Keep Blowing Fuses

[Jst2fst]

So I'm installing a new led license plate light and it keeps blowing the 10amp fuse. I made sure to buy one that would run off of a 12 volt system but it keeps blowing I was thinking about just using a highs amp fuse but that gonna be a last resort. It the instrument cluster fuse that keeps blowing if that helps I've only added the light to the circuit to replace the stock one. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can stop it from blowing. I've considered the option to do a direct connect to the battery with a switch just gotta remember to shut if off at night.

[grapesmuggler27]

You have a short somewhere in the wiring. Check for bare wires, check your wiring.

[conn-e-rot]

^^this you have either got a hot going to ground or you have a wire shorting out on the frame something

[magley64]

The LED light should be drawing next to 0 amperage, I've left LED's on for weeks on end and not killed my battery.

[MidgetTodd]

When I blow fuses I just wrap them in aluminum foil and put em back in.... no more blown fuses

[conn-e-rot]

You could always just replace the fuse with a penny

[jblosser]

When I blow fuses I just wrap them in aluminum foil and put em back in.... no more blown fuses

this.

or a .22 short should fit.

j/k, .22 WMR probably a better fit...

[bigbluebird]

no no seriously this fellow has an issue with his electrical system. what he needs to do is get a proper volt meter and check the start voltage at the harness, then check the voltage at the led and see if they differ.

then he need to inspect the line and connections were he added the led for bare wire or any type of binding or pinching that will hide a tear or cut.

once he has done this he needs to check to see if the led itself was manufactured properly and installed with the correct polarity.

additionally he needs to look closely for a small recessed second fuse box that is located under the battery. they have been adding these to some bike to handle low voltage lights in rear sub frames.

the reason i say this is because of their location they tend to collect water and some humidity from the heating and cooling of the relays they add to it.

if this secondary low amp fuse box is not the cause. he should then check for a small black bulge on the right front marker light in the front faring. there is a small resistor they add to maintain the proper voltage when leds are added and the micro switch built in to this relay could have failed.

other then that put the old light back in and get some red paint to coat the bulb.

[Cheech]

As was said before, you have a short. Find it and fix it. All the below options should not even be considered:

Increasing the fuse (you'll blow that too, or fry your wiring, whichever comes first)

Wiring direct to the battery (not only are you not fixing the initial problem, but I guarantee you're going to forget and drain the battery, not to mention making a complete mess of the wiring in an already cramped space)

[blue03636]

Bypass the fuse, wait for smoke and that's where your problem is.

[Cheech]

Bypass the fuse, wait for smoke and that's where your problem is.

then buy my bike as a replacement.

[jfvb1225]

Yikes I'm sure that must be tongue in cheek humor. If an LED license plate frame is blowing a 10 amp fuse there's a problem somewhere. Rig up a temporary fuse and test wiring to see if the thing lights up and if so start working your way back through your wiring until you find your problem.

[conn-e-rot]

Even better idea find someone that knows what they are doing to come help you before you fuck your bike up anymore

[magley64]

Even better idea find someone that knows what they are doing to come help you before you fuck your bike up anymore

lulz, this^^

[Jst2fst]

Ok, so I got some good answers and some snary fuktards chiming in anyways. All I did was cut the factory light off and connect the LED's and they blew the wires are hooked up the correct way they worked for a few seconds then blew the fuse. As far as I can see I have no bare wire and they are not pinched they are still in the stock location. DOn't really wanna rewire it but if I have to I'll do it. Gonna keep checking till I find the problem.

You have a short somewhere in the wiring. Check for bare wires, check your wiring.

Still doing this I'll see if some wire came loose somewhere later tonight.

^^this you have either got a hot going to ground or you have a wire shorting out on the frame something

I wanna say it got grounded somewhere the lights worked for a second then the fuse blew

The LED light should be drawing next to 0 amperage, I've left LED's on for weeks on end and not killed my battery.

That was my thought the LED's pull less so I didn't think that their would be a problem but knowing me their is.

this.

or a .22 short should fit.

j/k, .22 WMR probably a better fit...

