Cannot Find Short... - Audio & Electronics Forum

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Cannot Find Short...
Saturday, July 13, 2013 11:19 AM
There is a short SOMEWHERE on my cig and radio fuses. I have traced everything I can think of but there is still something running on those fuses that is shorting and causing my battery to drain overnight...

Has anyone had a short from something running on these fuses? Any ideas of specific things to look at or check?

Re: Cannot Find Short...
Sunday, July 14, 2013 12:17 AM
A short? As in, blows the fuse?

Or parasitic draw... as in causes your battery to die overnight.

Because the two are completely different...
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Sunday, July 14, 2013 7:33 AM
Whats plugged into your cig lighter?

If its killing your battery how is it a short? How do you know its on those circuits?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, July 14, 2013 7:33 AM
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:13 PM
parasitic draw is what i meant...

Nothing is plugged into my cig lighter. I dont even keep the lighter plugged into it cus i use it sometimes for my GPS

Once I pull those 2 fuses the draw stops
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 9:36 AM
Do you have to pull them both for the draw to stop?

What's your radio setup?
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Friday, July 19, 2013 5:07 PM
Yeah I have to pull both for the draw to stop.

I just have nothing but an aftermarket headunit. No other bells and whistles in this car.
I had the car for about a year and a half before this problem came up and the headunit has been in it ever since I bought the car. I even checked the wiring for it and it looks very nicely done.
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Friday, July 19, 2013 5:43 PM
First thing id look into is the radio actually turning off with the car?
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Sunday, July 21, 2013 10:23 AM
the radio does turn off with the car as it should
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 10:32 AM
What year/model is your car? Is there any sort of T-harness so you retain the chimes with the aftermarket radio? Is there a factory amplifier in the left side of the trunk (behind the carpet?)

I'm trying to figure out the connection.. normally, the radio fuse only powers the radio.. possibly there's an amp that is not powering off. But that is another fuse entirely...
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Thursday, July 25, 2013 12:22 PM
Forgive me if I'm wrong but does the cig lighter fuse not run the OBD II port, also?

Maybe there is an issue in the OBDII diagnostic line...

-Chris-



-Sweetness-
-Turbocharged-
Slowly but surely may some day win this race...
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Thursday, July 25, 2013 2:02 PM
That's sort of what I was eluding to.. the only thing I can think that would affect both the cig lighter and radio circuits would be a chime module..

Re: Cannot Find Short...
Friday, July 26, 2013 4:52 PM
I am sorry...it is the 1997 2.2L Coupe

There is no factory amp or amp of any kind in this car.

I am not sure what a T-Harness is...but I only get a chime though when I leave the key in the ignition and open the door.

The Cig fuse DOES indeed run the OBDII port.
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Monday, July 29, 2013 11:15 PM
Ok, then I have no idea. The chime module is used on 2000+ models (or a T-harness, to relocate the stock deck into the trunk), as the radio is what produces the chimes.. not a separate box as in the 97 model year.

You would have to start looking at the wiring... a painful task.
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, July 31, 2013 6:00 PM
Well it seems to me that I was wrong about something on the radio fuse being part of the problem...ive had that fuse back in for a few days and have had no drain or dead battery..

The problem still remains with the Cig fuse though which when left in drains slowly overnight
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, August 07, 2013 6:15 PM
Anyone else?
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, August 07, 2013 7:06 PM
I had this problem with my 2200 Cav. Mine would drain over like 4 days of none use, very rare but ya. Anyway. It was my cigarette lighter. The cigarette lighter is ALWAYS on, so mine was like shorting out. Although it still worked, I just ended up swapping dashes for a new lighter. I still thought it was weird because it never had a "load" on it. Just empty but It sometimes worked and sometimes didnt if I wiggled it. So I assumed it was the cause of the problem. Defiantly check that out.
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, August 07, 2013 7:49 PM
Yeah...I did noticed it is always on...such as having to unplug my GPS when I leave the car otherwise it doesnt go off by itself from loosing power from the car going off...

Is the cig lighter supposed to still get power while the car is off? I know some cars the cig lighter works when the car is off and others it does not. I am going to take a better look at it this weekend to see if I see anything fishy.
Re: Cannot Find Short...
Wednesday, August 07, 2013 9:10 PM
Gm cigarette lighter ports always stay on with the car being off unless it is a aux port like 90s vans had above the drivers head.


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