Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

Testing For A Short to Ground With A Short Finder




1. With the battery connected, remove the blown fuse.
2. Connect the short finder between the positive battery terminal and the load side fuse terminal.
3. Close all switches in series with the wire that you are troubleshooting.
4. Turn on the short finder This will send pulses of current to the short and create a pulsing magnetic field around the wiring between the fuse box and the short.
5. Beginning at the fuse box, slowly move the short finder meter along the circuit wiring. The meter will show current pulses through sheet metal and body trim. As long as the meter is between the fuse and the short, the needle will move with each current pulse. Once you move the meter past the point of the short, the needle will stop moving. Check around this area to locate the cause of the short circuit.