In this video I have a look at a customers Honda Ridgeline that has been blowing the interior light (dome light) fuse for over 3 years! Experience lead me right to the cause of this issue.
-Enjoy!
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South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
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Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.
-Enjoy!
If an SMA Video has helped you out please consider giving using "Patreon" to help support us. The videos take real time to create and pull us away from real work that pays our bills. CLICK HERE: https://www.patreon.com/southmainauto
CHECK OUT OUR "SMA SWAG" STORE! Go on Teespring and get your very own SMA merch!
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If you don't like Patreon feel free to use the "PayPal Me" link: https://www.paypal.me/SouthMainAuto
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AES Wave Automotive Diagnostic Tools: https://www.aeswave.com/cart.php?m=affiliate_go&affiliateID=2525b91fc8e906e8215984074c9d9e8f&go=https://www.aeswave.com/Miscellaneous-p9347.html
Thank you for all the continuing support!
--Eric & Vanessa O.
Feel like sending some swag to SMA because you love the videos but don't know where to send it?
Just ship it here:
South Main Auto Repair
47 S. Main St
PO Box 471
Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.
That folks got this 2017 Honda it's a Ridgeline It's got the big three five and it has no dome lights. Uh, the guy says since he's owned it which I think he bought it second hand. Uh, the dome lights haven't worked. he's replaced the fuse.
He told me number 18. uh, down by the parking brake uh, lever there or by the parking brake foot thingy. You know what I mean Uh, he said that fuse box on there. he puts a fuse in it and then it blows the fuse and you know it's done.
Ever since he's had it, but now he wanted to have it looked at. So let's a let's verify that the fuse is blown. B I've already verified that dome lights don't work because they didn't come on a little door jar light did. But let's see if that fuse is blowing.
If it is, we'll um, we'll put one in it, see if it blows immediately, and then if it does, which I hope it does because it's gonna be a lot easier to find a permanent short than an intermittent one and we'll see what we can do. Okay, so we have a legend man. I'm running out of space to see here. 18.
Number 18 is supposed to be a seven and a half amp interior LT it says so there's a 20, 27 and a half. Oh okay, so it's this one here. it's the one that's actually missing. uh, what kind of fuses are these? Let's uh I'll get some more low profile guys I think I Grabbed a couple different jumpers here for us.
Okay, there's that one and this takes a regular regular fuse. Um, okay. and then the red LED out of this indicate to open. So let's get a regular.
I Wonder if we should be smart? Just stick a circuit breaker in here so we're not just blowing through fuses or we can even stick a a test light in there? Let me grab a test light. that's just for grinsing I got a 20 amp. We're gonna let smoke out now. we're just gonna briefly touch it I want to see if it? Okay, so it does make some clicking and stuff there.
Of course we don't know the circuit design yet, so we don't know. Oh I know if it's a seven and a half amp circuit. we've got a four amp bulb here, so we should be okay in that regard. Okay, all the lights are on.
yep, so it must run a relay. There is no short currently because our light is not on. However, our interior lights are on. So what's that Tell us? that tells us that we're dealing with the dreaded intermittent.
However, we gotta look at a wiring diagram and however, again, I can tell you this: I have a small amount of experience with these. not with these vehicles in particular, but dome lights blowing fuses intermittently and I've traced them down. They're right there. I'm kind of curious because this one have like that one has lights.
Let's just move the I mean it's not short right now so it can't really cause any harm. but let's just move this around and see if we oh you see that we get it on the first try. Boom look at that. Bingo was his name on.
We even got a buzzer. All right we found a short look at that. Some days it's better to be lucky than it is good. You guys want to see it one more time. I wonder if that's not Identifix if not it should be. but I did this one time on a Honda Accord I think and it was in the in the joint right here. The only reason I remember it was because it was a pain in the woohoo to get this down and I it took me a long time to find that service data. I'm probably going to look it up again, but look at that folks, let's go look just for poop and laughter.
