Brake lights : Short circuit

[LMP]

A short in the right hand brake circuit has blown the fuse. I tested with an ammeter replacing the fuse and it draws 3.5 amps on the left and 22 amps on the right. Pulled rear right light block from the van and all is A1 there. Will investigate tomorrow...anyone with an event like this ?

[WelmoedJ]

I have not up to this moment.
If disconnecting the tail light unit solves the problem, it has IMO to do with the internal wiring or socket in the unit.
If the bulb is removed, it still shorts the belonging fuse?
Then it probably isn't the socket, but the wiring/circuit board.

22 Amps is way too much for just a brake light.
A brake bulb is 21 Watt, so the current ought to be something like 1.75A at 12V.
Usually the fuse protects more than this bulb.

If you have a tow hook and the belonging electrical connector for a trailer, it may well be that the problem is in the trailer connector.

Not sure if this is helpful as you most of the time help others solving problems. Anyway it's a try.

[LMP]

Originally Posted by WelmoedJ

...If you have a tow hook and the belonging electrical connector for a trailer, it may well be that the problem is in the trailer connector..

SHAME...SHAME... .I cannot admit I did not think of that in the first place.....that was it. I had a splice covered with tape...the tape had slipped....
...as I use to say: simple things first....(will try to remember)...

...I use to make multiple splices in a staggered fashion....so that no two splices can exist side by side, precisely to avoid that kind of problem. I think I'll go back to that good idea that obviously I had not followed that time...

[Jeff Collision]

If a fuse keeps blowing, it usually means something is amiss in the circuit. The wiring should be checked along with the components in the circuit to ensure if there's a short or other problem. Fuses are built with a specific amp rating which is marked on the fuse. So respect the amp ratings specified for fuses (which can usually be found in your vehicle owners manual, or on the fuse block itself).

[LMP]

NOw...this is better....

[WelmoedJ]

Originally Posted by LMP

NOw...this is better....

Oh boy, I guess your more knowledgeable in mechanical than in electrical?
I've seen such connections in cars of English origin, some even with a insulation cap as used in household electricity.

If you own a soldering iron you may wish to make a soldered connection, finished with shrinkwrap.
More secure, more safe and better resisting the tooth of time.

Glad I could be of help this time after you helped me many a time in the past.

[LMP]

YOu are making me even more ashamed ....yes I know my splice is cheap....and although I thought of it, I left the soldering gun in the electronics shop....and even reneged the shrinkable tubing I have and could have covered each of the splices with after soldering....but frankly, I use the trailer attachement so rarely it explains why I did not think of that in the first place,,,and I was more eager to clear the short circuit than by the esthetics of the repair....So..I can do better but..by all means....cheap is OK for that time .

[WelmoedJ]

Originally Posted by LMP

YOu are making me even more ashamed ....yes I know my splice is cheap....and although I thought of it, I left the soldering gun in the electronics shop....and even reneged the shrinkable tubing I have and could have covered each of the splices with after soldering....but frankly, I use the trailer attachement so rarely it explains why I did not think of that in the first place,,,and I was more eager to clear the short circuit than by the esthetics of the repair....So..I can do better but..by all means....cheap is OK for that time .

Actually I expected you would be better in this regard
Some of us are very picky and over-cautiously.
Perhaps I'm such a person.
Mind that the only perfect people are those no longer with us.

I probably will need you assistance some time in the future.
Yesterday the oil/fuel pressure sender burped and now I perhaps can get better info as the MAL light came on.
Will add that info to the other thread after gathering the codes.

[LMP]

I will survive my demise! All is fine now and all lights...even the trailer ones.... work. Funny though, the fuse I used for a replacement initially would not make the brakes and hazard lights work...though the left and right turn flashers would..(after the short circuit being gone)... as the turn flasher has a different 12V feed. THe fuse provision I had was several years old and indeed was revealed to have a layer of white powdered corrosion over the prongs. Once carefully and religiously cleaned out, all went well... proving again, like I use to consider philosophically, that a million microscopic transistors in a chip are invisibly interconnected and work flawlesly, but you cannot trust a pair of wires that you see to make a real contact when you want it, or be isolated when needed....
My oil pressure sender does send erratic reading, has been doing so for 3 years...THis signal (on my '93) is not used by the computer....from '97 this signal is routed through the computer to the needles...but in your case, like mine, the check engine light will not come from that kind of event..is your car 100% OBD2 readable ? (94 and '95 were "OBD1 1/2"...hard to get the codes.)

OH...yeah: what a beauty, your DeLorean ! Have a look at my special car: www.avigex.ca/GP/gp629.jpg

[WelmoedJ]

Wow, that's a very nice car.
Of course you are very proud to have such a beautiful car.
It's way much older than my D.

My DeLorean is one of the few (approx. 100-150 cars) that have been painted. Not factory though, as the factory didn't have a paint street nor a permit to set one up. Painting was permitted by the big boss, but dealers had to take care of the job.

My Pontiac is a late 95 model and therefore designated as being a 96er.
Most of the problems were in the first 3 (warranty) years, fortunately.
A picture of the car is in my oil pressure switch thread, as per your request: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1080789
If I'm correct these cars were built in Austria.
A week ago I have replaced the spark plugs; man oh man, that's a hell of a job on a 6 cylinder car. Took me about 3 hours for the rear ones.

One of the major changes I made was rewiring the main lights. The factory wiring was way too light to provide good power to the lamps. I rewired using 2.5 mm2 wire and for each unit its own relay. That improved the light by 50%. I also made all units work when the high beam is turned on.

I started doing my own maintenance after I found that the workshop that did service the car previously, never replaced the oil filter (it still had the factory sticker on it after removing). I knew why: the filter seized so tightly that it ruptured totally upon attempts to remove it.

Now I actually don't need a big car like this one, but it drives well, is comfortable and most of all it's worth nothing for trading in. So I keep it as long as possible, at least until the engine gives in. An overhaul is a bit too much for the car's age and for me.

Attached is daylight picture of my D taken while on the test track of the former factory at Dunmurry N-Ireland. I seem unable at the moment to find a decent picture of the Pontiac, other than the one in the other thread.

[Jrs3800]

Solder and shrink tube is your friend... Glad you found that..

[500hpgtx]

It is absolutely amazing to me what havoc a bad connection can do. When I used to work on blood analyzers, the older models had A LOT of fine wiring.
The amount of time looking for those intermittent problems was really aggravating. On my grand prix, the HID aftermarket lights and fogs are real prone corrosion issues from the winter road salt. I go to extra measures, and still have aggravation....cheers KEV