Ah no I appreciate the sentiment though

no no seriously this fellow has an issue with his electrical system. what he needs to do is get a proper volt meter and check the start voltage at the harness, then check the voltage at the led and see if they differ.

then he need to inspect the line and connections were he added the led for bare wire or any type of binding or pinching that will hide a tear or cut.

once he has done this he needs to check to see if the led itself was manufactured properly and installed with the correct polarity.

additionally he needs to look closely for a small recessed second fuse box that is located under the battery. they have been adding these to some bike to handle low voltage lights in rear sub frames.

the reason i say this is because of their location they tend to collect water and some humidity from the heating and cooling of the relays they add to it.

if this secondary low amp fuse box is not the cause. he should then check for a small black bulge on the right front marker light in the front faring. there is a small resistor they add to maintain the proper voltage when leds are added and the micro switch built in to this relay could have failed.

other then that put the old light back in and get some red paint to coat the bulb.

No secondary fuse box under the battery all I have are some relays located next to the fuse box behind the left faring

As was said before, you have a short. Find it and fix it. All the below options should not even be considered:

Increasing the fuse (you'll blow that too, or fry your wiring, whichever comes first)

Wiring direct to the battery (not only are you not fixing the initial problem, but I guarantee you're going to forget and drain the battery, not to mention making a complete mess of the wiring in an already cramped space)

The LED's I bought are made to be directly connected to the battery as a option. Like I had mentioned as well. Only as a last resort not meaning I'm gonna do it.

Bypass the fuse, wait for smoke and that's where your problem is.

Yea, and another one begins

then buy my bike as a replacement.

Not gonna happen

Yikes I'm sure that must be tongue in cheek humor. If an LED license plate frame is blowing a 10 amp fuse there's a problem somewhere. Rig up a temporary fuse and test wiring to see if the thing lights up and if so start working your way back through your wiring until you find your problem.

This is my next option got done late on the bike last night so Ill pick up an inline today and see how it go.

[jfvb1225]

I wouldn't cut into any of the bike's wiring to install LEDs. Rather you could install a tap off an ignition circuit at the fuse block with a smaller amperage fuse going to your LEDs. A 10 amp fuse is a little heavy for just that anyway. The wiring used for LEDs is such a small gauge it might melt before a 10 amp fuse would blow.

You could also go right off the battery and install an inline fuse and a mini toggle switch somewhere convenient and out of the way so you can turn the LEDs on and off as you like. Radio Shack sells weatherproof mini toggles.

[conn-e-rot]

I would try hooking the LED to a battery or a charger if you have one to see if it is working. It may have shorted out in the LED setup.

[Cheech]

When you say you "cut the factory wire", did you cut the wire behind the connector (going to the fuse block) or in front of the connector (going to the old light, allowing you to re-use the connector)? There's no guarantee that the polarity on the wires is the same as what the LED's would use, I learned that the hard way with the LED bulbs I tried to put on my Katana. Incandescent bulbs don't care about polarity, LED's most certainly do.

This is what you need to do.

First, establish a baseline. Take the pos/neg wires from the LED and touch them to the battery. Take an amp reading from your multimeter (you do have one, right?). This is the actual amp draw from the lights, set fuse accordingly (as in, less than 10A).

Find pos/neg wires for the wiring harness going out to the lights, label accordingly. DO NOT RELY ON PREVIOUS BULB SOCKET WIRING.

Touch LED wires to correct polarity wires on wiring harness. Record voltage and amp draw. If you blow fuse, check connections. I'm going to assume you did the smart thing and chopped the cables behind the factory connector, in that case you should separate the connector and clean it out as much as possible.

[Jst2fst]

All I did was cut the wire behin the license plate light the two black and green wires behind the bike

[conn-e-rot]

Are you using a test light or voltmeter to find the hot wire?

[Jst2fst]

The hot wire is the black with brown stripe wire I use some test lead wire to find it. Use it befire with no problem till now. I'm on my way to pick up some new fuses and what not too see how it goes.

[Jst2fst]

I guess I had a batch of bad fuses just put in some fresh ones and the light is still lit FML.....