socket. To check them you will need a sampler. Turn on the non-working circuit, and then touch the fuse terminals with the probe one by one. If there is voltage on one terminal and no voltage on the other, then the fuse is faulty.
You must replace a faulty fuse with a similar one that is designed for the same current value. Do not use bugs - they can damage the vehicle's electrical equipment. Even factory fuses can be defective and do not burn out during a short circuit, but simply melt.
To check them you need to destroy one fuse. Wrap it around the terminals of the wire and then touch the battery. A high-quality one will burn out immediately, and such a fuse can be safely used in a car.
To protect your car's new fuses during a short circuit, you need to find out the reason why it occurred. To do this, check the wiring for damaged insulation. Take special care to inspect the places where the wires come into contact with the body. While the car is moving, a repeated short circuit will occur, so you need to understand, detect and promptly eliminate its cause.
Replacing a blown fuse
Replacing a fuse in a car is actually not a complicated procedure at all, you just need to strictly adhere to a number of rules:
1. Find the correct fuse. This is perhaps the most difficult, given the lack of information about its location. In addition, there may be multiple fuses for a given electrical system.
2. Take it out. Sometimes this is quite problematic to do without special devices, for example, forceps. Due to the increase in the number of electronic modules in a car, the number of fuses is constantly growing, and there is no more space in it. Therefore, this problem can be solved by reducing the size of the fuses themselves. This leads to the fact that it becomes almost impossible to easily reach them, hook them and remove them with your fingers. But, for example, in Ford cars, the covers of the fuse boxes have special pliers for removing them.
3. Make sure the fuse is blown. You can find out about this by looking at it. Often, today fuses are made of transparent plastic, through which a thin wire is visible, which melts in the faulty element, and this is clearly visible through the plastic.
4. Place the correct fuse in the correct location. The main thing is to install a similar fuse in the same socket where the failed “brother” was located. Fuses are available in different colors - blue, red, yellow, on which various numbers are written - 3, 5, 15, 20, 25, 30 and so on. This is the face value. Never install a fuse of a different rating, this is important! If you removed the blue 30 Ampere fuse, then do not install a 40 or 20 Ampere one. This can result in expensive repairs. Put it exactly the same as it was. You took out the blue one at 30, so put in a new blue one at 30! There is nothing complicated about it!
The second important task is to place the removed fuse in the same place from which you removed the previous burnt one. This may sound funny, but in the dark or with poor vision, people sometimes end up in the wrong nests, and the results of this are sometimes strange, but often disastrous. The fact is that in modern cars fuses are located in boxes along with electronic modules. By placing the fuse in a different location, you can force the module to work differently, and the car may begin to behave strangely, for example, you will not be able to turn off the engine when the headlights are on, or when you turn on the ignition, the headlights, power windows, or something else will not work for a couple of minutes. something.
That's all. Quite simple rules that can be adopted, and which can save you time and money. It is best to have complete fuses from those that are used in your car, a flashlight in order to replace the fuse in the dark, pliers if you cannot remove the fuse with your fingers and, perhaps, a magnifying glass if you have poor eyesight and You can't see the fuse number or rating on it.
The electrical part of the car includes fuses, which are designed to protect the electrical circuit in the event of any breakdown. How do they look? Every driver has seen the fuse box, and most car owners periodically face the need to replace these elements. But there are often other situations when the fuse is not just blown, but such a disaster occurs regularly. It is not good. Let's try to understand the reasons and find out how to correct the situation.
The main reasons for fuses failure
Among the basic reasons, several can be identified. Some of them are very serious, others are quite simple and banal. For example, a typical situation is when a fuse installed in the side light circuit fails. As soon as the driver turns on these lights, they immediately go out. And the reason in this case is completely simple and absurd - it burned out because it had less power. Let's try to highlight the main reasons why these elements fail and ruin the lives of car owners.
Bad connection
When the fuse element of the car's electrical circuit is poorly connected to the block, if the contacts of the element are not sufficiently fixed, then there is a high chance that the plastic parts of the fuse will melt. Such an element will definitely fail.
In order to solve this problem, experts recommend purchasing a product from another company, which is better known as a manufacturer of components for automotive electrical systems.
But replacing an element with a better and more expensive one does not always solve the problem. Sparks may occur due to oxidized burnt contacts. This contributes to the failure of the fuse. And it doesn’t matter what quality the installed element is, what power it has. Sometimes you need to first clean the contacts and improve the connection, and then install a new fuse.
Wear
Many people think that fusible elements burn out instantly and immediately. This is a popular misconception - in fact, everything is a little different. In a critical situation, when there is indeed increased voltage in the on-board network, the part will burn out immediately. However, when all parameters in the electrical network are within normal limits or exceed the norm only slightly, the fuse part of the fuse may burn out little by little.
The cross-section decreases every time even with minor overloads. At one point, the part will completely collapse. That's why the fuse blows - you don't have to completely disassemble the whole car. The reasons may be quite simple.
