Yes, I understand completely. If you use the Test Light as your troubleshooting tool, it will protect your wires and it will not blow a fuse. Simply put, the bulb you use in your test light will limit current and only allow enough to make the bulb shine brightly.
So, let's say you have all your dash lights installed, you pull the blue-red off the headlight switch and you connect it to your test light while the other test lead is on POSITIVE. If you have a dead short, none of the dash lights will light but the test light will shine brightly. You pull a bulb out of the dash and nothing changes. Plug it back in because that one is good. Let's say the next one you pull out causes the rest of the dash lights to shine but at a dim intensity AND the test light will dim as well. That would prove, the bulb you just pulled out is the culprit.
Let's keep going and say you're gun shy even after you corrected the problem and you need to know if the dash lights will blow another rheostat... Put a meter between the blue-red wire and positive, and set the meter to AMPS (ten amps). All the dash lights should shine at full brilliance and the meter display will show how many amps the whole circuit draws.
There are a few things learned from this problem:
Questions? - Dave
So, let's say you have all your dash lights installed, you pull the blue-red off the headlight switch and you connect it to your test light while the other test lead is on POSITIVE. If you have a dead short, none of the dash lights will light but the test light will shine brightly. You pull a bulb out of the dash and nothing changes. Plug it back in because that one is good. Let's say the next one you pull out causes the rest of the dash lights to shine but at a dim intensity AND the test light will dim as well. That would prove, the bulb you just pulled out is the culprit.
Let's keep going and say you're gun shy even after you corrected the problem and you need to know if the dash lights will blow another rheostat... Put a meter between the blue-red wire and positive, and set the meter to AMPS (ten amps). All the dash lights should shine at full brilliance and the meter display will show how many amps the whole circuit draws.
There are a few things learned from this problem:
- The rheostat max rating is UNDER the fuse rating (or the fuse would have blown first).
- All electrical circuits can be tested before power is applied.
- Use quality parts to minimize the probability of failure.
Questions? - Dave
Comment