short in running lights

[jl ruby]

I have short in my running lights all my other lights work does anyone know the easiest way to trace it down the bus is already converted

[frank-id]

On most HD equipment the running lites can be the marker lites or the lower body lites. The first task will to locate the fuse or breaker that protects this circuit. If the circuit uses fuses, make up a short pair of wires using a 20 amp circuit breaker between 2 aligator clamps. Remove the fuse and use the breaker in place of the fuse. Using the breaker will allow the circuit to be tested many times without replacing the fuses. Having a helper will valuable. After the breaker is in place, go outside the vehicle and look at the lites. Have a helper turn on the running lites and observe the lites that work. If the breaker opens, allow time for the breaker to reset and check the rear lites. Same drill and observe the lites, looking for the lite that does not illuminate. If this test does not produce any good results, start disassembing each lite. After checking te lites, do not reassemble but go to the next lite. If no obvious arcs, wire burns or wire welds to ground, keep trying the running lite switch, and watch the lites. With all the bulbs removed, try the running lite switch again. If the breaker does not open, slowly install the bulbs untill a fault/ground are found. If all the bulbs are replaced and the lites are on, go to each lite and bump with rubber mallet, around lamp to make sure the problem is repaired. WD40 is a good electrical spray on electrical contacts. Each lamp base should have a little dab of dielectric paste to ward off any moisture. Moisture creates rust and corrosion which is not good for electrics........... Frank from Idaho

[wmah]

I've been doing something simular to that for years.
I use the breaker with short wires attached to them using flat connecters on them for the spade type fuses.

Now I personaly havn't ever bought any automotive fuses. I'd go down to the boneyard every so often and while walking through I go into a few cars and grab fuses and shove them in my pocket. This is also a good source for fuses flashers and small relays.

[jl ruby]

great idea thanks for the tip I making the breaker switch tomorrow and sending out the search party (my wife) haha

[lapeer20m]

If you just want to run a new wire, that may be easier than tracking down the problem with you old wireing. The easiest running light for me to access on both of my buses is one of the three center lights in the front top of the bus. My older bus had a camera box that let me access the front space between the inside/outside of the bus. My new bus has emergency equipment stored in taht space.

I run one single wire to the above running light to make all of them turn on with a push of the button on my remote.

You can't really run a wire from your headlights directly to your running lights, because they would't stay on if you switched to high/low. You can run a wire from the headlight switch where the old wire was or should have been connected.

I'd definately check the fuses firest however.

[frank-id]

All car makers from about 1970 and newer use circuit breakers at certain critical places on the fuse blocks. Most GM cars use circuit breakers for power windows, power seats and sometimes for a big AC compressor. The most common type breaker have small round ends that will fit into the fuse holders. Some breakers use a 1/4 in flat spade that fits the fuse block. I prefer aircraft circuit breakers as the breakers are very high quality and are only made to be manually reset after a fault. The auto/truck style breakers auto reset after they cool. These breakers are often called "fire starters". Correctly installed, the breakers alert the driver there is an electrical problem.. Frank

[lapeer20m]

I love my auto resetting circuit breakers! (but i can see where they could be dangerous)

and a piece of usless trivia i was going to point out about the lights not working....That's not a short, it's an open.

A short circuit causes lots of heat, possibly sparks, and glowing wires, or in a proper circuit a blown fuse. Once the fuse blows, or a wire melts and is not longer carrying current, then you have an open circuit.

just thought i'd pass that along. People commonly call an open circuit a short circuit.