Incorrect choice
This is also a simple reason, but it also leads to unpleasant situations. Often salespeople in stores do not know what they are selling well enough. Also, not every car owner knows the laws by which electrical circuits operate. A situation often occurs when the fuse is incorrectly selected for the current in the network. As a result, it cannot withstand the load in the circuit in which it was included. Once the current is applied, the fuse will blow.
Power surges
Voltage surges may occur in the on-board network of vehicles in which safety elements operate.
Due to these surges, fuses can also fail. This can be observed when the electric motor, on which the elements of the electrical on-board network depend, is blocked.
Violation of the scheme
If a fuse has blown, it is worth looking for errors and irregularities in the supply of current to the circuit. When electricity flows through a smaller circuit than the manufacturer intended, the resistance drops. So, more current will pass through the element, and not the one for which it is designed. Most automotive electrical systems are not designed to withstand high loads. That’s why fuses are used there, which will save electronic devices in case of critical situations.
Short circuits
This is one of the serious reasons. If opposite polarities come into contact in any way, a short circuit will occur. For this reason, the stove fuse often blows. And it will burn until the owner replaces or insulates the damaged wires.
Short circuits can occur in any part of the vehicle's electrical system. Many people complain that the fuse that protects the cigarette lighter fails. The first thing you should do is not disassemble the connector, take it out and go for a new one. Everything could be much simpler.
If it is a cigarette lighter, then the issue may be the high power of the device that is connected to this cigarette lighter. It may also be a matter of the quality of contacts. Often, the adapters are Chinese, and the quality of the contacts in them is very low. It is recommended that before using radical measures, you first carefully examine the design of the cigarette lighter and find the weak point. Usually there are such places - a short circuit can easily occur in them. It is necessary to carefully inspect the contacts and, if possible, somehow insulate them. Usually, after the weak point is found and the cause of the short circuit is solved, the cigarette lighter fuse no longer blows.
Diagnostics
The cost of fuses is very affordable. Most people carry them with them - there is a whole set in the trunk. They can be easily installed into the block if necessary. The situation when a fuse fails is quite normal, since even the most reliable circuit is not protected from surges in voltage and current. If these burnouts happen very often, then a thorough diagnosis is needed.
If any of the fuses burns as soon as they are installed in the circuit, then the first step is to find out which device is causing this. To do this, you should look at the technical documentation for the car to find out which devices are in the circuit with this fuse. Then all consumers that interact with this element are included.
Next, take a screwdriver with a well-insulated handle and touch its metal part to the terminals into which the element is installed. If there is a spark, then there is a fault in the circuit. They turn off one of the electrical appliances and touch the terminal again. When the spark does not jump, it will become clear why the fuse blew. The last disconnected device is to blame.
on the road?
If the problem happened while driving, and there is no spare fuse, then the situation can still be solved using improvised means. Instead of a safety element, you can use a piece of foil from a pack of cigarettes.
This is paper based foil. It is so thin that in the event of a short circuit it will burn out in the same way as a VAZ fuse blows. This will not only improve the operation of the on-board network, but will also protect the circuit from overloads. Some people use wire, but it doesn't provide as much protection. Coins, paper clips, and other metal inserts will remain intact in the event of a critical situation. But the device, which is protected by a fuse, will fail. There is a second option, but it will require minimal knowledge of car electrics. So, if any important fuse has burned out, you can take the protective element of the cigarette lighter and install it in place of the burnt one.
How to buy a quality fuse?
These components for cars cost much less than the electrical equipment they are supposed to protect. Therefore, experts do not recommend saving on their purchase. It is better not to give preference to inexpensive, dubious models. You need to purchase only those products where all parameters are perfectly met.
Since it is not possible to check each of the elements from unknown brands, when purchasing a similar product it is better to pay attention to the products of the companies that produce them. Among the most famous manufacturers. Reviews note "Bosch", "Hella", "Vibe" and "Sound Quest". When purchasing products from an unknown company, you should first check them and only then install them on the machine. You can check it simply - connect the new element to the battery. If it burns out immediately, then the product is of high quality. If during a short circuit the product does not burn out, but melts, then it is better not to install it on the machine - it will not be able to protect electrical appliances in the event of increased current.
How to replace?
Replacing a burnt out element is quite simple. To do this, you do not need to have specialized tools and knowledge. First you need to find the location of this element. Where could he be? And the fuses are located in different places. In some cars they are under the hood, in others - in the area of the front dashboard. They are hidden under the lid. After opening it, you can remove the burnt element with two fingers and install a new one in the same way.
Conclusion
These are all the main reasons. A fuse blows, which means you need to look for a problem. It can be either simple and banal, or complex, and it will not be easy to find it. It is best to have new protective elements in stock. Then you won't have to hiccup through foil, candy wrappers or paper clips. You can notice the fuse and move on.
