Keep Blowing Stereo Fuse
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=62017
Printed Date: May 16, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Topic: Keep Blowing Stereo Fuse
Posted By: clchamp1
Subject: Keep Blowing Stereo Fuse
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 10:47 AM
Out of nowhere, this weekend my Clarion said "Good-Bye"...The display says this everytime I shut it off - but this time I didn't shut it off. I tried to turn it back on and...nothing. It still illuminated fine and ejected CDs, so I assumed I had either a bad connection or a blown fuse.
Checked it out and I had blown the 15Amp fuse in my Jeep's fuse box... (the one for the radio)
So I snagged the 15Amp fuse for my horn, threw it in the cavity for the Stereo and it worked just fine. For about 10 seconds. Then it blew again.
Where do I start looking/troubleshooting???
Replies:
Posted By: Hornshockey
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 11:31 AM
I would run new constant and switched power directly to the ignition harness. Just be sure you fuse both of those new wires too. Now if you blow those fuses, you know that your problem is in the head unit and not with the factory wiring.
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Life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while; you could miss it.
Posted By: clchamp1
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 12:39 PM
Thanks, I'll try that out tonight after work. I was going to just run a dedicated (fused) power to the battery and see if that worked - but I'll try your suggestion first. One other thing maybe worth mentioning: I noticed that during the 10 seconds my stereo was working, my sub amp did not power up as usual when the head unit turns on. I'll have to rewire the remote amp wire anyway when I run new wiring to the ignition harness - so whatever it was should be remedied. I'll let you know what I find out. Thanks, again.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 1:49 PM
Sounds like your HU is frying. It may be blowing the fuse because it is going bad and if so, running a new power lead is a bad idea. What is the model and how much current does it draw? ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: kgerry
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 2:23 PM
i would suspect a shorted O/P stage or shorted speaker lead.... disconnect your speaker wires, power it up and see if the fuse still blows... if it does, you've got a problem in the HU itself, if it doesnt, you've got a wiring issue.... meter all the speaker wiring for a short to ground...
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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer
Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979
Posted By: clchamp1
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 2:47 PM
DYohn - The head unit is only five months old and has been functioning perfectly until now. The Model is a Clarion DXZ-745mp and off the top of my head I dunno what the current draw is - I'll have to check it out later..but it may have been more than the stock fuse in the fusebox could handle which was 15Amps.
kgerry - I'm not a professional installer, so forgive my ignorance, but I have no idea what an O/P stage is... I will certainly try disconnecting all of the speakers before rewiring a thing to see if maybe there is, in fact, a short amongst all the speaker wiring.
Thanks guys.
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 3:04 PM
Check your owners manual for the max current draw of the head unit, but if it worked for five months and then blew the fuse, the HU is most likely dead or dying. If it's still under warranty take it back for replacement or repair. ------------- Support the12volt.com
Posted By: clchamp1
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 3:25 PM
That's a bummer. I got it cheap on ebay as a refurb with a 90 day warranty.
First, I'll check the max current draw and ensure I am using the right fuse. The 15Amp fuse worked for months so I can't imagine that would be the problem, but I'll check anyway.
Next, I'll check to see if it functions with all the speakers disconnected. If so, then I'm in luck. I figure I can just connect one speaker at a time to eliminate which one has the faulty wiring. (I'm not a pro at using the multi-meter either). Let me know if this is a bad idea - I'm sure there is a RIGHT way to do it. I have a m-meter, so I could do it correctly if I knew how.
If it still fries the fuse with all of the speakers disconnected, DYohn, do you recommend I DO NOT run a new switched power wire??? At this point would it be best to just take it in and have it tested?
Posted By: TruckSystem
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 3:29 PM
That's why I don't care for refurbs, I think you may need a new deck as well, but check all the ideas that have been said out first.
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2003 Chevrolet Silverado Standard Cab ~ Alpine CDA-9851
Diamond Audio D3600.1 ~ 2x Diamond Audio TM310D4
Diamond Audio D3400.4 ~ Diamond Audio Hex S600s
AstroStart RS5204 Remote Start/Alarm
Posted By: clchamp1
Date Posted: August 25, 2005 at 11:42 PM
For what it's worth, I got it figured out. The simplest thing. My preamp (O/P?) connectors to my sub amplifier had come loose and were coming into contact with one another. I realized this by simply closing the door when I had replaced the fuse. It blew upon the door closing. I recalled that the power indicator light on the amp was not coming on for some odd reason. Well, kgerry mentioned that it could be the speakers or outputs so I figured this could be the problem. I couldn't see the connectors upon an earlier inspection ( its a Rockford Fosgate Punch series with end-caps, so I couldn't tell by looking at it). kgerry, you totally gave me hope, and you turned out to be right on! Thanks. So now I feel like an idiot, cuz this was the easiest fix ever. I was actually even looking around at new head units today online. All I have to say is that I learned a lot just browsing through the message boards looking for solutions and from you guys who took the time to respond to my post. Thanks for your help!
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