Let's see if this is a I hit on the Identifix and if it is, if it isn't then we'll put it in there. But yeah, we're going to find a short right here. Um, and like I say I knew that solely just based off experience I put it in a 17 Ridgeline LX but I think it's a higher trim level than that. Let's see here: 17.
new I Think it's an ex. Let's see. Well, what's it say on the front Black edition? Whatever that means, we'll go EXL because it's got the leather, it's got the sunroof and the Navy and all that. Let's try Fuse 18 and see if anybody has a hit on that.
No hits on that. Let's go. Oops oops. Interior interior light.
Ah, look at that. Okay, so there is no no hits on the Identifix If Tsv, what's the TSB, Let's see if there's no alternator testing. Okay, so there is no hits on the Identifix Uh, so we'll definitely have to contribute this. However, before we contribute, let's find out what the real problem is.
Uh, like I Say we just got lucky just based on my previous experience from a long time ago. So let's see where we find out what the real problem is. I Tell You Folks Some days you just feel like a rock star when you walk up to a car. put your finger on it.
find the exact problem. Well I gotta spend hours on seriously I Do not remember how these things come apart and or if the problem is in problems in the joint. but I don't remember I don't remember anything all I remember is the heartache. Oh easy fun.
Oh hey now no that's right. It says they have it over here and it says to push the hook in which is if I remember right? this is really stiff and I was boy yeah I think it I think it is I almost think you got to push it thing near the point it feels like it's going to break. um I can't freaking see. Gosh dang it.
I Had to go get my readers I Got an appointment with the eye doctor. it was. It's inevitable for now. Oh yeah, probably a Luger Let's see if we can push push push well oh my.
God Well I'm going to pitch around with this thing for a while. I think I Remember being down this road folks, the more our freaking breath boy. that's extreme I got them here to pick. You have to push so hard it bends to pick mother lover I am literally out of breath.
Here's a guy who's overweight and out of shape. so let's pull this down. See, we still got our little doodad here. Let's unplug this little guy and I believe the short ends up being right inside the sun visor. Here somewhere it's got to be where the wire pulls through, right? I mean that's the only thing that makes sense I Don't know how you take this little guy apart, but yeah, trust me folks might tell you she shorted out because because I know things. so I tell my kids I'm a dad I drink beer and I know things. So the Little Hook that you have to push in is on the back side. you know, windshield side right here in that hole.
You gotta push your little heart out if I click it over, it's going to lock in. um foreign ER without a sun visor. However, I don't want to lose I don't want to lose our little plug in here. So what about this? What if we? you just stick that right there because I can see the harness.
Okay, so the harness is easy enough. see the harness isn't going anywheres. we're just going to leave it unplugged for the time being I don't know how much uh, you know how much he uses this vanity here If he's like, oh, I need to see that's not how he talks but and then we're going to take and just stick this back up in here for the time being because now it's unplugged now I've got to make sure that the little hook just came out I'm sure it probably did, otherwise this will fall right back off, hook, pop back out and that's it. Now he's got everything except for the vanity right here, which he may or may not fix.
I don't know, we'll give them that option and uh, that's it. Let's go get a regular fuse, stick it in there and we should be good to go. now. prior to doing that though, I put the uh light bulb back in down there I just want to take and open up the passenger side here.
run her in and out. give her a flick around. But here we have two problems. I know I doubt we do and then of course this one doesn't matter because that's all unplugged.
but there. everybody's in the comment section right now saying well, how do you know it's not in the roof wiring Uh well I'm gonna tell you right now I don't Okay, and neither do you and neither does anybody the most probable likely cause and like I say based on previous experience um with high news is it's in the in the assembly here, especially as you see how them wires can go move in and out as the sun visor telescopes here. What I can do is if the customer decide to fix this which you may or may not, we can dissect this and see where that wire is shaped through. Um, you know, where is it rubbed? Obviously, it's you know we're touching somewheres in there.
uh, shortened the ground. Uh, which is probably going to be, you know, like a cop or a copper short. I assume that the wires are touching because this isn't touching anything metal I don't I think this is all plastic so it has to be a wire to wire short. So uh, so that's it.
