3amp fuse for guage cluster blowes when ignition switch is turned on

[boatingfun]

I have a 2001 fourwinns 230 horizon. it has the vdo auto style guage cluster. the moment i turn on the ignition switch the 3amp fuse blowes and i have no guages.
any idea where to look? any common places. im assuming its a short somewhere.
I have the wire diagram from my fourwins owners manual but itis difficult to locate that fuse on there.
thanks in advance for your help.

 

[alldodge]

If this is the inline fuse which feeds the ignition key, it should be 20 amp

 

[boatingfun]

It is an inline fuse on purple wire coming from ignition to guage cluster

 

[sam am I]

Yes, F12 ("cluster fuse") should be 3 amps............This fuse also feeds power to your speedo pickup. Probably a few ways to go at this, here's one (1) of 2^3..........

So, there should be a 4 position connector (J12) that you can unplug from this pickup (i assume at or near the pickup), unplug it, replace the 3 amp fuse, power it up.......

If fuse doesn't blow,

• replace speedo pickup. (could be flooded 12VDC/3Amps = 4 ohms'ish or lower, or just went bad and shorted)

Else (it blows again)

• leave speedo pickup disconnected at J12, disconnect instrument cluster connector (under dash I assume) J01 from P01, replace fuse, power it up....

If the fuse doesn't blow,

• you have something shorted in the cluster, you'll just have to disconnect one gauge's purple wire at a time until the fuse doesn't blow (do you have a test lamp? might save ya from having to buy pack of fuses)

Else (it blows again)

• the speedo cable/connector/s leading to the speedo pickup most likely has a short or something around 12VDC/3Amps = 4 ohms'ish or lower due to perhaps flooding/pinched/conductive corrosion.

 

[Redfred1]

I learned this trick from back in my TV repair days. Hook the test light up across the fuse. Naturally it will be bright.Start disconnecting things one at a time. Check each circuit. When the light goes dim; you have found your short.

 

[sam am I]

I learned this trick from back in my TV repair days. Hook the test light up across the fuse. Naturally it will be bright.Start disconnecting things one at a time. Check each circuit. When the light goes dim; you have found your short.

Excellent plan Rf1........

boatingforfun, two (2) of 2^3

Connect a test lamp's alligator clip side to your battery positive side (or 12V side of blown fuse's receptacle) and probe the load side of the blown fuse's receptacle while doing as Rf1 suggested (disconnecting connector's/devices, see above). With a short present, the lamp will be quite bright but, w/o a short.....and with the normal loads, the lamp should be somewhat dimmer just as Rf1 indicated

(Just be advised, lamp brightness can vary around here a bit and depends somewhat on type of test lamp as some lamps vary in resistance from one tester to another, and in combo with the normal load current draw, can sometimes be less obvious. With a 3 amp circuit, should be pretty evident tho)

BTW Rf1, I cut my teeth on a few TV's as well. Oh the good ole days of 2nd anodes corona's and ozone in the air eh? Amazing where we've come from since then, and in such a short time too!!.........geeesh

 

[Silvertip]

Gosh I don't miss 35Z5's and 50L6's. Or the old vacuum tube test stations at the local drug and hardware stores.

 

[boatingfun]

Thanks for your help guys. I found my problem. It was a short on my trim sensor.

 

[Redfred1]

With the tube type TV's they had the circuit breaker that would get stuck; and smoke up the house.Then went to solid state stuff with the fuse. You could stick a 75 watt light bulb in inline and determine which circuit was bad. It worked great! Gave up after 33yrs.