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Signal fuse blows when put in reverse

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Old 07-22-2011, 01:19 PM
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Default Signal fuse blows when put in reverse

Guys
When I put my car in reverse it blows the signal/backup light fuse. Just started doing it today. Car is bone stock and only 22k miles. I removed the backup lights thinking it may be a corroded socket, still blows the fuse. Where is the backup light switch? in the tranny or located at the shifter? Car is a 6 speed. Any help is greatly appreciated.

The signals work fine until you put it in reverse and the fuse immediately pops.
Old 07-23-2011, 03:41 PM
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I figured it out. I just unplugged the reverse light switch from the tranny, jumped the wires in the harness....the reverse lights came on and the fuse didn't blow. Gonna be getting a new reverse switch on monday......thanks to all of you who replied..... lol...
Old 07-24-2011, 09:55 PM
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Weird. I wonder how a bad switch could do this? I would have thought a short between the reverse and signal lights.
Old 07-25-2011, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by wssix99
Weird. I wonder how a bad switch could do this? I would have thought a short between the reverse and signal lights.
It is a short to ground. The switch has failed internally.
Old 07-25-2011, 11:48 AM
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Turns and reverse lights must be on the same fuse.
Old 07-25-2011, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by SparkyJJO
Turns and reverse lights must be on the same fuse.
That's probably why it's labeled TURN B/U.
Old 07-25-2011, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
That's probably why it's labeled TURN B/U.
Yeah yeah

Cut me a little slack, I don't have an f-body anymore so I couldn't really go out and check
Old 07-26-2011, 07:00 AM
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Isn't it interesting how many of us old-timers still hang out here despite not having an f-body anymore? I find the members here are a lot less prone to flaming than on the other forums I've started frequenting. That's why I figured I could make a tongue-in-cheek comment about the fuse without stepping on toes.
Old 10-02-2011, 05:24 AM
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Hopefully for me, these two are related.

As above, when I put the gear in reverse, my Turn B/U fuse blows. But also, at night, when I put my e-brake down fully, my headlights don't turn on automatically; I gotta manually turn them on via the dial. And the fuse still blows. I'm starting to go through fuses like a mad man.

In the daytime, as long as I don't go in reverse, I'm okay.
At night, as long as I don't go in reverse, AND don't put the e-brake all the way down past the last "click", I'm okay. Could this all be related to the switch on the tranny?
Old 10-02-2011, 11:35 PM
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Originally Posted by thecobrahunter
Hopefully for me, these two are related.

As above, when I put the gear in reverse, my Turn B/U fuse blows. But also, at night, when I put my e-brake down fully, my headlights don't turn on automatically; I gotta manually turn them on via the dial. And the fuse still blows. I'm starting to go through fuses like a mad man.

In the daytime, as long as I don't go in reverse, I'm okay.
At night, as long as I don't go in reverse, AND don't put the e-brake all the way down past the last "click", I'm okay. Could this all be related to the switch on the tranny?
Auto or manual trans? Did the auto headlights work before then randomly quit working? Did the reverse blowing fuses start happening at the same time the headlights stopped working or at a different time?

Unplug your tail light harness to try ruling that out.

Could also be a problem with the DRL module as the auto headlamps are operated through that as well.
Old 10-03-2011, 05:38 AM
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Originally Posted by SparkyJJO
Auto or manual trans? Did the auto headlights work before then randomly quit working? Did the reverse blowing fuses start happening at the same time the headlights stopped working or at a different time?

Unplug your tail light harness to try ruling that out.

Could also be a problem with the DRL module as the auto headlamps are operated through that as well.
Manual Tranny
auto headlights did work before this started happening
blowing fuses and auto headlights stopped at the same time

I have an appointment with my shop guru on Tuesday. I will definately try unplugging the taillight harness to see what happens. Thanks!
Old 10-03-2011, 07:46 AM
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The two circuits (backup lights and auto headlights) are not related in any way. The backup light circuit is a very simple power goes from fuse through switch to bulbs and then to ground setup. The blowing fuse would indicate that you have a short somewhere between the switch and the bulbs or in the switch itself.

