#3 fuse blown

[kstanle2]

So, driving down the road when my radio goes out (after market in car when I got it) so I went investigating the fuses. There was a 25 in slot 3 and it was blown. So I went to replace it, blew again immediately. Took the radio out. Soooooooo many wires. any suggestions where to start.

[CalAltaDubber]

First, a 25A fuse is too big for that circuit. So I suggest the first thing to do is check to make sure all of the rest of the fuses are the correct size. Here is a link to help you. http://www.cabby-info.com/electrical.htm

Second, You are on the right track by removing the radio. the P/O probably has hacked the wiring for the sound system installation, so it is best to totally remove it. This should (depending what may have been done) should bring the car almost back to normal.

Third, Inspect all the wiring in the dash. Especially any splices where the wires were twisted together and wrapped with electrical tape. (that method of wiring is a good way to cause problems). I would suspect that a power wire has pulled out of a splice and has contacted ground (something metal attached to the frame). This would explain why the fuse blows. So also look for wires that are not terminated. (Power wires are either red, for power that is always there, or black for switched 12V. In this case it is probably a red wire, unless the person that installed the sound system used what ever was at hand.)

Fourth, After your inspection and repair, with the sound system still removed, place a 15A fuse in the slot and check to see if the clock, lighter and interior light work. If not you need to go back and inspect the wiring again.

Fifth, Plan out and re-install the sound system (hopfully with the blown fuse protected the sound system). If the OEM connectors for the radio have been removed (I suspect they have been) you wll have to make proper secure connections. Either solder the connection and insulate it with heat shrink tubing, or use proper crimp connectors (also buy a crimping tool for this don't use pliers. Pliers do not provide the right pressure to have the crimp securly hold the wire.)

To install the sound system, you should have the wiring diagram from the manufacturer. If you don't have it, you should be able to find it online. Luckly, the car audio industry has adoped a colour code standard for wiring, so if you cant find it, it can be figured out. and as Brian says, get a Bently manual, They contain the wiring diagrams for the car. That way you will be able to properly match the correct wires during the installation.

Hope this helps. Keep us informed.

[Briano1234]

You forgot to add that the Factory wiring pairs are in here somewhere as I wrote them all down per year and style of RaDiO.

Radio yesterdays wireless.

[CalAltaDubber]

You forgot to add that the Factory wiring pairs are in here somewhere as I wrote them all down per year and style of RaDiO.

I did. I forgot all about that.

[kstanle2]

The wires are all crimped. The lighter didn't work to begin with. I haven't gotten that far with taking things apart yet. Every time I start working on it, the rain sets in. (Car outside) so hopefully I'll get things figured out today. I've got my trusty bentley, but wiring diagrams are not my strong suit.

Oh, and most of my fuses are the wrong size.

[CalAltaDubber]

No problems.

Here is a link (Kamy saves the day again) to a good tutorial how to read and follow VW wiring diagrams.
http://www.cabby-info.com/Files/ElectricalSystem.pdf

in the mean time, I think it would be a good idea to repopulate the fuses with the correct size.

There might be a few more gremlins that this will bring out.