quick electrical questions

[RagingPanda]

The car is 78 280Z. Why is my top right fuse is always hot? I'm trying to figure out why my headlight died and won't come on. I have city light and everything is normal but the headlights(high beam also) are dead and my top right fuse is now always hot. I took of the combo switch and cleaned it but still nothing. I was thinking of the connection on the fusebox itself. I looked at MSA's one and it's pretty expensive. There must be a cheaper/quicker way to solve the problem. What I noticed is that when I accidentally touched the top two fuses(left and right) together the lights came on.

[Oddmanout84]

That's because you're bridging those two circuits together... And I wouldn't really recommend that.

 

If someone else is going to make a post here, I guarantee it'll be something to the effect of finding a small button near the top of the page that reads "search". My advice however is instead search for the FSM (Factory Service Manual, Full Shop Manual, whatever). You can either buy it from an online store, or you can download it here... somewhere... Some guy named xenon or something has links to where you can get them. And there's always other sources like google and torrents...

 

In most cases, you'll find the solution to your problem hidden within the pages, and it will give you a better understanding of your car's systems than anyone else. 95% of the time, it works every time (even better than sexpanther).

 

I'd suggest printing the sections of the manual out as I did, as that makes it much more portable, and in my case, easier to read. Find your circuit that you're troubleshooting on the schematics and read it until your eyes bleed. Or, until it starts to make sense... Whichever comes first. Next, get a multimeter from walmart or something, just get a decent one (I got the one with the digital display and all the bells and whistles). This will help you trace your problems. Just read the directions, or get a manual on how to deal with electronic systems in automobiles.

 

Your problem sounds like you have a short somewhere, most likely due to corrosion somewhere in the circuit, a dirty corroded connector, or a bare wire somewhere touching something conductive that it shouldn't. Try getting some electrical contact cleaner and a brass wirebrush, then do glorious battle vs the infernal wretch that is your fusebox. And while you're at it, go after the grounds too and whatever else may need a good cleaning.