Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Having problems with your vehicle? Or need advice on repairing or servicing your Hilux? This is the place to ask for help
Post Reply
surfsup
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:08 pm
Town: Campbell River
Vehicle: 1991 Hilux Surf
Real Name: Hannah

Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by surfsup »

Hi Guys!

I run an automatic ‘91 Hilux Surf. I’m continually blowing the top forward most 20A fuse in the panel at the drivers foot. It blows just by turning the key. I imagine it’s a grounding wire. I found some diagrams for the 22R E, wondering if they coincide?

Once it does blow, I lose my dash lights except seatbelt and glow plug, I become stuck in 3rd gear and my batteries don’t get a charge. 9Vs runs to both.

Also any helpful tips would be really great! I’m decently mechanically inclined, but this wiring will be the death of me.

Thanks in advance!
Attachments
AF8E7609-2EEC-4AB8-B795-7726049DFBF7.jpeg
User avatar
Mud Dog
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29852
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:18 am
Town: East London
Vehicle: '90 SFA Hilux DC 4X4, Full OME, 110mm lift. Brospeed branch, 50mm ss freeflow exhaust. 30 x 9.5 Discoverer S/T's on Viper mags. L/R tank. (AWOL) '98 LTD 2.4 SFA, dual battery system. Dobinson suspension, LR tanks, 31" BF mud's.
Real Name: Andy
Club VHF Licence: HC103

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by Mud Dog »

Hi and welcome Hannah. :thumbup:

Is this still a RHS drive vehicle? Just curious.

Does the fuse box cover plate not tell you what the fuse is for? I doubt it's a ground wire, they aren't fused. You might however have a short circuit to ground which would blow the fuse immediately when supplying power. Does it blow every time or just sometime? Does it blow when turning the key to "Accessories" or only when turning further to "Ignition"? If it's accessories first thing I would check is the cigarette lighter ... remove it from the socket and see if it still blows. Then also check the socket wiring itself (you have to remove that console cover).

If that's all OK I would remove that fuse, turn the key on and then using a multi-tester set to DC Volts and determine which leg of the socket is live (connect the black wire pin to a good ground like a screw that goes into the metal of the body, and then try each leg of the socket. The leg that gives you a voltage reading is the live one). Then set the multi-meter to Ohms (resistance) and connect either pin to the other socket leg and the other pin to ground. If you're getting a low resistance reading or zero resistance, you have a wiring short. The resistance should be upwards of 0.8 ohms.

If you have a short, the challenge is to find it

I see you have some creative wiring on the 7.5A fuse next to the 20A that's blowing. That could be an indicator that someone has done some sub-standard electrical work. Try determine which wire leads off the leg that you tested for resistance .You might have to remove the fuse box to see behind and it's a good practice to disconnect the red wire from the battery before doing so. Then trace that wire paying attention to any splicing that may have been done. If there is splicing, trace the splice. Better still disconnect it and test it for resistance to ground ... chances are that you might find the culprit.

Hope you find the fault easily and that it's just a faulty cigarette lighter or something equally simple.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Image
Image

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
surfsup
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:08 pm
Town: Campbell River
Vehicle: 1991 Hilux Surf
Real Name: Hannah

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by surfsup »

Hi Andy!

Yes - It's a right hand drive!
The cover plate is missing, but a buddy of mine found one online. The fuse that is blowing was labelled engine. Not much use without the wiring diagrams though. It blows when the key turns to on, before turning it over. It went 3 times in a row and then I followed some wires and wiggled them around, probably coincidence or the wire shorting was adjusted so that it wasn't hitting the firewall? I'll run out and confirm if its a short using a multimeter. I'll also check the wiring for the cig lighter. It's never worked.

This is all really great info!! Thanks for the help!
User avatar
Mud Dog
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29852
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:18 am
Town: East London
Vehicle: '90 SFA Hilux DC 4X4, Full OME, 110mm lift. Brospeed branch, 50mm ss freeflow exhaust. 30 x 9.5 Discoverer S/T's on Viper mags. L/R tank. (AWOL) '98 LTD 2.4 SFA, dual battery system. Dobinson suspension, LR tanks, 31" BF mud's.
Real Name: Andy
Club VHF Licence: HC103

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by Mud Dog »

Pleasure!

