What Causes a Car Stereo Fuse to Blow?
Sometimes, the stereo of the car does not work properly, especially the part that requires a specific amount of electric energy. The sound of the stereo keeps blowing, and sometimes we also observe some sparkling in the stereo.
This happens when the fuse of the stereo has blown. This is not just a one-time thing because the fuse keeps blowing until you find the right reason for its blowing.
In this article, we have explained 7 of these reasons that can cause car stereo fuse to blow. These include incorrect amperage rating, incorrect fuse size, faulty wiring, increased resistance, and internal wire damage.
When you go to a mechanic, he usually asks to replace the fuse, but he doesn’t tell you the reason behind the fuse blowing. Mechanic says that they have installed a new fuse but after a few days, the new fuse also gets blown.
Now, this is the moment of concern. You need to know why it was blown in the first place and what is not done to keep it safe.
What Causes a Car Stereo Fuse to Blow?
There are a couple of reasons for a fuse getting blown. Sometimes the fuse used is lower than the rating for the device. It means that if the system is rated for 16amps, then it is only using 8amps, which would eventually blow a fuse because the current load exceeds 8amps.
However, there are several different reasons due to which your car stereo fuse gets blown. Some of the reasons are given below.
Incorrect Amperage Rating
When your stereo fuse gets blown, you need to start with something simple and obvious. You need to first check the amperage rating of the circuit for your car stereo.
In this case, you could also go through the manual of the vehicle that contains the complete information regarding the amperage rating with a proper diagram. Be sure to check the lights on the circuit, as it causes the new stereo to pull up too much power resulting in blowing a fuse.
The fuse gets hot, and it blows. Putting a new fuse can be the best solution in this case.
As it can allow a malfunctioning amp to draw even more amperage than it did before and blown your old fuse.
The one mistake that we all make is replacing the blown a fuse with the one that has a higher amperage rating. The main reason is that the stereo fuse has a specific type of amperage rating which can weaken the link in the circuit to protect other electrical components.
Incorrect Fuse Size
It is one of the important reasons that you need to focus. Sometimes, the wires of stereo get interconnected with the wrong fuse while being tossed in the vehicle. When the wrong wires get connected, it destroys the internal structure of the component and results in blowing up the whole power supply including the stereo fuse.
It could also cause a fire in the electrical system of the vehicle. It is important to check the fuse size and the power wiring while installing the stereo to avoid any serious damage.
For this purpose, you need to find the right type and size of fuse that can go perfectly with the wiring system. The original fuses are designed to work on a specific amount of current. In this case, the size of the wires matters a lot.
Incorrect Installing
Installing the right type of fuse is also important if you don’t want to keep it blowing. While installing the stereo fuse, you need to avoid the higher capacity fuse, which is generally recommended by the mechanics.
The main reason is that the higher capacity fuse may allow the blower to continue operating, but it can heat the wire before blowing the fuse which is extremely dangerous and could lead to a fire.
So, in this case, we do not recommend you to install a new accessory with high-power and highly electrical component.
While installing, an expert needs to focus on the fuse rating. If it is installed correctly and the circuit continues to blow a fuse, then an intermittent short could be blamed for this. You need to get a proper installer while installing the stereo fuse.
Solution
Install the correct fuse, especially specified by the manufacturer itself.
Increased Resistance can cause car stereo fuse to blow
Resistance is also a major factor that causes blowing of stereo fuses. Sometimes, the wire of the stereo gets damaged or burns due to a short circuit. The main reason is the choice of wire that we install on the stereo. You should always a good quality car stereo brand.
The wire lesser in diameter can cause an abundance of resistance. In this case, the amp has to work hard to get more heat to the system, which lets the fuse blowing in stereo. A stereo fuse is normally blown due to the overload of the electrical circuit.
The circuit in the stereo is overloaded just because of the high resistance. In this case, you need to measure the resistance before installing the stereo. You need to get the fuse with low resistance so that you can avoid short circuit and fuse blowing that leads to greater damage.
Furthermore, you can also use high-quality fuses that are manufactured on strict standards. Remember that the standard is an important thing while selecting the stereo fuses, so focus on this while getting a new pair of stereo fuses.
Fault in Wiring
Sometimes, the stereo fuse blows just because of the certain faults in the power wire that disconnects the stereo from the power wire. The fuse usually gets blown because of the wrong insulation, or sometimes the wiring from the grounding is against the body of the car.
In this case, you can use the electrical tape, which will work just fine. Another major reason for fuse gets blowing is the cut in the insulation or jacket of the power wire which touches the metal of the car and causes a short circuit.
You must pay great attention to the point in the car where the power wire runs from the compartment of the engine into the interior of the car. You need to look for any bare wire while insulation and trim it back so that insulation could be done properly without causing continuous blowing of stereo fuses.
In other common cases, the wire to the battery is grounding that blows a fuse due to a hot connection before ruining the amplifier. It happens because of installing low quality during installation. You must use the best quality wire while installation so you could easily save your stereo fuse from getting blown.
Faulty Connection with the Ground
The stereo fuse also gets blown due to inappropriate connection with the ground of wires. The inadequate connection causes spikes. This usually happens when the wires are damaged or sometimes, the connection of the ground chord is poor.
To avoid this problem, you need to focus on the proper grounding connection. For this purpose, you must check the ground wire which is usually black and check for any damages that could cause any hindrance.
The cause of the blown mainly depends on the electrical content of the car, whereas the circuitry structure of a car stereo is dependent on the grounding connection of wires. You should focus on the electrical components and the wires that are embedded in the car stereo.
It could help in figuring the grounding connection of stereo wires along with the fuse type. Moreover, the stereo fuse also blows when the ground wire is not fully connected to the stereo. In this case, you need to check the connection point of the ground wire and the stereo to save its fuse from blowing; otherwise, it could destroy the whole stereo.
Internal Damage
Sometimes, the internals of a car stereo gets damage due to being tossed around or being connected wrong, which blows a fuse immediately when the power is applied. Sometimes, internal damage is caused just because of the wrong installation.
In some cases, the stereo does not show any sign of improper installation until it’s too late, and the fuse has been blown already. The stereo that has already been damaged blows a fuse just after inserting it into the fuse holder.
In this case, it becomes difficult to fix the fuse because the real problem is not the fuse but the internal damage. The only fix for this is to call the car stereo shop and ask them to repair the stereo or replace the whole unit with the new one.
You should be careful about the internal damage of the stereo because it could damage the whole electrical system of the vehicle if not fixed on time. The internal damage is also done due to the installation of the wrong size of fuse. In this case, you must select the right size of fuse to avoid the fuse to blow.
Solution:
Before installing a new fuse, don’t forget to check wires that have been disconnected as the disconnection of wires are the main source of internal damage.
Team: Howstereo.com
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