Somebody please help! My punto keeps blowing its 15amp service fuse so I am constantly left without indicators, speedometer and fuel gauge. Can anybody tell me why this is? Has anyone out there experienced the same thing? HELP!
I had the same problem several years ago. The problem was a short circuit inside one of the brake light units. Disconnect the brake light switch and see if the fuse still blows, or watch carefully if the fuse blows the moment you touch the brake pedal. If the fuse only blows when actuating the brake, take the rear light assemblies out and look for possible shorts. In my case the problem only existed with very low temperatures. Some hot glue helped fixing it.
With a bit of DIY I attached a length of twin flex with a 12V panel bulb across a fuse, then when the fuse blows, the light comes on. That way you know if the fuse blows when you switch something on, or if when the brake lights come on, or if it is totally random. Random often means that a wire has chafed through to the body of the car. Maybe the interior fan motor has dried out bearings and is drawing excessive startup current, likewise the wiper motor, or water in a lamp assy. You don't say whether it has always done it, or whether you have just bought a s/h and inherited someone elses problem.
Just wondered if you noticed my post earlier yesterday about the same issue - what year is your Punto?
The problem only happened to me yesterday and last night I tried a couple of new fuses but both of them blew pretty much straight away. Just wondering, do yours blow as soon as you try the ignition after changing it, or does it work for a bit?
I'll keep posting to this thread if I discover any changes and would appreciate it if you could post if you find the solution.
Hi Richard. My car is 1995, N reg. It does start up after I've put a new fuse in but it blows again soon after. I haven't sussed out yet whether its as soon as I pull away, or when I use the indicators for the first time. I was also wondering if it was when I put the car into reverse as I always have to reverse out of my street and this is when it happens? I shall keep you posted. I've resigned myself to taking it to a garage so I shall let you know what they say. Keep in touch. Many thanks.
Well, last night I determined that the indicators worked fine while parked, but as I pulled away they died. I saw the post this morning mentioning the possibility of a short to the brake lights in the rear cluster - this is potentially an option as I'm pretty sure looking back that last night as I started to pull away a car turned into the end of the street so I will have broke to let it pass. This in all likeliness was the point at which it went, as they were working fine until this point.
I think tonight I will stick a new fuse in, turn the indicators on and try the brake. I suspect that it is in the left cluster that the problem lies (if it is indeed the problem) as it will have been my left hand signal I had on when moving off.
If I can't sort it tonight I'll probably take it somewhere tomorrow, but at least if I can narrow it down a bit it might not take them as long to find the problem and therefore not cost me as much!
Cheers for the input - I don't anyway. I really do think that it might be to do with the brake lights, as it does seem that it may be when pressing the brake while the indicator is on.
If this is the case, can anybody suggest what I should look for if I remove the lighting cluster? I can't see that the brake lights coming on would in any way create a short to ground, but could it be that there is a short between the brake lights/indicator that makes the break light draw excessive current through the indicator circuit? Would brake lights usually be fused at a higher value than the inidicators? The indicator/system fuse is rated at 15 amps.
but that is possible. The electrical connections (including the ground connections) within the lighting cluster are made of relatively long strips of uninsulated metal melted into the plastic casing. If they come loose, they can bend, touch and make a short. It is easy to see and to fix once you have taken the unit out. With my punto, the short was only created at very low temperatures (below -10°C) due to length changes. Impossible to find if you take the car into a heated garage, and don't know what to look for. I used hot glue to fix the problem.
Cheers for that. It does seem to fit in with my problem as when I got home last night and tried a new fuse it all worked fine and didn't blow, when I tried it again this morning (car totally frozen) it blew straight away.
Oh, and it is definately the break lights that are causing it - nothing at all to do with the indicators it would seem, as I tried both indicators first and they worked but as soon as I tried the brake (on its own) I heard the fuse go!
It seems that Heiner was totally right - I suggest you try this. I took off one of the lighting clusters, dismantled it and found that there was a point where the positive for the brake light was extremely close to the ground and was probably shorting when the metals contracted with the cold. I suggest you take yours apart and have a look in case it is the same problem.
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