I'm an electrical idiot and need help
 

I evidently have a short that keeps draining the battery flat. Could someone walk me thru testing for a short across a fuse; using a test light, do I connect one end of the test light to one side of the fuse blade recepticle (or should it be connected to a battery terminal?), and the other end to the other fuse blade recepticle? Do I do this with both battery terminals connected?

My second question is: after I isolate the problem to a main circuit, can anyone spell out for me what the abbreviations on the main fuse box mean? They are from top to bottom: EGI (30 amp), Head (30 amp), Main (100 amp), (ABS) (60 amp), BTN (60 amp), Retractor (30 amp).

thanks!

Jim

in trying to figure out the answers to my previous questions I tried to test the fuses, and while trying to pull out the 100 amp "Main" fuse, I destroyed it. It won't come out. Is this fuse unique in that it is not supposed to come out, or is there some technique that I've obviously not used?

Have I just turned my electrical headache into an electrical nightmare?

any help would be appreciated.

thanks

Jim

held in by screws.

as far as current draw goes... it is very difficult to use a test light to accurately test the draw. The bulb will typicaly only light at a current draw of above 200Ma to 500Ma, while most current draws are in the 100Ma range. You can try it, but I doubt it will work great.

You'll put the test light in series with either the Pos or Neg battery lead. In other words you will hook one end of the test light to the battery and the other end to the terminal/cable that was on the battery. If it lights you can then start pulling fuses (one at a time) until the light goes out.

Again this is a far less than optimal method. If you were useing a cheap $30 Digital multi-meter from radiuo shack you could actually see how much the draw was. For example wireing it up like the test light and setting it on the 10 Amp scale you might see 120Ma draw in which case you would be looking for a bulb the size of the glove box light on, or a relay on. But if you had a 50Ma draw (what the car normally draws) you could see you don't have a current draw problem (however some of the more lame LED style test lights will report this as a current draw.

BTW: you may have wished to seached for Current draw as I know I have answered this question at least 3 or 4 times already.

as far as pretty simple actually

EGI is the Electronic Gas Injection system
Head is the headlamps
Main is the main fuse from the Alt
ABS is the anti-lock brakes
BTN is the brake/Taillights/iNterior lights
Retractor is the headlamp retractors

you may also wish to read this thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=59758

youve fallen for the MAIN FUSE destructo syndrome.

It BOLTED IN.

look on the sides.