There are more electrical modules in a car than you can count, and they can get short circuited if you have an unauthorized technician messing around with your car’s electricals. Modern cars have electronic control modules designed to manage the many features & subsystems of accessory & critical functions.
The good news is, unlike the insane wiring of the past, modern car control modules have minimized the clutter. However, there are still places where you can’t even imagine an electrical short circuit happening, but because short to power are often confusing, you might need to narrow down your search.
Brownsville Toyota takes the service of their cars a bit too seriously, so we’re helping you with finding these shorts.
What is a Short?
Electrical charges take the shortest path to the ground or power regardless of the resistance of the conductive material. What happens when frayed hot wires come into contact, creating shunted paths & causing the control modules to fail.
Where Can it Happen?
It’s more like why they happen because when novices install too many electrical accessories without the assistance of an authorized technician, mistakes are made. With our vendor-approved technicians, you wouldn’t have to face that risk at all. But here are the control units that can get shorted.
- Airbag electronic crash unit
- Anti-theft alarm
- Electronic steering module
- lighting control
- Car comms & nav module
- keyless entry & remote start modules (in high-end models)
- fuel pump control unit
- Traction/stability control module
- Fuel injector module
- adaptive suspension control
Other minor modules affected in an electrical short are:
- Power Windows
- Seats
- Sunroofs
- Doors & Locks
- Airflow Control
- HVAC Unit
Critical shorts:
- Alternator – This component powers the engine & charges the battery. If it is shorted, the lights will fluctuate & the engine will stall as power gets cut.
- Starter Motor – This solenoid motor cranks the engine until ignition can take over. If the starter is faulty or shorted, the car won’t start.
- Battery – Internal shorts occur when poorly manufactured battery cells contact and create a heating discharge. If the battery finds a ground path, it will drain & lose power.
- Headlights – It’s better if the fuse gets blown, but if it’s a ground fault, you will have a possible risk of electrical fires.
How to Confirm a Short?
- You will need a circuit testing automotive diagnostic tool to test the car’s electricals for shorts.
- Remove the car battery’s negative terminal connector & clamp the tester’s clip to it. Touch the tester’s tip to the positive terminal & if the bulb comes on, you have a confirmed short circuit.
- Now you need to find out where it is, so keeping the tested connected, start pulling & putting back the fuses in the car’s fuse box for every control unit.
- If the light goes out on a fuse that you pulled, use the fuse guide to verify the source of the short. If it’s in the critical zone, you better call Brownsville Toyota for roadside assistance because driving a car with a confirmed short might start an electrical fire.
We offer top-notch service, specials & OEM parts sourcing, with flexible payment options, further complete with a display of 2022 beauties, both conventional & hybrid fuel, that you can trade-in for if your car is too much of an electrical annoyance for you.
Otherwise, immediately book a service at our auto shop for electrical issues. We’re serving Brownsville, TX!
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