Meter Fuse KEEPS POPPING!

[Vernal]

My Positive terminal popped off on the freeway and the fuel pump fuse popped and so did the meter fuse. I replaced the fuel pump fuse. I then replaced the meter fuse and once I turn the key to the second position the clock on the speedo and all the lights turn on then the fuse pops and they go out. And now the car will only crank Im guessing cuz the fuel pump is not working cuz i dont hear it. Im also guessing there is a short somewhere thats why the meter fuse keeps popping but I dont know where and its hard to follow the wires. Anybody have had this problem? Is following the wire the only way?

[CMG]

Sounds like a short somewhere, is the car 100% stock?

[Vernal]

just a dohc swap but it was perfectly fine until then so I dont see how all this could happen so quickly

[Vernal]

The alternator is all grounded and i checked all the other grounds that I know of. I found the alternator fuse was out so I replaced it and still nothing. I had to go to the dealer to get the dam fuse and it cost me $17. So all the fuses are fine now but still the same ****. Its only the meter and roof lamp that are popping and my fuel pump wont prime up now so I cant start the car.

[my40]

def.sounds like a wireing problem. gl let us kow how it goes

[Vernal]

yea tell me about it

[Acecool]

So the + cable popped off your battery???

You know that can kill your ecu, right??

[Vernal]

So the + cable popped off your battery???

You know that can kill your ecu, right??

Yes the positive cable popped off the battery. No I did not know that. I will try switching ecus and seeing what happens. Thanks.

[Vernal]

AceCool you are the MAN! It was a fried ecu so the car starts now. But it still has the electrical problem with the meter and roof lamp fuses popping. Also the speedo and tach do not work obviously from that meter fuse. Still got to figure that out. When i start it up it the battery light is on for some reason. Maybe it will turn off after regular daily driving.

[Acecool]

Check the alternator... sometimes that can go bad if the battery gets unplugged...

Get a voltometer, start the car, make sure you have between 14.1 to 14.7 or so voltage on the battery, if it is less than that with the car started then the alternator is bad...

Try giving it some revs when you do that too...

Glad the car starts :-)

Anytime there is an issue with the electrical system, you do not have far to go.. Battery or Alternator distribute the power throughout... from there you can follow the wires...

If your meter fuse is popping then it could be a wire got fried through a ground point...

+ wire of battery popping off and hitting bare metal (with car running and alternator supplying power) will give power to grounds...

Maybe it is the little white box under the kick guard on the driver side near the fusebox...

Not sure about the fuse issue.. but double check the alternator or take it to autozone or something, they test them for free!

[Vernal]

I just got another one cuz the positive stud broke off so I know thats good. But Im not sure why they are still popping. What is that white box next to the fuse box? There is a female plug on it with nothing plugged into it, but I am pretty sure i havent had anything plugged into before and I was fine.

[Acecool]

Not sure what it is called, but sometimes that blows and causes problems...

But, sometimes a bad alternator kills a battery and vice versa... so with the battery cable popping off, what essentially happened was the power cable (which was still getting power from the alternator) touched a metal part on your car (which is the global ground) which caused power to go through the chassis and all ground points... - causing the ecu to die because power went up the grounds....

With that happening - cables couldve gotten FUSED (melted together) because they are not protected by a fuse on the ground side of the cable, only positive... which may be causing your fuses to blow (ground and live wire touching together...) - The chance of this is probably low, but nevertheless a possibility....

I would have your alternator tested first, before you dig any deeper (because it is FREE!!!)

Once you have done that let us know :-)

[Vernal]

I got a new one cuz it was under warranty cuz the positive stud broke off. So its a new alternator. The radio and rear defrosters also dont work but the windows and windshield wipers (front and rear) all work. So Im not sure whats going on.