Did I short out my unswitched power wire?

I have a '93 Honda Civic. I was uninstalling a Sirius radio receiver and must have touched the "hot" (unswitched) wire to the frame. The wire was connected to the Constant 12V+ coming into the radio. (I thought the wire was switched.) Anyway, now the Constant 12V+ wire does not supply power to the radio. Also, the clock must be on the same wire, since it resets every time the ignition power is turned off. The 15 Amp fuse to the radio is not blown, so my questions are these: is the wire shorted, or can there be another cause to this problem? If the wire is shorted, what are my options (short of re-wiring the car? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!!! Thanks!

It defiantly sounds like a blown fuse to me. Did you check the fuse with a continuity tester? Are you sure it’s the right fuse? Some times you can look at a fuse and it will look good when in fact it is bad.

I took out the old fuse and added the "extra" fuse that Honda provides, and same problem either way. (Both fuses were 15 Amp, but both came with the car, meaning they are 10 years old????). I did not check the fuse with a continuity tester. Assuming the fuses are not blown, any other ideas?

I would check your owners manual and double check that you are replacing the correct fuse. Also check it for any other fuses that may power the radio and or clock.

Also don't forget to check under the hood. Many cars have a seperate fuse box(s) in the engine compartment that can play havoc if one of those fuses was blownSquirrel

"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"

If its too loud, then you're too old

Donate to the12volt.com

The constant power fuse supply for '93 Civics is labeled backup, and is in the fusebox under the hood by the battery. Usually it is a 7.5 amp fuse. Happy Metering Anonymous

Thanks all, especially Anonymous. That was exactly the problem -- I never would have thought that "Backup" was the constant power fuse and the Owner's Manual and Chilton's offered no help at all. Thanks again, everyone, for saving me hours of hassle!!!

good to hear