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Recently I was on the highway and suddenly my car broke down and it was cranking and all but not starting so I knew some fuse has blown.

I removed the indicator fuse and used it for fuse which gave power to the instrument cluster and the car started.

I am not sure why the particular fuse blew so suddenly , I am not sure what to check next.

I am aware that all electricity is coming either from the alternator or the battery, so I am not sure where the problem lies.

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  • Did the fuse blow again after replacement? Is it replicable under certain conditions? If not, I wouldn't worry about it.
    – Zaid
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 11:49
  • @Zaid No it didnt, that is till now! , I want to know why it blew in the first place.
    – Shobin P
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 11:50
  • Stuff happens. Maybe there was an intermittent short-circuit which caused an excessive current draw. Maybe there was an excessive load placed on the electrical system. Maybe the voltage regulator is on its way out and the alternator was overcharging. This isn't something where I would feel comfortable saying that your likely culprits are A, B, C or D; in the absence of further information I feel the probable causes are far too many to list reasonably.
    – Zaid
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 12:00
  • If the fuse does blow again, try to make a mental note of what conditions it happened under and update this post with your observations
    – Zaid
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 12:06
  • Also, please provide the make/model/year of the vehicle. This is always good to know in case there is a systemic issue which can be resolved through a tech bulletin or a recall.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 18, 2016 at 13:52

1 Answer 1

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Cars commonly multiplex their electrical systems. This means that multiple things are fed from the same fuse. The best way to identify what is on the fuse is to check the wiring diagrams.

Once all the possible sources from the fuse have been identified the fault can be systematically narrowed down. First look at components that come on and off, this is the most likely source. If those sources are eliminated then everything else needs examined. Possible causes could be shorted or bare wires.

For example I worked on a Ford Taurus, intermittently the PCM battery fuse would blow. I found that the Air Conditioning Clutch was on the same fuse. When ever the clutch came on the fuse would blow.

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