On the other hand, the automatic headlights are controlled by the DRL module behind the radio. The parking brake switch can not short because it is a grounding switch anyway (i.e. if it "shorted" to ground the circuit would see the parking brake on all the time but it would not blow a fuse).

I suspect that the fuse only blows when you put the car in reverse regardless of whether the parking brake is up or down and that the auto headlights is a separate problem. Does the "BRAKE" warning light on the dash go on and off when you engage and disengage the parking brake? That will tell you if the headlight problem is with the parking brake switch or elsewhere like the DRL module.
Old 10-04-2011, 12:36 AM
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Well, when I push down on the brake handle all the way, the BRAKE light goes out. When I pull up the handle, the brake light turns on.

I'll be taking my car in Tuesday to have someone take a look. As best as I can describe, as long as (1) I don't shift into reverse (2) I don't put down the brake handle past the last click, everything works perfectly.
Old 10-04-2011, 07:26 AM
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I'm still not clear what relation the parking brake has to your fuse blowing.

Is this true:
1 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake engaged
2 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake off.

If so then the parking brake is not related to the fuse blowing (it could still be related to the automatic headlights).
Old 10-04-2011, 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
I'm still not clear what relation the parking brake has to your fuse blowing.

Is this true:
1 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake engaged
2 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake off.

If so then the parking brake is not related to the fuse blowing (it could still be related to the automatic headlights).
I think the connection between the parking brake and blown fuses might be this - releasing the brake will tell the DRL module to turn on the auto headlights when it is dark, but something is wrong with the DRL module so when that happens it pops the fuse.

Something else came to mind - does the fuse blow if you are driving while it is light and you come to a stop under a bridge long enough for the sensor to trigger the auto headlights?
Old 10-04-2011, 01:03 PM
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It's true that the DRL module also gets power from the Turn/BU fuse. But I was looking more to clarify the conditions that cause the fuse to blow rather than the electrical connections because aside from sharing a fuse, the DRL module and backup light circuit have nothing in common.

So my question is "does releasing the parking brake blow the fuse even without shifting into reverse?" Or is it shifting into reverse that blows the fuse (regardless of parking brake position)?
Old 10-04-2011, 03:11 PM
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Originally Posted by WhiteBird00
I'm still not clear what relation the parking brake has to your fuse blowing.

Is this true:
1 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake engaged
2 - The fuse blows when you put the car in reverse with the parking brake off.

If so then the parking brake is not related to the fuse blowing (it could still be related to the automatic headlights).
(1) I've never tried going into reverse with the parking break on
(1) Only when the DRL should go on, does the fuse blow when I put the e-brake down past the last click. Otherwise, during the day, when I put the e-brake down all the way, the fuse stays just fine, and my turn signals work.

I haven't come to an opportunity to see if the fuse blows during the day, say, if I'm stopped at a light under a dark bridge, and the DRL try to come on.
Old 10-04-2011, 03:28 PM
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Too bad you didn't live here in Ohio, I'd gladly help track this down.
Old 10-04-2016, 09:38 PM
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Originally Posted by sdxp787
I figured it out. I just unplugged the reverse light switch from the tranny, jumped the wires in the harness....the reverse lights came on and the fuse didn't blow. Gonna be getting a new reverse switch on monday......thanks to all of you who replied..... lol...
Hi i replaced my reverse light switch and still have the problem of blowing fuses but i bought a jobber maybe u should try an original
Old 10-05-2016, 06:47 AM
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What makes you think the backup light switch is the source of the problem? Have you tested with a meter or test light? Chances are that you have a short someplace between the switch and the backup lights or in the light sockets. In that case, the fuse would only blow when the you engage reverse causing the switch to allow current to flow to the short. The switch is the trigger but not the source of the problem.



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