Kartorbust
Inmate #627
I've been working on vehicles professionally now for 8 years. It was only supposed to be a temporary job until I could find something I wanted to do (nothing more permanent than something temporary). In that time, I have acquired quite a few tools. One of those tools, I got close to two years ago from our Matco dealer. Got a Fuse Buddy. What it is, is a essentially a more specialized meter to read how many amps a fuse circuit is pulling. This can be incredibly helpful, especially if that circuit keeps blowing out fuses.
Bare in mind. The one I have, is only rated for 30 amps, but, most digital multi-meters you get, unless you're willing to drop some serious coin (most of the time) are only good up to 10 amps. You install upto a 30 amp fuse and you plug it into the fuse slot that you are having issues with. Turn the meter on and activate that circuit. The meter will tell you how many amps are in that circuit, peak and sustained, as it will slow down a bit and eventually level off. Just don't keep it going too long, with a large amperage rated fuse in a circuit only rated for like 2-10 amps.
I had to use this tool yesterday, really for the first time. Salesman co-worker, bought a 2011 Honda Ridgeline from us and started having electrical problems. One was his alternator not charging and the other was the dash lights just went out. Turns out, the 15 amp fuse for the alternator was just straight up missing from the under dash fuse block. Installed a new fuse there and it started charging. No idea why it was just up and gone, just was.
With these vehicles, the dash light circuit, is also connected with the shifter interlock, as well as a few other things. That circuit is only rated for 7.5 amps and that fuse was blown out. Installed a new fuse in that slot and was like okay, let me make sure that everything works right at idle. Everything did, alternator was charging at 14.5 volts. Soon as I put the vehicle in reverse, dash lights went out within a couple seconds. Fuse blew.
Got my fuse buddy, plugged in a 30 amp fuse into it and plugged it into F21 in the fuse block for that 7.5 amp fuse. Cleared the DTCs in the vehicle and put the vehicle into reverse. Watched the meter jump up to 18.1 amps, more than double what that circuit is rated for. With this being a used vehicle, it had been messed with a lot, LED swapped in bulbs for headlights, tail lights reverse, fog etc. At some point, someone installed a Kenwood after market touch screen radio in the vehicle, and tied it into the backup camera. How they did that was ran new wiring from the radio and tied it in with the left side reverse light circuit.
After a bit of digging around and swapping stuff around, found that the wiring they had spliced and crimped into the reverse light circuit at the tail light harness, had chaffed insulation off and the exposed wire strands from both sets of wires were hitting each other, causing a short circuit. Had to cut that wiring off and put it back together. Installed yet another 7.5 amp fuse into the fuse block and test drove the vehicle. Everything was good to go.
The Fuse buddy is a great addition for vehicle electrical diagnosis as well as higher end mini bike and go kart electrical work, when dealing with fused circuits.
One I have
www.matcotools.com
One I have, but has multiple fuse adapters
www.matcotools.com
80amp one if you need to test higher current circuits
www.matcotools.com
Bare in mind. The one I have, is only rated for 30 amps, but, most digital multi-meters you get, unless you're willing to drop some serious coin (most of the time) are only good up to 10 amps. You install upto a 30 amp fuse and you plug it into the fuse slot that you are having issues with. Turn the meter on and activate that circuit. The meter will tell you how many amps are in that circuit, peak and sustained, as it will slow down a bit and eventually level off. Just don't keep it going too long, with a large amperage rated fuse in a circuit only rated for like 2-10 amps.
I had to use this tool yesterday, really for the first time. Salesman co-worker, bought a 2011 Honda Ridgeline from us and started having electrical problems. One was his alternator not charging and the other was the dash lights just went out. Turns out, the 15 amp fuse for the alternator was just straight up missing from the under dash fuse block. Installed a new fuse there and it started charging. No idea why it was just up and gone, just was.
With these vehicles, the dash light circuit, is also connected with the shifter interlock, as well as a few other things. That circuit is only rated for 7.5 amps and that fuse was blown out. Installed a new fuse in that slot and was like okay, let me make sure that everything works right at idle. Everything did, alternator was charging at 14.5 volts. Soon as I put the vehicle in reverse, dash lights went out within a couple seconds. Fuse blew.
Got my fuse buddy, plugged in a 30 amp fuse into it and plugged it into F21 in the fuse block for that 7.5 amp fuse. Cleared the DTCs in the vehicle and put the vehicle into reverse. Watched the meter jump up to 18.1 amps, more than double what that circuit is rated for. With this being a used vehicle, it had been messed with a lot, LED swapped in bulbs for headlights, tail lights reverse, fog etc. At some point, someone installed a Kenwood after market touch screen radio in the vehicle, and tied it into the backup camera. How they did that was ran new wiring from the radio and tied it in with the left side reverse light circuit.
After a bit of digging around and swapping stuff around, found that the wiring they had spliced and crimped into the reverse light circuit at the tail light harness, had chaffed insulation off and the exposed wire strands from both sets of wires were hitting each other, causing a short circuit. Had to cut that wiring off and put it back together. Installed yet another 7.5 amp fuse into the fuse block and test drove the vehicle. Everything was good to go.
The Fuse buddy is a great addition for vehicle electrical diagnosis as well as higher end mini bike and go kart electrical work, when dealing with fused circuits.
One I have
30 AMP FUSE BUDDY TESTER FB305M | Matco Tools
One I have, but has multiple fuse adapters
FUSE BUDDY MINI KIT MDESIFB309A | Matco Tools
80amp one if you need to test higher current circuits
