Re: Headlight and running light amperage

Posted by HH56 On 2011/6/19 12:57:45

The way the wiring runs and splits/splices, about the only place you could fuse the lights separately and protect the most vulnerable wires would be a single fuse or breaker either at the headlight switch terminal connection feeding the rear or at the area the loom enters the trunk cavity. A problem in one light would still take everything at the rear out but the headlights would probably stay on -- Depending on the speed of the breaker, they might trip off and then reset once though. Otherwise, it would be a single fuse at each light protecting maybe a foot of wire and that particular socket. To my thinking, not very efficient doing it that way.

I believe it was Eric that had a short in the trunk wiring on his car which popped the breaker when he made a certain turn. I don't remember if he mentioned where the problem was found but the one susceptible area not in plain sight is the small trough or wire channel between trunk floor and outer body panel below trunk lid. Things fall down there, get jammed and can damage the wire. There are also a couple of holes where wires exit to tag lights that can lose their grommet. Keeping an eye on that stretch and keeping anything away from the tail light sockets would probably be easier than adding any more fuses.

I mention the socket because a friend with a 54 ambulance used as a daily driver kept spare cans of oil and a couple of other things in a compartment near and open to the tail light. Something was free to move in such a way that it was forced against a wire as it entered the socket and damaged the insulation. He chased a tripping breaker problem for ages whenever he went over a large bump or had some jerky movement until he went for a can of oil one day and found the problem. Tool boxes or other items crammed into that conveniently sized nice out of the way space could do the same thing on a regular car.