2002 Hyundai Elantra Keeps Blowing Fuse Dome Lights Soon Install New Radio Door

2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
150,000 MILES
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keeps blowing fuse for dome lights as soon as i install new fuse ,radio and door chimes dont work either
Nov 3, 2012 at 5:04 PM
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CARADIODOC
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 34,321 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
You're using the dash light wire at the radio for its ground wire. When you plug the radio in, it is grounded by the correct ground wire in the wiring harness and / or the antenna cable, and that grounds out the dash light circuit causing the fuse to blow. Very few aftermarket radios use the car's original dash light wire or the tail light wire. On the original radio those circuits told the display to dim when you turn on the head lights and how much to dim when you adjust the dash lights. Either of those wires can be confused as the ground wire when searching for it with an ohm meter. They both read very low resistance, (like a ground wire), due to the many bulbs on those circuits.
Nov 3, 2012 at 7:16 PM
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