Fault detection in the electrical system

A typical electrical circuit consists of a piece of electrical equipment, switches, relays, motors, fuses, blown jumpers or circuit breakers, and wires and connections that connect all the elements together and connect them to the battery and vehicle ground.

Before starting to check a faulty circuit, first study the circuit diagram of this circuit in order to understand what elements it consists of. The source of the malfunction can be found faster if you determine which of the elements of this circuit are working properly. If several elements or circuits fail at once, the problem is probably a blown fuse or poor grounding, since often one fuse is responsible for several circuits.

Problems with the operation of an electrical system are usually caused by simple causes such as oxidized or unreliable contacts, a blown fuse, a blown blown jumper, or a faulty relay. Visually check the condition of all fuses, wires (if it is possible) and connections in a faulty circuit before starting to check other elements of this circuit. If you're going to be using test equipment, use the circuit diagrams to determine which connections you need to check to find a problem.

The main instruments needed to find a fault in the electrical circuit are a voltmeter (or a 12 volt light bulb with connecting wires), a continuity tester, a battery with connecting wires and a jumper wire, preferably with a circuit breaker that can be used to connect in parallel to the circuit.

Before troubleshooting using test equipment, study circuit diagrams to determine connection points.