And then I'm gonna go put a regular fuse in it and if he does decide to do it, we're going to come back and we'll tear the sun visor apart and see what's up. And I'm going to add the free tip Friday for somebody on uh, the Identifix in case they're having a problem. it can lead them right to the right to the cost. So I hope it's not a problem for you to leave a comment in that comment section. The questions, the comments see and see the Facebook and just my viewers. If I can do it, you can do it. Thanks for watching foreign foreign.
This has been my ethos for over 20 years…hasn't let me down yet 🙂
Interesting! My boss is having the exact same issue on his Ridgeline! I'll have to take a look at it for him!
Some tool company needs to make a halogen headlight bulb test light…
So, did you put the pick between the headliner and plastic visor "hinge" and pull down forcefully? We really didn't get to see where you had the pick. Plus you said you had to "push" it. Push it up, down…..how?
doesnt look lucky to me, looks like you learn from experience!
Experience matters. Well done.
Another fine job! Excellent.
Any kind of issue where intermittent power delivery is a question, a spot where the wires are consistently flexed and bent is usually the best place to look first. Wires themselves basically never go bad
You drink bud light?
Great troubleshooting 😊. You're a good man (charlie brown) Eric O
he won't bother unless his DW drives it.
Well, learn something new everyday. I own a 17 Ridgeline and my wife owns a 22 CRV. I never knew the visors slid back and forth….🤔Thanks, Eric!
I had a short in my visor in a Chevy suburban. Flip down the visor and the radio cuts out. Blows the courtesy circuit including radio, dome lights etc. Took a while to diagnose too.
Bosch! job done : )
That was awesome!!!
Seems to be a cheap design from Honda of using loose wires for the extension of the visor. I have a 2018 ridgeline; thanks for showing a possible root cause if this happens later down the road. Thank you
yep. just saying
Had pretty much the exact same symptoms, along with the additional problem of my wife's corolla dash lights flickering and going out at times. Dome light didn't work. Parasitic draw led to weak battery overnight in winter. I found a short on the backside of the dome light housing on the car roof, and really crusty insides of her in-dash interior dash and dome light rheostat control switch. Couldn't find replacement switch so took apart and cleaned. Car works right now, and no parasitic draw. Would never have thought of visor light. Thanks for info, Eric.
That is some serious experience you have. I would have never thunk to move the visor around. Talk about knowing your sh*+!
Its always better to be lucky than to be stupid. And if you ever think someone is stupid you might shut your mouth and learn something. The guy who delivered a 55 gallon drum of oil and he put a tire down at back of truck and just literally rolled it off end of pickup. It was standing and it hit the tire and bounced safley to ground.
Mr O playing “Operation” while diagnosing a short! 😂😂
Reminds me of the game “operation” with the buzzing, and light coming on.
Every once in a while a blind nut finds a squirrel……….🤣🤣
Surely not your ordinary mechanic! The homemade test light current limiter came in clutch again.
I had my used 2013 Chevrolet for about 5 years and I had no idea that the sun visors were telescopic. I put the passenger side down one day and for a minute I thought it broke or I broke it, then I pulled the drivers side and discovered something I didn't know I could do. Never needed them to telescope because the mirror is large enough to block out the sun most of the time.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Hoping he wants it fixed so we can see the dissection. Premium contant right here.
Sorry Eric, you weren't lucky, you were just good. Nothing like experience.
I definitely learned some good stuff today! Great video, and your experience outweighed the luck, brother!
After a heartache myself of trying to find that sunvisor problem. That’s always my first go to.
good job boss
Good job on spotting the problem so quickly, yes, sometimes better to be lucky or have an experience in the past that was similar. I had a similar instance with a vehicle that was blowing a 10 amp fuse for the interior lights. Of course, it was a loaded up vehicle option wise. It had vanity light, dome lamp, map lamps and a courtesy light in each door. I figured the wiring went up the right side windshield pillar so I pulled the inside trim piece off and boom there it was in front of me. One of the metal clips retaining the molding had chafed the wire when it was installed apparently. Fixed the wire and all done. Very first place I looked, that's lucky.
I remember when there were only two kinds of fuse; whatever glass fuse you had laying around or rolled up tinfoil.
