Circuit Breakers

A circuit breaker is a protective device designed to open the circuit when a current load is in excess of rated breaker capacity. If there is a short or other type of overload condition in the circuit, the excessive current will open the circuit between the circuit breaker terminals. There are two basic types of circuit breakers used in GM vehicles: cycling and non-cycling.

Cycling Circuit Breaker
The cycling breaker will open due to heat generated when excessive current passes through it for a period of time. Once the circuit breaker cools, it will close again after a few seconds. If the cause of the HI current is still present it will open again. It will continue to cycle open and closed until the condition causing the HI current is removed.

Non-Cycling Circuit Breaker
There are two types of non-cycling circuit breakers. One type is mechanical and is nearly the same as a cycling breaker. The difference is a small heater wire within the non-cycling circuit breaker. This wire provides enough heat to keep the bimetallic element open until the current source is removed.

The other type is solid state, called out as Electronic Circuit Breaker (ECB). This device has a Positive Temperature Coefficient. It increases its resistance greatly when excessive current passes through it. The excessive current heats the ECB. As it heats, its resistance increases, therefore having a Positive Temperature Coefficient. Eventually the resistance gets so HI that the circuit is effectively open. The ECB will not reset until the circuit is opened, removing voltage from its terminals. Once voltage is removed, the circuit breaker will re-close within a second or two.