Power door locks - blowing fuse

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bromodragonfly
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Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Power door locks - blowing fuse

Post by bromodragonfly »

Hey, looking for some advice,

The driver's side power door lock switch is blowing my #11 fuse. The door does not lock or unlock when the switch is toggled, the 20A fuse just blows instantaneously. It does not matter if the door is in the locked or unlocked position.

The passenger side door lock switch does NOT blow the fuse. However, nothing happens when I toggle it, in either position.

I had an alarm system installed professionally about a month ago. The alarm remote DOES unlock and lock the doors when it arms/disarms. I can hear the actuator, and confirm the doors do lock by trying the handle.

I'm not the best at deciphering electrical diagrams, nor do I have much experience with DC circuits. From what I can see in my Haynes manual, the left hand and right hand lock switches, latch switches, and safety belt retractor solenoid are all tied together, and run into fuse #11, which is tied into a fuse block that is shared with fuse #7.

What is the difference between a lock switch and a latch switch?

I am puzzled as why the passenger side switch doesn't blow the fuse, but also doesn't work. I am also wondering why the alarm system can lock/unlock both doors without blowing the fuse. I have no clue how the system was installed, only that it was done by a reputable company that specializes in car security and custom electronics. Do they usually run separate power wiring to the lock actuators?

Anyway, my first thought was to test the driver's side switch. How would I test for a switch that is shorting to ground? Or is there something else that I should look at first?

Thanks for your time :)
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DTMAce
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Re: Power door locks - blowing fuse

Post by DTMAce »

Did they work before you took it to them? Sounds like to me that something is screwed up with the wiring, especially if you blow a fuse triggering the driver's side switch. (wiring being screwed up can be a culprit of the issues you describe)

Reputable or not, they can still make mistakes. Being of a reputable sort means they should also at least offer to help correct the problem, especially if they caused it.
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bromodragonfly
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Re: Power door locks - blowing fuse

Post by bromodragonfly »

Yeah, they worked before I took the car to them, which was about a month ago.

I only noticed the problem today, and only because I couldn't turn my interior dome light on. The new alarm doesn't automatically lock the doors when the ignition is turned on, like my old one did, so I haven't had any reason to toggle the switches myself. I'm just not sure if I should check to see if something has coincidentally shorted on its own or worn out, or if I should assume it was a wiring mistake and take the car back for them to look at.

An update though, the passenger side switch DOES blow the fuse as well. So now it's not centralized just to the driver's side. Is there a typical or common component that would short on both switches with Beretta's?
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