Nice work
Depin the connector on the visor (or cut the wire if need be) and run a long piece of heat-shrink down each wire through the elbow. That way you don't need to try to take the visor apart.
I just had my sun visor replaced on my 14 Accord. Not for electrical issues, but turned real hard. Only issue in 213,000 miles. Nothing else.
Congratulations on getting that pivot loose without either a. skewering your hand or b. tearing a divot in the headliner.
i always imagined putting a bulb in the fuse socket that the bulb would light up dim without a short then it would go bright with the short? isnt it essentially a series circuit when you put the bulb in and because the circuit is lighting the head lamps how come the bulb in the fuse location isnt dim without the short? can you please help me understand? i guess its because the bulb is high amperage if so if you used a low amp test light in place of fuse would that test light be lit barely even without a short,and lit bright with a short?
Hey Eric spend the extra money and go to shop around I just had my bad lenses removed which were cataract and now I wear the bifocal when I need it so it’s a Rama neck on a chain I don’t matter eyewear but the first time you get that done it’s like a brand new baby you can see so clear but you gotta stay out of the bright light it’ll hurt your eyes especially LEDs and the new LED bulbs it’ll kill yet so bright I was wearing sunglasses and then I switched to yellow lenses and that helped out a lot completely the glare the brightness it took it away trust me😅 I did my background checks this guy next to me and I felt it and he said he did and I said yes you did it’s right there you can look at it I can see it when you put the machine in front of my face I can see it and he wouldn’t he would admit it he just barely touched me but the other Doctor Who did my other eye I had two doctors the other eye is beautiful the left one is just as perfect too but I’m right handed so I always sit towards the light and the light coming in off the side of my pool is so bright it dries my eye out you have a problem with drying your eyes out because your eyes are used to be without glasses because I wore glasses for 100 years
The dealership would have installed a new body control module.
Vic can get it out.!!
Say Eric I’ve been fighting with my 2010 crown Vic P 71 with a new headliner and the replacement lights in the inside and I have been fighting with blowing fuses to try to find where the shortages and whoever changed it it’s driving me nuts maybe you could help me out I see you found that right away I’ve taken the wires loose every one of them that’s bolted to the roof for grounded I’m taking a loose no problem so I slowly go back through and ground wires to see which one it is but I can’t get it to short out to blow the fuse tell me what’s going on with you
ROFLMAO i saw the Black edition on the drop down on identafix some times you have to slow down to see………..we move at twilight speed most day's easy miss IMHO.
The first 40 or 50 times are the hard ones.
After that, they smooth right up.
Free tip Friday for you Eric: I had my optometrist order a pair of safety glasses with the bi-focal portions on the bottom AND on the top sections. Using these glasses, you can see everything better when working under anything.
I first had this problem in a 1973 cad the customer said every time that the wife drove it the fuze blew never with him driving after finding the short he said she checked her makeup every time she drove
Good call!
Don't know if you planned it, but if we looked in the rear view mirror, my trust level was restored! Not gonna unsubscribe this time! You lucked out!
LoL 🤣😆
Thank you for the effort you put into these videos!
Me being me I would have tied dental floss to the wire so I didn’t have to try to find it with my arthritis fingers 😁
if they had put the fuses under the floor would have been better.. 😩😖
The dreaded readers. I use 1.5 to read and 3.0 to see close up. Sucks to get old. Good vid. Thank you
With a sunroof it is most likely a Elite trim level.
Jeep grand Cherokee had recall on the same thing shorting beauty lights in visor. It was the wire in header was not protected and rubbed on metal frame inside
Usually the front of the headliner is not attached to anything so you could reach up under it and pull on the plug to bring it out by the windshield. It would make it easy to find if he wanted it fixed.
"Regular Fuse" I don't know what that is anymore. There are just too many types. Just sayin.
Great content lot of broken wires lately
This video along with Spelunkerd's comment will help a lot of people. Good team work!
I HOPE THAT YOU DON'T DRINK BUD LIGHT LOL !!!!!!!
