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i have a 2001 huyndia elantra i just put a new headunit in and it worked fine until 2 days later the dash lights and the passanger side tailight wont come on and the fuse keeps blowing. would it be something i hooked up wrong and if so why would it wait two days

Because it took 2 days to short out?

Or you ran it in at low volume?

You probably used the vehicles illumination wire as ground for the new radio. Cut the radios ground wire from the wire in which it is connected, and ground the radio to the chassis of the vehicle.

I like that one Craig, did it myself on a Datsun 240Z in the 70s!

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

probably took two days for you to drive at night and turn on the headlights.....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

Howie, I do not know of a single installer who has not done that one.

Doubly so when some Nissans even recently (e.g. European Micra) used the side fixing (metal) brackets to ground the OEM head unit, many times I've run a separate ground lead, but if you don't know or test you assume = trouble.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

i didnt even hook up the illumination wire i used the ground on the harness, i was gonna go straight to the chassis but i decided not to because i wasnt installing a system in there just a head unit. i did turn the headlights on, they worked fine everything was lit up but something poped over near the glove compartment the day they went out and they didnt come back on even when i changed the fuse and ive been trying to track down the problem through the wires but i have yet to find it

i guess i could just ground it to the chassis anyway just to eliminate that as a problem, but i have it hooked up the exact same way as i did when i had a head unit in there the last time and it worked perfect for a couple years. im thinking also that maybe a bit of water got in ahold to the wires because my girlfriend left the trunk cracked in a storm we had, and the trunk had some water in it around the wires

water + electronics = ??? (ask old spark)

Mr. I...What...Hooking up the illumination...? Is that like using a test light in newer vehicles(winks at howie)...? "why does the radio cut-out when i turn my headlights on"...Hey howie...Have you heard about the scramblers they want to install in vehicles to jam your phone while in your car...Just wondered if it had any traction on that side of the pond!

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M.E.C.P & First-Class
Go slow and drink lots of water...Procrastinators' Unite...Tomorrow!

Oh Tommy - every one knows that's a bad earth, er ground.
It's the same as losing tail lights when the brakes or indicators (try to) come on etc.

LOL! I was intending that more as a joke, but it is a bad ground!

And people wonder why I connect audio straight to the battery (via a fuse!).
Not that this issue is one of the top reasons...

PS - I missed the phone scramblers in cars.
That is a hoax, else someone's ignorant bullsh.
As if shielding-foil in theaters etc wasn't bad enough, now they suggest phone jammers?
CDMA maybe, but GSM? Farken idiots!

how can i find out where the short is?

Have you removed the new head unit yet?
Do that first and see if the condition persists.
Water in the tail light wiring wont blow your fuses, it will cause other problems as explained above unless you have lots of corrosion.
Look for corrosion at all the light fittings, clean up or replace.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

Howie x2...

I was going to question water NOT blowing fuses, but it is VERY difficult (almost impossible) to get those sorts of currents (see hydrogen power for cars...).

However, as the extra bit of leakage (current) that is required to blow a fuse... maybe. But I am trying to recall where water has caused a fuse to blow (other than via bridging or damming of dirt or conductive contaminants).

Usually water causes blown filaments due to corrosion that causes intermittent connections - hence excessive thermal cycling (on-off-on-off).

But I'd start by removing the HU.... (Unless water removal is easier. It is required long-term anyhow...)

its now fixed....it was corrosion around the bulb. thank you for all the help. i have another question too i have a 2004 ford explorer and when i turn the heat on in the back it rarely ever works and when it does theres a loud clicking sound coming from the rear driver side window and it does it the whole time would you be able to help me with this problem as well?

Check out the flux capacitor.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

howie ll wrote:

Check out the flux capacitor.

Are you suggesting it's a gating problem?

I didn't think the solid-state version was fitted to that model, hence the mechanical gating model (aka fluxgate capacitor).

I didn't think the solid-staters would click either - unless Ford used the SCR gates...?

I'm sure I'll work it out in time...

You had me all the way to the last line. It might be warped.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

You seem to be suggesting that I am hyper yet again. (You know I don't liked warped - it is not very sophisticated!)

But I have sold the s-s caps - my buyers reckoned they were "tantalising" - I don't think they could pronounciate their metalic name.
But they did find them more elegant than the larger leakier polarised caps they replaced. Buy a few thousand of them at $2 each and you soon achieve the 1F etc of larger caps.
And with their lower resistance, their response was much quicker. (I like how electricity travels faster through lower resistances. If it wasn't for that, wireless communications would be as slow as thru cable! What would then be the point (other than security)?)

Personally, I prefer induced hyper-jumps - Tesla had it down pat - coils provide the spikes needed (he never produced hi-energy or hi-voltage caps did he?)

Speaking of which - duty calls.
FYI - my GF may agree with you - she reckons I am warped. (Though in a very hyper way. Maybe I have an each-way reality?)

Joke over for now, poster look at the heater fan motor or rheostat, that's probably the problem.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

ok...where exactly is that located, is it in the back where the sound is coming from?

Haven't any idea, check the blower fan which is probably at the back since you mentioned the rear heater.

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Amateurs assume, don't test and have problems; pros test first. I am not a free install service.
Read the installation manual, do a search here or online for your vehicle wiring before posting.

ok....i was googleing it and it seems its an ongoing problem in ford explorers, they mentioned clicking under the dash and having to take the dash apart to fix the heating valuve but mine is in the rear, it also meantioned the actuator door trying to open and couldnt so it just clicks so ill do what you say and just take the back pannel off and see if i can see anything wrong