Hazard / Fuse Problem

[paul_r]

Hi

Been having issues with battery draining recently. I've also had issues with an optronic ignition going wrong. I turned the hazards on today and only right hand side flashes. After 5 or 6 flashes pops the fuse. Looks like it's the perm live issue? The indicators seems to work fine with ignition on. Only the hazards don't work and pops fuse.

 

Anybody have any ideas on how to find cure the problem?

[Longboarder]

Taking it logically battery drain means a route to earth through a permanent live, before or after the switch or the item itself. With everything switched off, remove the battery earth lead and connect up an ammeter between the negative pole of the battery and the earth lead. Is there any current running? If there is pull fuses one by one and see if you can find one which stops the drain. This would identify the circuit of the current drain. If a drain exists when all the fuses have been pulled then it's in a non fused circuit such as the alternator.

Hazard fuse popping.(Good to know you have a fused circuit.) The permanent live to the hazard switch is , er, permanently live so would blow if it was shorted. I'm assuming hazards and indicators use the same relay. Hazard switch connects permanent live to relay 49 and siameses 49a to both left and right indicator circuits. Assuming you can use the left indicators normally when running which would suggest the bulbs and their wires are downstream of the problem I would be looking at the hazard switch itself (after giving both left and right indicators a 30 second run).

What value fuse do you have for the hazard switch and what value fuse for the flashers?

What else is shared on these fuses?

 

Nigel

[paul_r]

Thanks for the wise words of wisdom Nigel!! Especially as being non electrically minded I understood them

 

I had a 10a fuse originally but I think this popped, which should have made me think. the last fuse that popped was15a I was going to IVA which I forgot about in the excitement of passing.

I am using the standard hazard switch on the steering column for the Sierra. I know when I initially connected the column switches up I did have problems, perhaps they were just hiding instead of gone.

The only other thing I noticed is that the speedo and the clock stopped working. I assume that the clock should be a negligible drain on the battery but I'll disconnect during fault finding.

[fry61]

You may not have an ammeter that will read to 20/25 amp. if so connect a 12volt lamp ( 21 watt indicator lamp should do) exactly as Nigel described for the ammeter -- any drain will show by the test lamp glowing ( or brilliant if large leakage) & continue as Nigel's post until the fault shows itself.

Edited June 21, 2015 by florin metal works

[paul_r]

Managed to spend a couple of minute on the car. Plugged a build and nothing that I could see. Replaced the fuse and everything seems to be ok and didn't blow.

 

Is there such a thing as a old fuse or a duff fuse? Looked at the gap of the blown fuse and it was a small gap.

[Longboarder]

Yes. Not common but I'm sure we've all had a blown fuse for no reason we ever found. Check all the hazard bulbs. Spray the hazard switch with WD40 and operate 10 times. They do get sticky and contacts in them corrode. Good chance it has sorted itself. If the new fuse blows then you do have to search for a fault.

 

Nigel