Has anyone got any good tips for diagnosing a problem with a blowing fuse.

This is a problem on my Prelude, it blows the sidelights/dash lights fuse the second you turn the sidelights on. Sadly it means I have no tail lights or number plate lights!

I have taken all the bulbs out (interior and exterior) and the fuse blows.

I have taken the instrument clusters out, all of them, still blows.

I have stripped out the boot and most of the dashboard, all the light wiring looks fine everywhere I go.

The temptation to stick a bigger fuse in keeps getting stronger as at least when the car catches fire I will be able to see where it started

Does the fuse blowing instantly suggest the problem is nearer the fuse box???

 

Simply sounds like a trapped wire somewhere. You made any changes or fitted anything new to the car recently?

 

No this is the thing you see.

My dad bought the car about 5 years ago and it was fine until this spring. It's driven him so potty he's bought a new car and I've had the Prelude.

Anyway the only changes which would have effected the car in it's lifetime is the instrument clutser will have been changed, I have removed this with no luck. The stereo was ripped out but I have cheked the wiring and the dash light switch wire is fine. There is an alarm but that shouldn't effect the circuit. There is a rear fog lamp conversion and the switch does use the dash light circuit but as far as I can tell it's only to illuminate the added fog lamp switch but I will double check that and perhaps dissconnect the wiring to it and see.

However when my dad took it to the local garage for them to look at it the fuse wouldn't blow and he spent a good 30mins switching everything he could on and off to no sucess. The fuse then blew the next day when the car was left stationary with the ignition on.