The Best Way To Find A Shorted Circuit!!

Finding a shorted circuit can be nerve racking. But with this easy method, you will save your self a bunch of money on blown fuses and time spent trying to locate a failed circuit!

Equipment used:

Merch:

[rscelectrical]

Great clear video, been using the same method for years and it works like a dream.

[carburetedcowboy]

Amazing work! I need to get multiple products for my shop! Thanks for creating amazing products for technicians!

[advancedleveldiagnostics]

I agree it's by far the best way to track shorts, especially intermittents, because you can wiggle the harness and see where it's shorting. Thanks for sharing!

[Chatchie]

Im super stingy with my subs but you deserve it man.

Troubleshooting is becoming a lost science. All we have are a bunch of 'parts changers' out there.

Keep up the good fight, hope your hourly rates reflect your knowledge.

[Sparky-wwre]

Nice video. I learned from an old school electrician many years ago, a similar trick to finding a short in your house. If you have edison base fuses (glass fuse with an E26 base, what most household light bulbs have) remove the blown fuse and insert an incandescent or halogen (preferred) or dimmable LED bulb into the fuse socket. With cartridge fuses, use a lamp socket with leads and alligator clips across the cartridge fuse, with power turned off when connecting them. With circuit breakers, wire the lamp socket between the breaker, and the circuit in question, then turn on the power. A short circuit will light the bulb to full brightness. When the problem is located and repaired, the bulb will turn off, or light at a lower brightness if there are still loads connected, the larger the load, the brighter the bulb. Do not operate the circuit with a light bulb in series for more than a minute or so, because some appliances particularly those with motors, can be damaged if ran at reduced voltage for an extended period.

[simonilett]

Nice one Brandon.
For a switchable load test light, I made up a set of 4 switches connected with one common positive wire from a single banana plug parallel linked to each switch input terminal, then from each switch output I can individually control a set of 3 globes of a tail light harness I pulled from a junk car, this gives me 4 switchable filaments, and a common ground wire shared by all the globes.
I can essentially choose an appropriate load via the 4 switches for most integrity testing, harness shorts etc at the fuse box or pretty much whatever by adapting to the 2 banana plugs to suit what I need.
I can then choose a low, med, high, or even higher amp test light, or combination.
As an audible tester, I have a 12v car horn and a small piezo buzzer, both with a pair of test leads terminated with banana plugs, which have been super handy for testing circuit integrity or short finding etc when it's not possible to see the test light👍

[AbbottAutomotive]

This is one of, if not the best method in my opinion. 👍🏼

[thebaldmechanichardatheari]

Very simple idea but very effective. Good work 👍

[untitleduser]

I've used the same method of using a test light to diagnose a constant short to ground, very effective. Once the test light is in place I've used a DC current-clamp to identify how far the short is traveling in the circuit. If I see the 5A (or however much my test light is drawing) on a given part of the circuit I know the short is further down the line, if I see 0A I know I'm past it.

[christophergraham]

Hi great content. Am i right in thinking, that the bulb acts the same as a pull down resistor. Also would it be a good idea to match the bulb wattage to match the load rating? Thanks for the education.

[anthonyrosa]

if that audible box comes with a volume knob great job!!

[davidche]

Nice simple video
Whered you get the box

[MrMCSS]

Nice video and great idea. I just ordered this box and a few other things.

[flightmedic]

I am working on a 2018 navigator that keeps burning the led module for one headlamp then eventually the other side goes away too. How could I trouble shoot this ? The scanner shows short to ground on lighting system. It was in an accident and I repaired it.

[teranluis]

Have a compressor clutch fuse popping, would this method work? How would a shorted power circuit do both, provide a ground for the bulb at the fuse terminals, and also provide voltage to the compressor or load? Would the bulb safely protect the circuit for excessive current?

[Quickwrench]

Great video Broke it down made it simple Basically in some kind of way made your own powerproble short finder. I been doing your way for years. Just never added sound to it.

[BestMoblieMechanic]

Been doing it this way for years 💪 great tool how do I order???

[JonathanLozada]

Where are you located? I've had 20 different mechanics look at my tail lights and still can't figure out why the running lights on my liftgate don't work with my headlamps on. It's been so frustrating 😫

[jaywyatt]

Did you 3d print that light socket, I was thinking of doing that same exact thing. And yes your way is different, but it’s so helpful to see the same job through a different lens. Thanks man.

[bernardocisneros]

Great video, idea, and explanation. Very easy to understand and follow. Thanks! Is this what you did while you served or did you take this up after you got out?