Causes of Car Fuse Damage: Location, Check & More

A fuse in a car acts as a safety component for the various electrical mechanisms. The battery and alternator in your vehicle generate high voltage and the relays in the fuse box keep passengers safe from it. The fuse box protects the relays and fuses from water and various weather conditions.

One of the major causes of car fuse blowing off is excess electric current. This can hinder the working of many components in your car. For instance, devices installed for drivers’ ease and entertainment are usually the first to stop working. These devices include interior lighting or a car stereo as well as electrically powered systems like chassis electronics, driver-assist features, powertrain electronics and safety features in a car. When these components or systems fail, look for the bad fuse and then replace it.

Let’s explore how to locate a blown car fuse and the causes of car fuse failure in detail.

What Causes Car Fuse Damage

car engine bay with fuse — Car fuses are integrated by all the automakers to ensure safety of other electric components

Several factors can cause car fuses damage. It can either be a fault in any one electrical component, poor wiring harness or issues with the vehicle’s internal computer. If you suspect there is a blown fuse, your next step should be to seek the help of a trained professional to identify the cause and get the issue resolved:

Determining the cause of a blown fuse is often too technical for most people who do not have ample knowledge of a car’s electronic functions.
For instance, if a car won’t start or the fuse box clicks, it is assumed that there is a problem with the relay, caused either by a failure in a car’s computer, a problem with ground wires or a power supply on the relay’s control side
Other electrical problems in cars that are not related to the battery or the car alternator are most often the result of a melted or overheated fuse that is interrupting the flow of the electricity. A blown fuse can also be the result of over-usage, or when the vehicle has been installed with extra devices or accessories that require electric power. In most cases, a blown fuse can indicate a much bigger problem and thus warrant a professional check.
Fuses can also break down due to usage of incorrect amperage than that recommended. For example, you should avoid replacing a 10-amp fuse with a 30-amp fuse because. The former is designed to work at a lower current rate whereas the latter allows more current to pass through. Logically, more current running through an area designed for lower voltage would ultimately damage the component.
Car fuses may also fail due to overheating. This can happen when added electrical accessories or components are installed in the vehicle requiring more voltage to operate.

Once you have identified a blown fuse in your vehicle, the next step is to obtain a new one that is identical to the one being replaced.

There are primarily three types of vehicle fuses:

Squarish plastic fuses with twin prongs
Cylindrical glass fuses
Cylindrical plastic fuses

They all use breakable filaments. Like mentioned earlier, it is important to get a new fuse of the same type as anything different can potentially damage the component of your car that you are trying to protect with the fuse.

How to Find Blown Car Fuses

When you suspect a blown fuse, turn off the car and locate the main fuse box. You have to know where the car fuses are located beforehand. Usually, it is in the driver’s side footwell under the dashboard while in other cases, it can be under the hood too. You may also consult the manual to get the exact location.

In most cases, you can look over the given diagram illustrating the positions of the car fuses with their respective names to identify the broken fuse relating to the vehicle component. It must be remembered that there are over 30 fuses in a regular vehicle whereas high-end luxury cars with added electronics may have two to three times as many.

detect blown car fuse — Using a multimeter voltmeter to check the voltage level of fuses in a car

After identifying the root of the problem, use a fuse puller/plier to pull out the bad fuse and visually inspect it. You can easily spot a blown fuse with its melted or burnt wire element due to its extremely high electrical current. Using a test light or multimeter, you can also identify a dead fuse without having to visually inspect it. Both of the tools are not only affordable but easy-to-use as well.

In case the car fuse failed to regulate the high voltage, there is a possibility that your car’s ECU and other parts may get damaged. The replacement and repair cost of the ECU could be heavy on your pocket and may also, require a lot of time. In such a scenario, you may consider buying one of the used cars for sale in the UAE that are affordable and fulfil your need. Take a look at the following list:

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