Yup, looks like the creative wiring extends somewhere behind the dash and what you say sounds very likely .... moving the wires about has very possibly cleared the short (temporarily - it will resurface again).

Happy trails! :winkx:
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Image
Image

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
surfsup
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:08 pm
Town: Campbell River
Vehicle: 1991 Hilux Surf
Real Name: Hannah

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by surfsup »

Completely stuck.
I've thrown a slow blow automatic reset fuse into it. It is constantly resetting, so its turned into a huge fault now. I'm searching for wiring diagrams, but coming up blank. Found a connector that goes into the fuse block, when it’s pulled the short stops. A white wire that goes into the back of that rings out to a white wire in a connector straight to the ignition. This white wire when measured, reads a dead short to ground. We bypassed the white wire by just cutting it at each connector and threw a wire in. It stopped the short, but the truck wouldn’t start.

Sorry if half of it doesn’t make sense. Doing my best to explain what I saw!

ISO wiring diagram or someone very familiar with the electrical system in this truck😩
Attachments
2EE5730F-AAB3-4151-AA50-A44C3E0921F9.jpeg
User avatar
Mud Dog
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29852
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:18 am
Town: East London
Vehicle: '90 SFA Hilux DC 4X4, Full OME, 110mm lift. Brospeed branch, 50mm ss freeflow exhaust. 30 x 9.5 Discoverer S/T's on Viper mags. L/R tank. (AWOL) '98 LTD 2.4 SFA, dual battery system. Dobinson suspension, LR tanks, 31" BF mud's.
Real Name: Andy
Club VHF Licence: HC103

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by Mud Dog »

We never got the Surf here in RSA, and although similar to the Hilux / Tacoma, the wiring harnesses might differ. If so, then so would the diagrams but maybe you can look at Hilux / Tacoma wiring schematics for diesel models of a similar era, they should differ too much.

There is another possibility of where the short can lie other than in the wires themselves, and that's in one of the components that are fed by that white wire, possibly something like the glow plug solenoid /controller or the starter motor solenoid. :think:

Have you tried tracing the wire with the direct short to earth?
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Image
Image

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
User avatar
Mud Dog
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29852
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:18 am
Town: East London
Vehicle: '90 SFA Hilux DC 4X4, Full OME, 110mm lift. Brospeed branch, 50mm ss freeflow exhaust. 30 x 9.5 Discoverer S/T's on Viper mags. L/R tank. (AWOL) '98 LTD 2.4 SFA, dual battery system. Dobinson suspension, LR tanks, 31" BF mud's.
Real Name: Andy
Club VHF Licence: HC103

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by Mud Dog »

What is this insulation tape on the blue wire (circled in green) which you say goes to the Ignition? Is it a splicing of another wire into it?
short.JPG
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Image
Image

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
surfsup
Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2020 6:08 pm
Town: Campbell River
Vehicle: 1991 Hilux Surf
Real Name: Hannah

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by surfsup »

I'll go look for the diesel hilux pick up diagram. That's definitely a possibility and why I'm hoping to find diagram. It might not be that wire, it could be something that wire runs to for sure. Maybe a be a relay too?

We traced it using a ground from the truck?

That blue wire (circled in green) was a solder made by the previous owner, would've been over 8 years ago. They had installed another cig lighter and plugged in an XM radio connection and taped it up under the dash. I've removed that. They also rewired the antenna with solder/ heat shrink butt connectors.
User avatar
Mud Dog
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 29852
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:18 am
Town: East London
Vehicle: '90 SFA Hilux DC 4X4, Full OME, 110mm lift. Brospeed branch, 50mm ss freeflow exhaust. 30 x 9.5 Discoverer S/T's on Viper mags. L/R tank. (AWOL) '98 LTD 2.4 SFA, dual battery system. Dobinson suspension, LR tanks, 31" BF mud's.
Real Name: Andy
Club VHF Licence: HC103

Re: Help! - Blowing a Fuse 2L TE

Post by Mud Dog »

Could also be a relay with a dead short, yes.

Hope you find the fault, otherwise it may mean calling in an auto-electrician.
When your road comes to an end ...... you need a HILUX!.

Image
Image

Life is like a jar of Jalapeño peppers ... what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.
Don't take life too seriously ..... no-one gets out alive.
It's not about waiting for storms to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.
And be yourself ..... everyone else is taken!
Post Reply

Return to “The Workshop”