Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

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palmskin
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Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by palmskin » Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:20 am

So the tail light 15amp fuse keeps blowing on our 2000 reg Friendee Auto 2.5 petrol V6 with LPG conversion. As well as the tail lights going, the dash illumination also goes, as does the centre console cupholder light. The Hold button seems to have failed too, but that could be coincidence. Jacob at Bongo Mad has had it in a couple of times and can't work it out. An auto-electrician has also spent a day on it - it's not a fault with anything at the back, or the tow bar, or water in the light fitting, or the switch at the steering wheel, or the window adjusters, or the radio, or the fog light, or the air-con, or the leisure battery. Apparently the tail light circuit seems to be drawing about 24amps, and a 25amp fuse holds, but obviously can't be used in place of a 15amp fuse as any kind of fix. There's a short somewhere - probably a wire chafing and/or touching the chassis. We are not remotely savvy on any of this, and need to find someone who can go through the wiring to find the short/ fault. It's got to the point where we'd happily leave it with someone for as long as it took for it to get sorted as at the moment we can't use it as soon as it starts to get dark. We're in Hastings but at this point I'd drive pretty far to someone who can help us. Any thoughts/ reccommendations?
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Northern Bongolow
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Re: Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by Northern Bongolow » Fri Sep 24, 2021 6:55 pm

Check the wiring loom that goes from body to tailgate, it snaps/ shorts.
palmskin
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Re: Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by palmskin » Sat Sep 25, 2021 4:14 pm

Thanks, Northern Bongalow - I kind of hoped the first auto-electrician would have tried that, but I think he'd run out of patience having spent a day on it. Fair enough, really. Me, I can barely change plug, but I'll be sure to mention that to whoever has a go at it next. It's just finding someone that knows Bongos that's the challenge....
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Northern Bongolow
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Re: Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by Northern Bongolow » Sat Sep 25, 2021 8:56 pm

If you take the back door inner panel off you can test through the wiring to the number plate lights etc.
The number plate lights are known to rot at the back of the bulb holders, then you could check for one or more broken wires inside the rubber grommet that goes from the roof body to the door, these fracture and short out sometimes intermittently causing your level of frustation
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Re: Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by g8dhe » Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:50 pm

Yes that circuit is a right pain! It covers everything coupled with the sidelights, dashlights, locating lights etc. The wiring loom runs around a good part of the van and its difficult to separate that main loom connectors to try and isolate it to a given section.
TNS_Looms.JPG
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palmskin
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Re: Tail light fuse keeps blowing - HELP!

Post by palmskin » Tue Sep 28, 2021 12:54 pm

Thanks, guys - all this info is going to helpful to take to an auto-electrician. Much appreciated.
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