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What Was a Fuse Problem Now Might Be Much Bigger?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by biologistwithoutaclue, Feb 7, 2019.

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  1. biologistwithoutaclue

    biologistwithoutaclue New Member

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    I am a relatively new Prius owner (first car, college student) with a 2007 2G Prius. Never really had any issues with the car until I started having major fuse problems this week. I have an aftermarket Bluetooth device (HIMBOX) that plugs into the center console power outlet. I've been using an AmazonBasics adapter since August 2018 and never had a problem; I also have another AmazonBasics adapter in the front power outlet on the passenger's side that I use to charge my phone so that I don't overload either adapter.

    A few days ago, I was having a couple minor issues with the Bluetooth, so I decided to unplug the adapter and plug it back in. This seemed to blow the fuse (#24; 15 amps) for the two outlets, which had been an infrequent occurrence according to the previous owner of the car. I changed the fuse and thought I had solved the problem.

    I turned on the car, plugged in the fuse....and it blew again. Repeated the process, and blew again...repeated five times total, still continued to blow. The outlets both seemed to work until I plugged in the Bluetooth into the center console. A few days later, I again tried to fix the fuse with no success, so I tried to give it a slightly higher amp'd fuse (25 amps; now in retrospect, after doing research, I realize was absolutely stupid, but I hadn't done the research prior) and the higher fuse still blew. So I tried 30.

    The outlets again blew, and I turned off the car. The 30 amp fuse didn't appear to be broken, but the outlets weren't working, so I put back a 15 amp fuse, turned on the car...and my MFD, clock, radio, and side mirrors are down, as well as the outlets.

    I realize now that putting in the higher fuse was absolutely foolish and I'm lucky I didn't cause a fire. However, what I am concerned with now is how to fix the MFD etc. and hoping I didn't do major damage to the internal wiring. I'm currently waiting on new fuses to arrive in the mail tomorrow to test and make sure the #17 7.5 amp fuse isn't bad, but as far as I can tell, it seems to be working fine (I'm also planning on getting a multimeter to test voltages to see if I have any other problems going on).

    Any suggestions on things to try? Is it possible that I didn't damage the internal wiring and that it's just a bad fuse, or do I need to have things looked at deeper? I'm worried that I damaged the power source ECU via my stupidity.
     
    #1 biologistwithoutaclue, Feb 7, 2019
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    This is key.

    With your research you should now understand the purpose of having a fuse in a circuit. If a fuse blows, you need to find out why the fuse is blowing and then correct the problem before installing a new fuse of the correct rating.

    Your statement above would suggest that when nothing is plugged into the outlet there is no problem – the fuse does not blow. When you plug in the bluetooth device, the fuse blows. This would indicate the bluetooth device is the problem. Stop plugging in this device until you have ascertained why it blows the fuse.

    As to the other things not working, check the DOME fuse. If that one is ok (test with you new multimeter using the resistance setting checking for continuity), you will need to look at the circuit diagram to see what fuse protects the MFD, clock, radio, and side mirrors as well as the outlets so you can check that fuse.
     
    #2 dolj, Feb 8, 2019
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  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Oof. My dad bought a car once where the previous owner had done that.
     
    #3 ChapmanF, Feb 8, 2019
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Be careful with automotive fuses purchased from Amazon. The big classic brands (Bussmann, Littelfuse, Blue Sea etc) are fine when genuine, but there have been problems with counterfeiting and also with "no-name" fuses.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 8, 2019
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  5. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

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    It’s quite possible you melted the power wire into a wire on the clock curcuit using the 30 amp fuse thereby shorting them both out. As wires in cars often run in bundles it’s very possible. If that’s the case you are going to have to trace where the damage occurred. Good luck.
     
    #5 Skibob, Feb 8, 2019
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Find and check the 25A ACC-B fuse. If it is blown, replace with the correct 25A fuse. Also discard the device which caused the fuse to blow.

    Pls discontinue the practice of using larger fuses than are specified. Also, take the hint if the fuse blows once - figure out what downstream circuit from the fuse is the problem. Continually inserting new fuses of larger sizes is not a solution.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Feb 8, 2019
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  7. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    In the car my dad bought where the same thing had been done (30 amp fuse installed because right-sized one kept blowing), the entire affected wire bundle ended up as toast for its full length from the fuse box to where the original fault had been (which in that case was where the dome light wiring passed over a non-rolled sheet metal edge at the top of the C pillar).
     
    #7 ChapmanF, Feb 8, 2019
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  8. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Sorry man. My money is on damage to the factory wire harness somewhere. Remember the wire the junk bluetooth device was plugged into was allowed to overheat (and possibly melt) b/c of the 30A fuse. Neighboring wires may have been effected too.

    If these fuses are NOT name brand (Bussman, Litlefuse), and are not coming direct from a reputable supplier (PepBoys, Autozone, Napa, O'Riley, Walmart, Target, Amazon), return those fuses. I would avoid 3rd party suppliers found on Amazon, Wrongmart, and fleaBay, b/c counterfeits are prevalent, and may be difficult to discern from genuine.

    As Post #4 points out, avoid cheaply priced auto fuses b/c the quality is POOR, and will NOT protect the electrical system, by NOT blowing when it should. You get what you pay for w/ auto fuses!

    Watch this Weber State University (Ogden, UT), Automotive Department video on auto fuses. Spread the word NOT to cheap out on auto fuses, and to replace with the SAME amp fuse only.
     
    #8 exstudent, Feb 9, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2019
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