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Blown dimmer fuse

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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 01:26 AM
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Default Blown dimmer fuse

I took my car to Circuit City (I know, bad Idea) to install some speakers I got from there as a gift. Anyway, now my dashboard lights will not go on. The guy put in a new 5A fuse in the dimmer location it blew out. He went up to 30a and all the fuses he used blew out. Now the fuse it self is not getting any power at all. Does anybody have any idea what is going on?
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 01:38 AM
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uhhh..........what is the fuse supposed to pass? (EDIT: sorry...poorly worded - how many amps is that fuse location supposed to pass?) (I have no idea - not with car) - but if he just went ahead and tried a fuse that passes more current to try to solve whatever the problem was....then chances are something somewhere else burned up, acting like a fuse since the one rated too high certainly wasn't going to...

CC did all of this? What did you tell them? Did you speak with any management? BBB? I have no idea - I've never been in a situation like that, but I would start with CC management, and progress up the hierarchy until the problem is resolved.

Last edited by fredmr39; Apr 16, 2007 at 04:52 AM.
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 09:00 AM
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Never put in a higher amp fuse. It will just lead to melted wires and a fire.

There is a short somewhere that is blowing that fuse. Probably a screw going through a wire somewhere or the sheathing was scraped off a wire and its grounding out. Since the installer went up to a 30amp fuse and it blew and now there is no power there, the wires have melted and can no longer pass current. You're lucky he didn't burn your car to the ground.
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 09:57 AM
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The IP DIMMER fuse gets its power from the TAIL LPS fuse. It sounds like the reason you now have no power at the IP DIMMER fuse is because sometime during all the messing around you also blew the TAIL LPS fuse.

As far as why it's blowing fuses in the first place, VIP1 is correct - somewhere there is a dead short to ground.
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 11:06 AM
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Sounds like it is going to be fun times finding it
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by srproductions
Sounds like it is going to be fun times finding it
You don't seem as upset as I would be for someone doing something like putting a higher-rated fuse in... Have you contacted CC at all about this???
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 09:42 PM
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It simply amazes me that people are working on cars, installing electrical stuff and don't understand that you can't just keep putting in bigger fuses untill you find one that doesn't blow or lets the smoke out of the wire! If the circuit that is blowing the fuse is on the dimmer then i'll bet the wire that controls how bright the radio is when the headlights are on is the one that is shorted. Did they mess with your HU? Is it stock? I see this at work often, they install a new HU, don't use the dimmer wire on the new radio and leave it hanging back there to short against something. It's worth a try to check. Even if they pulled the HU out and reinstalled it it could have happened.
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Old Apr 16, 2007 | 10:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Ramairbird
It simply amazes me that people are working on cars, installing electrical stuff and don't understand that you can't just keep putting in bigger fuses untill you find one that doesn't blow or lets the smoke out of the wire! If the circuit that is blowing the fuse is on the dimmer then i'll bet the wire that controls how bright the radio is when the headlights are on is the one that is shorted. Did they mess with your HU? Is it stock? I see this at work often, they install a new HU, don't use the dimmer wire on the new radio and leave it hanging back there to short against something. It's worth a try to check. Even if they pulled the HU out and reinstalled it it could have happened.
I went through the CC managment, it is alot more hastle then it is worth. I feel I am better off boycotting CC forever and having all my friends do this. Of course, CC Corp is aware but they prob dont car.


As far as the wire, I know they pulled my stock headunit out and put it back in. I am not sure if they disconnected the dimmer wire. Although, now after I installed a aftermarket HU (using quick connect harness) the headunit lights up by it self all the time when the power is on, including at night unlike the stock one that did not light up when the lights were on. Can anyone explain this?
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Old Apr 17, 2007 | 02:48 AM
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**** that id sue the **** out of em for ****** up ur car....get a lawer
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