Today, York Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM, your reputed CDJR auto dealership serving Prescott, AZ, will dispense with high school electrical basics to explain an auto short circuit.
An electric charge takes a path of least resistance, but we forget that this ‘least resistance’ means the shortest path. When a wire gets frayed, meets another metal surface, or a bare connector, charges get shunted from their original paths to the shortest route as a ground or power short circuit.
What An Electrical Short Manifests As?
You can look for seven things to help you sense a short or an electrical problem:
- a burnt plastic scent in the car’s cockpit
- the electrical fault light turns on
- your car has a problematic ignition or a dead self
- your car’s electronic functions start to falter
- your car battery is draining too fast
- fused solder on the car’s ECU circuits
- frayed & crossing wires in the car’s engine unit
Where Does an Electrical Short Occur?
It can be any electrical component in the car’s engine bay or the ECU’s wiring itself that is causing a short. Most electrical failures occur due to slacking aftermarket accessory installation by an unauthorized auto technician.
How Does a Short Damage My Car?
Your car’s electricals have many wires of varying resistances & amperage. If a short occurs, the sudden drain of charge might be going through a high resistance component wire, dissipating heat, and burning the component. Electrical fires also start that way. If it’s a ground short, your battery is draining faster than usual, but your car’s fuse box will contain the issue by blowing a fuse.
How Do You Find an Electrical Short?
- The first indication is that your car’s warning lights indicate an electrical fault. That’s the time to stop your car, get the tools, and get your hands dirty.
- You should start by checking whether your car is starting, whether it smells of burnt plastic if the battery is charged, and whether it stalls when you put it in park, without any history of engine problems.
- If you don’t already have one, visit a hardware store to purchase an automotive diagnostic (ATD) tool. It resembles a screwdriver tester, but it has a wired clip on one end.
- Remove the car’s battery’s negative connector and attach the ATD tool’s clip to the connector. Touch the tester to the positive terminal. If there is an electrical short, the tester will light up.
- Locate the fuse box in the engine bay and, using a pair of layman’s pliers, begin pulling and putting back the fuses one by one until the bulb goes out. The fuse code will tell you which circuit is faulty from which fuse the bulb turns off.
If your dashboard electronics, headlights, wipers, or some other minor components are shorted, you may be able to get to York Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM ASE-certified auto technicians on time; before an electrical fire fries your systems. Serving Prescott, AZ, we have the latest CDJR vehicles, complete with financing & pre-approval options, and a fully loaded service center & trade-in assistance.
If your car has an electrical short circuit, schedule with us for a service. If you need roadside assistance, contact us today!
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