I must know what is that fuse tester 😱
Real men don't use vanity mirrors.
I can never get those sun visor out have a younger guy in the shop with better eye's can get them out in seconds
Fantastic display of your knowledge from past experience on the Honda. I am a bit surprised you did put an ohm meter on the wiring in the visor while you had it out of the truck to confirm the the issue was in the visor.
Always learn on this channel
did the customer choose to fix it?
You're lucky I've been wearing glasses since I was 5 years old
Meticulous repair work…
Hi, Mr. O. Experience trumped luck in this case. Thanks for sharing!
what happen to the go old day when you had 3 srows to pull out my god have times got a way from me lol but I dont under stand why you need a light in the viver on the driver side that is stupid
You are the man I'm impressed every time I watch your videos keep them coming
Hondoo!
You could put a multimeter on continuity beep mode and put it across the roof side harness, wiggle it and see if it gives you a beep and likewise you could connect it to the visor, wiggle it around and check for beepage.
Great video, thanks!!
Nice video and great find. Have a good weekend. Don’t get to carried away with your new toy at home. 😂
Readers will be your friend from now on, just select the power number lens you need. I went to the eye doctor and I’m still using readers at 70 years old.
Great job Eric O. as always. Never a dull moment at SMA. Have a GREAT weekend and a safe one.
There's an old saying Mr. O. "I'd rather be lucky than good." You nailed it. But rest assured, you're good. Thanks for the vid.
I would’ve taped or zip tied the 2 connectors together so you can pull the connector out easier. Don’t want to go fishing for that connector.
When watching these videos, I can sometimes tell when a mechanic likes or doesn't like a certain vehicle (well, "like" as in, respect). I know he shats on GM quite a bit. But I can't figure out why he can't just say Honda. Must be one of those OG jokes from years ago when he first posted videos.
Having said that, I do appreciate learning little tidbits like this..
Man, that's one problem that has existed for years and years. Ever since they put the light in the visor from at least the 70's that's the first place I check too. Learned the hard way too. lol
That is a great tip! Saves a whole lot of grief. Now I am going to see if my sun visor telescopes out on my Honda Pilot. Have a Great Day!
Hallelu-yer indeed!
Those lighted vanity mirrors made a dead battery in the ol' 1997 S10 more than once.
Years ago when I was about your age I brought wife to eye doctor, while she was getting examined I was reading in lobby. Doc came out with her looked at me with my readers and asked when was my last exam, told him I couldn’t remember! He says come on it’s paid for, after exam he says your eyes are worse than your wife’s. Got the bifocals and the whole world looked like a 3D movie I could see again😊👍
You're so funny. "I'm a dad, I drink beer, I know things." Nothing has ever inspired me to be a dad than those words.
Nice diagnosis. Apparently it’s not a huge thing if it’s not in Identifix but you’d still think someone at Honda might care? Sadly weight savings, and the high cost of copper, have pushed wire gauges to the bare minimum with all manufacturers which contributes to problems like this.
i usually put a 5% tint brow accross the top of the WS on all my cars when i get the windows tinted, prevents 90% of the use of a visor
Great job Eric
Its got the big 3 5 in it
Is the identifix on a South Main patron page or is that an Actron page or could it be on the South Main website?
Thats not luck thats experience haha
I have an odd one going on with my 2003 monte Carlo. My dome light stays on all the time, but The floor lights go off and on and it's on a timer. So I don't know if it all runs on the same circuit and I don't know if the timer cuts off the power Or the ground. I have to get in there with a test light and a volt reader
It's easier to get to the release button if you remove the windshield🤑. I'm just saying😇.
Eric can remove your shorts.
For anybody wondering how he was able to get away without a fuse, remember that the light he used has enough resistance to limit current to about 4A, even if there is no additional resistance in the circuit. The light IS a high resistance fuse. So the wires are safe for testing even with a dead short. It's still a bit of an unknown at the area of the short, I suppose it could start a fire there if you left it on. When testing you rarely leave it on for more than a few seconds, so more damage at the point of the short is unlikely. Ultimately the area of the short will always be fixed or bypassed.