In this guide, I’ll teach you how to test fuses with a test light quickly and efficiently.
As a handyman, I have learned a few easy-to-follow tricks to test fuses in your vehicle or home in less than 5 -minutes with a test light. Test lights are typically less expensive than multimeters when testing fuses. Besides, they offer reliable test results to help you assess the status of your fuse. A blown car fuse causes electrical issues such as the inability to use the radio, interior lights, or certain climate control features. When a fuse blows, the car may not start.
Generally, testing a fuse with a test light only takes 5 minutes:
- Locate the fuse — in a fuse box under the hood
- Ground the test light to clamp or clip
- Connect the probe of the test light to the positive power source
- Verify if the test light works
- Test the fuses
We will cover more details below.
How to Test Fuses With a Test Light — Procedure
The following steps will help you test your fuse with attest light without hassle.
Step 1: Locate the Fuse
Locate the fuse box and remove the cover. Fuses can be found in various locations, including inside the car on the driver’s side and in a fuse box beneath the car-hood. If the interior lights aren’t working, look for this component’s fuse on the back of the fuse box cover diagram.
Step 2: Ground the Test Light
The test light should connect the clip or clamp to a metal surface to get ground.
Any metal surface on the car or the car battery’s negative terminal will suffice. Squeeze the clip/clamp open, move it onto the ground source, then release the clip to secure it.
You can get a test light online for as little as 10 USD. You could also get one from an auto supply store or a home improvement store. (1)
Step 3: Connect the Probe of The Test Light to The Positive Power Source
Connect the probe of the test light to a positive power source. The probe is the metallic needle at the end of the cable. Grab the test light by the handle and place the end of the needle against the positive plate of the car battery or any other positive power source.
You could use any positive battery cable or a fuse that works well for this.
Step 4: Verify if The Test Light Is Working
Wait for the test light to light up to see if it works. The test light will come on when you touch the probe to the power source. Once you’ve confirmed that your test light is operational, you can move on to testing your fuses. (2)
Step 5: Testing the Fuses
If the test light does not light up, double-check its grounding or try a different power source. If it still does not light up after another test, it may be time to replace it.
Tips:
If your test light works, you can use this method to see if a car battery is charged. The procedure remains the same.
Simply connect the test light’s clip to the battery’s negative terminal, probe the positive terminal, and wait for the test light to light.
Take a look at some of our related articles below.
- How to test fuses with a multimeter
- How to wire an auxiliary fuse box
- How to connect ground wires together
References
(1) USD – https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/<
knowledge/finance/united-states-dollar-usd
(2) power source – https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/
engineering/power-source
Video Reference
