Auto Electrics for dummies
 

Can anyone recommend a book dealing with auto electrics that is pretty basic and can get me figuring out where to start when I need to troubleshoot? I have a couple of little issues that I would like to get working on. Thanks, DT

Describe the issues and the kind of car. Some of us here might be able to help.

Haynes manual?

My left turn signal and left tail light are inop. When I pull my light switch to the first stop the fuse blows. I have pulled the light covers and checked the areas for obvious shorts but I do not know where to start with the troubleshooting. What works best for me is to have a guide to say start here, do this. I have a pretty good multitester. Just wished I knew what an ohm is and what I am checking with it.

Check all the lights.. pull the bulbs out and try again. You may have a broken dual filament (stop/tail) light bulb which is back feeding. Try also disconnecting the light unit wire harness from the body harness (it's inside the engine compartment)

Britwrench, where is the light unit harness in the engine compt?

On the extreme end of the inner engine panel (by the rear fuse box) is a round socket set into the metal, that is the haness plug from the lights, the body wire harness plugs into it.

I would remove all the bulbs first and check them before doing anything else.

A short finder may be your best friend.... http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1378&itemType=PRODUCT&cm_mmc=PMD_S E-_-Google-_-Electrical_

disconnect all the lights on that side, then test - keep adding one bulb at a time until it blows fuse. if blown fuse right away before the 1st bulb disconnect the harness, then plug 'em back in one at a time and repeat process.

Clean the grounds as well, if they have resistance then the voltage requirements will go up overloading the fuse.

HP and Peterson sell nice hot rod store basic electric books for around $20/ea. Marine stores sell others that are also very good at offering a fuller look at car electrics. Good eventual entrainment is small aircraft elec books. And once you start with ECM troubleshooting and trick multiplex systems a very high speed scope might become necessary?


those short finders are a good tool imo.