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Recently, I've been having my small lights fuse get blown whenever I try to turn on my lights. I've replaced the fuse a couple of times and the fuse continues to get blown the moment I turn on any kind of lights. I took out the instrument cluster and tested to see whether there was a shortage there, but the lights still wouldn't work. My tail lights will only light up when I'm breaking. Is it possible that there could be a shortage in the parking lights or lights for the liscense plate? If so, how would I go about checking whether they're shorted? I would like to learn ho to fix this problem without before I decide to take it in to get fixed (want the experience ).

My car is a 2001 Honda Civic EX.

 
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What fuse number in which fuse box?

 
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Under the hood, fuse #2.

 
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Dis-connect the battery neg cable. Test for continuity (ohms) from that fuse slot to the red/black wire at the back of the instrument cluster. Test both sides of the fuse slot. If you don't continuity then you have a break in that wire somewhere. Inspect the back of the fuse box for a bad wire. Then try to trace it back as far you can looking for a bad wire, most of it will be in the harness. Look for a bad wire at the back of the gauge cluster and trace it back too. If all else fails, solder in and run a new wire.

Also, just to rule out a grounding problem, check your grounds too.

 
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Did this start after a headunit change by chance ??

 
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Actually, started when I ran over a full blown tire in the road at night. Some lights in the instrument cluster were replaced, but after the fix, the lights were working for a few days before the fuse blowing.

@Lazlong: I'll get to that whenever I have free time. College tests take away my free time.

 
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The small lights fuse is also associated with the front marker lights, tail and license lights as well.

You may want to Ohm out the RED/YEL(tails/licence/markers) wires at the sockets and see if you have a dead short.

 
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Checked out for continutiy, and the RED/YEL wires were fine (going to 10k and climbing. Didn't want to keep checking), but I had no continuity in the RED/BLK wires.

I'm pretty much a beginner at doing anything to cars (took me forever to figure out how to take out the instrument cluster bezel), so any instructions on how to handle this problem would be great.

Also, is it possible that I can disable that wire? If it's not of immediate importance then I would rather have it disabled until I can throughly work on anything extensive.

 
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do you have HIDs? if so try changing out the ballasts and see if it still blows. when one of my ballasts went bad it kept blowing that fuse. or maybe when you hit the tire it loosened something with your headlights. check everything you can think of with your headlights

 
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Was the damage to the front section ??

If the fuse blows the instant you turn on the lights... it sure sounds like a short circuit.

 
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I guess you mean normal headlights? (Sorry, not well versed with car terminology yet).

I hit the tire in the middle front section of my car. Traveled under the car and made damages to my transmission (already got it fixed). If it is a short, then will I be able to cap the wire for temporary purposes?

 
Rep Power: 308

It would be hard to say what wire to isolate and where. It would almost be easier to locate the short (maybe, maybe not)

Can you look at the travel of the tire and see where damage to wiring could have occured ??

If you can narrow to the front or rear as the problem... you may be able to isolate factory wire and jumper back (or forward) a new source.