Do You Have a Blown Fuse?
Have you ever tripped or blown a fuse at home? Im not talking about when you get really mad at the TV and throw the remote. Or when your kid does something bad and you lose it. Im talking about those times when lights suddenly go out, or your blender or vacuum quits working. When this happens at home, you usually just have to reset the breaker and the lights come back on, or the blender starts working again. Just make sure you leave the lid on before you flip that switch. That could be a huge mess.
Anyway, tripping a fuse is usually not a huge problem. But a blown fuse means you must replace it. The same is true with your car, truck, crossover, or SUV. These tiny little fuses are hidden away but theyre still very important for your car to run smoothly. These fuses help protect your vehicle from overloading or short-circuiting. So what happens when you do blow a fuse? How do you replace it?
Why Do Fuses Blow?
First off, fuses typically blow for a couple of reasons. The most common reason is that the circuit draws too much power, which overloads the fuses capacity. The metal ribbon inside the fuse casing melts, and the fuse blows. So when this overload occurs, any system in your vehicle that is powered by that circuit is going to stop working.
The other reason you might get a blown fuse in your vehicle is because wires cross. When a grounding pathway or a neutral wire crosses paths with and touches a hot wire it causes a blown fuse. This is often called a short circuit. The result is the same as an overloaded circuit. The metal ribbon will melt and the systems run by that circuit will stop working.
How to Check for a Blown Fuse
Although a blown fuse is inconvenient, its usually easy to resolve. In most cases, you can change blown fuses yourself. Of course, if youre not comfortable doing that, we can help. But the first thing you need to do is to locate the fuse box. To test your fuses youll need a fuse tester or a high-impedance digital multimeter (DMM). You can purchase either at most auto parts stores.
When you have your tool you can check your fuse capacity in three different ways. You can check the available voltage with the DMM, or the continuity. If you choose a fuse tester, just touch the probe pins on the back of the fuse. The indictor light on the fuse tester will tell you whether its good or bad. If you have a bad fuse, just remove the blown one and replace it with a new one.
Dont Let a Blown Fuse Stop You
Although theyre tiny and you rarely see them, fuses play an important role in your vehicles operation. When a fuse goes bad that means something wont work right. And the only way to fix this is to replace the fuse. This is usually an easy fix. But if youre not sure how to take care of it yourself, you can always come see us at Hoesly Eco Automotive. And if your car, truck, crossover, or SUV has any other problem, please call us today at 360-695-5871, or click here to schedule your appointment online.
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