2001 SL2 repeatedly blows fuse but only at >60 mph.....

[hmbldtsatrn]

My SL2 keeps blowing the 10A mini fuse for the parking lights but only when the headlight switch is on AND I go over 60 mph. So far I have:

1) Checked the side marker lamps and replaced the socket and bulb on the passenger side. Did a test drive and blew the fuse again

2) Disconnected the aftermarket stereo then another test drive. Nope not that either.

3) Checked the wiring in the trunk. I did find an exposed wire and corrected that. No change.

4) Disconnected the instrument panel (a suggestion from a friend who thought that might be the issue due to the mph part of the issue) But no, still blew a fuse on the test drive.

Tomorrow I will check all lights and sockets along with the wiring to each. I also disconnected the connector for the headlight switch and it shows signs of getting hot (pics attached - I hope).

Has anyone had this issue before or have any ideas as to what could possibly be going on? I searched the forums and did find several posts of others having a similar issue but none with the mph factor throwing a wrench in it (pun intended)

I appreciate any suggestions to this....
Thanks.... A Saturn fans newbie

[fetchitfido]

The on/off circuit for the fog lights also utilizes the park fuse.
I believe the main harness runs through the front driver side wheel well, between the engine bay and interior rather than through the firewall; that could be where the speed factor comes in.

[toggenburg]

Welcome.
Most likely, after you replace the entire male and female connectors, you will notice that speed had nothing to do with the electrical failures.

[bluesl2]

Take a peek at the license plate lights, specifically the sockets, it's rare but have seen the sockets get corroded before and cause this, not saying it's the problem but worth checking.

[PrestonIII]

I'm leaning towards a hanging wire that vibrates as your speed increases. This vibration has caused a chafing of the insulation on the wire and now it's shorting out when the vibration gets bad enough.

Check places where wires hang unsupported, like the wiring between the
body and the tail lamp assemblies or behind parking lights or side markers.
It might even be something behind the instrument cluster that's been moved around over the years.

You mentioned having found a bad wire already. I'd check that harness up and down as far as you can, looking for breaks in the harness wrap or insulation, especially since you've already found one problem in it already.

Move wires around. Tape them to nearby items so they don't vibrate. Zip tie them. You can do it one harness at a time and do your drive test. When you no longer blow your fuse, then you know that the last harness you touched had the problem, and you can investigate further and wrap and imobilize better.

I've seen wires that flex over and over, like the wiring to trunk lamps and the wiring going up to the underhood lamp or into doors, get brittle and completely break open circuit or even short between each other causing blown fuses. (Personal experience with a Cadillac automatic trunk draw-down mechanism).

Preston

[toggenburg]

Do the simple stuff first.
The OP's photos clearly indicate that is the hot spot.
Once that's corrected the problem should be gone for good.

It's like with health issues.
Use this simple list (in their order) to determine whether it is time for the Doctor or not.
-Occupation (is what I do for a living contributing to my pain/illness?)
-Avocation (is what I do in my spare time causing this? Hockey, exercise, gardening muscle strains, hobbies, etc)
-Trauma (slip on something, trip, fall, accident?)
-Disease (infection(s), underlying body system issues...etc).

The 4 in this list are not perfect, but following this list has enabled many to avoid the ER where maybe they get exposed to even worse things than are found at home.

[PrestonIII]

That burnt contact is likely due to too much current draw through that particular circuit. That doesn't mean the headlight switch is the problem. That burning is just a symptom of something worse happening further down the wire.

If the switch was the problem it would be IN the switch, not the connector ON the switch. And the switch would likely fail open circuit and not cause the lights to light, rather than short circuit and draw too much current and blow a fuse.

Once having found the actual problem, it might be a good idea to replace that headlight swtich though, since it may be weakened interneally from overheating from too much current flow. And THAT would cause an open circuit and nothing to come on.

LOL, and probably smoke!

Preston

[hmbldtsatrn]

Originally Posted by PrestonIII

That burnt contact is likely due to too much current draw through that particular circuit. That doesn't mean the headlight switch is the problem. That burning is just a symptom of something worse happening further down the wire.

If the switch was the problem it would be IN the switch, not the connector ON the switch. And the switch would likely fail open circuit and not cause the lights to light, rather than short circuit and draw too much current and blow a fuse.

Once having found the actual problem, it might be a good idea to replace that headlight swtich though, since it may be weakened interneally from overheating from too much current flow. And THAT would cause an open circuit and nothing to come on.

LOL, and probably smoke!

Preston

Preston,
Thank you! Yesterday I did a voltage test along the circuit, starting at the fuse terminal, and when I tested the taillight sockets the fuse blew. Today I am going to do a continuity test from there forward and hopefully find where the wire is shorting. I am also going to follow your suggestion to secure the wiring and harnesses, great idea! I will post an update later in the day, hopefully saying problem solved )

I appreciate your help with this and explaining everything in plain English lol

Anna

[hmbldtsatrn]

**UPDATE** Mon 6/29:
The previous (and original) owners had this as a 'vacation' car which they towed behind their RV so it has a tow bar underneath in front, with a connector for brake and taillights and turn signals, and the wiring kit (for lack of a better or correct term) in the trunk.
After doing continuity checks today, I have found that the wires before the kit have continuity but the wires after do not. There is quite a bit of splicing and taping in that area as well. The exposed wire I spoke of in my original post was part of this mess, just on the left side.
As I do not own an RV and have no need to have the tow kit wiring, I am going to sort thru the mess and hopefully reconnect the original wiring. However, I am learning as I go but, if knowledge is power, I'm just gonna be that much more powerful lol.
Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions

Anna

[alordofchaos]

Originally Posted by hmbldtsatrn

I am going to sort thru the mess and hopefully reconnect the original wiring.

I dealt with my "previous owner DIY wiring mess" at the front of my car (no high beams or DRLs) by grabbing some stock wiring at the junkyard.

I figured it was worth the money not to have to spend the time to sort through the wiring and reconnect everything properly.

Welcome to saturnfans. Tons of good info and helpful folks here, as you already know

[hmbldtsatrn]

Thank you alordofchaos,

Thankfully it wasn't as awful as I had feared. It was pretty simple actually since it only involved the brown and light blue original wires and I was able to reconnect them. The wires that had me confuzzled go to the trailer wiring that snaked up to the hitch in the front. Just going to clip the connector for that so it doesn't hang down anymore, tape the ends up, and do a test drive to see if that solved my issue...

I have referenced this forum several times since buying my Saturn almost 5 years ago and it has always been helpful but I hadn't joined the forum..... until I couldn't find any similar issues to this one lol

Thanks,

Anna

[hmbldtsatrn]

***UPDATE 6/30/20***

Success! The issue was the towing electrical connector. It has been hanging in front for as long as I have had it, nearly 5 years and the ground wire connection was torn up which probably caused the short. In the trunk, the towing wires were spliced to the brake and taillights as well as the turn signals. I reconnected the original wiring, taped everything I could possibly see, and secured all of the wiring following Preston's suggestion. Then I cut the connector off, taped up the ends and secured it to the frame with a zip tie. Did a test drive well over the speed the fuse had been blowing at and still had taillights and side marker lamps on when I got back.

Problem Solved )

Thank you all for your help!

[fetchitfido]

Random tow-behind stuff installed and no mention of it in the OP?