Having problems Shorting fuses. Help me

[lbyler86]

My radio went out one day. Fuse was blown so I put a new one in it just to have it blow again. Couldn't figure out why so I pulled the radio out. Looked inside and it was a complete rats nest of wires. Checked my battery and there was a separate ground wire with another green wire that I must have forgotten to connect to the ground terminal when I put my batteries back in. I connected it and put a new fuse in and it worked. Now keep in mind the radio never turned off with the key. I always had to turn it off by pushing the power button. Was fine till I started it again later then my dash dim lights went out. What do ya know that fuse blew now an kept blowing every time I put a new one in. I figured it was that damn ground wire again so I disconnected it and it still blew but myself radio still worked. Not sure what the problem is. Idk if I should take it a stereo installer or see if a dealer could fix it. Yes I know sounds like a big cluster f#@$ but I could use any input you have. Thank you!

 

[4x4dually]

I doubt a ground wire has anything to do with blowing a fuse...unless it is shorted in the harness to the power. There are typically two hot wires powering a radio. One is always on (for clock memory and station preset memory) and the other is ACC (switched with the key). Typically, on all aftermarket install kits the red is ACC (switched) and the yellow is Batt+ (always hot). The OEM's wiring can be umpteen million different colors.

What year is your truck? I have the diagrams for 2001 and 2002 and what ever other years are the same. Was your radio installed with an aftermarket adapter kit or are we talking about a factory head unit? You obviously have a shorted wire or connection between the radio and the fuse or a fault in the radio itself. Disconnect the radio. Use a DMM or test light and check the two power wires I mentioned. That is where I would start. Disconnect the radio, replace fuse, and drive around for a day. If the fuse blows, you will know it is the wiring and not the radio itself causing the problem.

You apparently have both connections on your radio (ACC and BATT+) hooked to the battery wire in the dash. That is why it doesn't turn off with the key. That can be nice sometimes if you want to listen without powering the rest of the cab. If you want that, just put a toggle switch in the ACC wire so you can toggle it from ACC to BATT on those rare instances where you want it on without the key.

 

[zstroken]

I doubt a ground wire has anything to do with blowing a fuse...unless it is shorted in the harness to the power. There are typically two hot wires powering a radio. One is always on (for clock memory and station preset memory) and the other is ACC (switched with the key). Typically, on all aftermarket install kits the red is ACC (switched) and the yellow is Batt+ (always hot). The OEM's wiring can be umpteen million different colors.

What year is your truck? I have the diagrams for 2001 and 2002 and what ever other years are the same. Was your radio installed with an aftermarket adapter kit or are we talking about a factory head unit? You obviously have a shorted wire or connection between the radio and the fuse or a fault in the radio itself. Disconnect the radio. Use a DMM or test light and check the two power wires I mentioned. That is where I would start. Disconnect the radio, replace fuse, and drive around for a day. If the fuse blows, you will know it is the wiring and not the radio itself causing the problem.

You apparently have both connections on your radio (ACC and BATT+) hooked to the battery wire in the dash. That is why it doesn't turn off with the key. That can be nice sometimes if you want to listen without powering the rest of the cab. If you want that, just put a toggle switch in the ACC wire so you can toggle it from ACC to BATT on those rare instances where you want it on without the key.

Is the fuse the right size? Is it an inline fuse holder?

As Jory said if it only happens when you are driving around, I would lean towards a wiring problem(bad insulation etc)

 

[lbyler86]

My truck is a 99 2500. It is an aftermarket head unit but man let me tell you there are a lot of wires spliced off with crinched ends on them and like I said it's a big cluster f#@$. Should I cut them of and reconnect the wire harness on them just so it's a little more neat and less wires to mess with? I will test it like you said on a day I'm not busy and let you know.

 

[RDPsmoker]

sounds like you need to start over with the mess and get it all fixed. I had a similar issue and it was the power wire rubbing on the tip of a screw. took a while to find because it wasn't something that stuck out. just take the radio out and look over all the wires.

 

[Shainer]

If they cut the factory stereo harness off you might want to be cognisant of what wires you think you are cutting. If the OEM harness end is still there and the mess is on the other side I wouldn't worry too much as they have their own standard color coding system. Just some food for thought. Don't know why they ran a ground all the way back to the battery though. I thought the factory ground was all by itself and attached fairly close to the radio mounting location.

 

[4x4dually]

This is from the 2001 book. It was wire for wire the same as my 2002. It is probably the same for your truck as well. Maybe it will help.

Fused Ignition Switch (RUN-ACC) is Red with White Stripe.
Fused Battery+ is Pink.