QuestionOur 2000 Chrysler Cirrus keeps blowing fuse #5, the fuse for radio mem and power locks (and also the interior light). It seems the fuse blows most often in warmer weather and when the car is started with the drivers side door open. But that is not always the case. My wife's uncle, a car mechanic, had the car for a little while to make repairs elsewhere on the car and tried ever combination of things to get it to blow but it wouldn't for him. Soon after we got it back we went on a weekend trip and it blew 5 more times.
The fuse must also supply power as some kind of input to the indicators on the dash because they act differently when the fuse is blown. Thanks for your time.
AnswerHi David,
There are about 17 different bulbs/coils that are supported by that fuse. As you it is the power needed when the ignition is 'off', thus called the 'ignition off draw' fuse. Unfortunately, it may be an intermittent short to ground that could be associated with a faulty bulb or connector at the bulb socket. So you are pretty much left with waiting until it blows at the moment you put in a new fuse to then begin to track it down with an ohmmeter, if you have one. There are five different multi-pin plugs that have different colored wires which you can check for resistance to ground at that point in time which would tell you which item is blowing the fuse. If you have a digital ohmmeter let me know and I can list all the wires for you to check. You might find one that is closer to 0 ohms right now and would be worth checking out further. Use the 'thank/rate' tab below to get back to me without having to wait for me to be 'available' to take a question.
Roland
Hi David:
Here are the plugs and their wires to check. The plugs are on the back side of the fuse box. The front of the fuse box is accessible from the left side end cap of the dash, but I believe you will have to remove some of the dah to get them from under the dash*.
pin 12 pink/orange and pin 7 pink and pin 11 pink/violet on the white plug;
pin 11 pink/tan, pin 12 pink/white, pin 13 pink on the gray plug;
pin 6 pink on the black plug
pin 2 pink on the brown plug
I would remove the plugs from their sockets to make these measurements.
*Remove the end cap, remove center bezel-5 clips (surrounds heater controls), remove cluster hood-tilt steering wheel down (remove 2 screws adjacent to radio, remove the screwa below HVAC control, remove screw at left end of panel, pull on hood to disengage 8 clips. Remove left side knee bolster, remove steering column cover, remove silencer. Then you should be able to get at the plugs or maybe with less removal?
Measure the resistance to a shiny metal chassis ground of each of the pins and tell me what they are.
Roland
