Finding a blown fuse and suddenly hitting the realization of it is a real pain. It’s still unknown whether can one drive the car even if the fuse is blown out or not.
So, is it safe to drive with a blown fuse? From an expert’s view, it isn’t a good thing since this can cause some electrical systems to shut off which a user might need like the radio, speedo, fuel injection, headlights, ignition, or any other part.
In this guide, I’ll share why you cannot drive with a blown fuse in detail and give some related queries which will help. Let’s Go!
Exactly Why It Is Not Safe to Drive with A Blown Fuse
A car fuse purpose is to provide the needed protection to the electrical wiring that runs. And when one fuse burns out, it causes a few negative things that a driver should know before driving. These includes:
- The blown fuse keeps the wirings from catching fire and melting so it signals the car to suddenly turns on the system that the fuse gives safety. Meaning one setting can go off while you are driving outside. Sometimes causes bodily injury to the car like a spark.
- It prevents stopping the ride as it will stop working if you turn it off unless you change the blown fuse.
- If the fuse gives signals to the safety system power’s wiring and it gets blown out, then you won’t be able to access the brake lights, headlights, oil, overheating indicators, and so on systems. And that is pretty risky for riders.
- All modern car drive trains need fused connections in order to operate so that means your engine will run but the targeted system won’t be able to supply the power to the desired part. In short, you’ll be stuck!
- If the fuse gives a signal to the speedo, then you won’t be able to see the MPH range which is dangerous. This will cause you to not know what speed the car riding on the highway.
Can A Blown Fuse Drain Your Battery or Is It a Myth?
It depends on the fuse type which is blown. If the blown fuse is a conductor of battery electricity, then it will cause the battery to go in an off position so that the wiring won’t catch fire or melt due to sudden electrical shock.
However, if the blown fuse is a conductor of another part’s electricity, then it turns into an open circuit that draws energy.
In some cases, it can cause an internal error and let the blown fuse turn into a parasitic that drains the battery power (for example a glove box light that might turn on and won’t shut down which needs the energy to do so).
That literally means the relay switch will stay in the ON position which results in the battery to still offering power even if the fuse isn’t working.
So, how to find out if the blown fuse in your car is draining the battery or not? It’s easy as you only need a fuse tester and test it on the battery.
What Happens If You Remove a Fuse from The Car & Not Replace It
It will cause the fused electrical part to turn off while the other part will work. This might look like nothing will affect the ‘one’ blown fuse, but it does.
If your horn system goes deactivated, then the circuit will be broken, and the horn won’t operate when you need it. Similarly, if the radio, ignition, fuel injection, brake light, headlight, A/C or heater, oil, overheating indicator, speedo, and other systems won’t work.
In a wider sense, the vehicle might not face any kind of harm if you leave the fuse attached to the car and refuse to replace it. But it will cause one specific part to not work which might need during the ride.
For instance, it’s possible for you to ride the car without needing for radio or overhead light for one or more years but are not able to use the system (which the fuse is working for).
How Do You Check If a Fuse Is Blown!
In order to know if the fuse in the fuse box compartment is blown or not, you will need to inspect it carefully through some procedure. Here’s the direction:
- Turn off your car.
- Find out the location of the fuse box compartment. In some vehicles, you’ll find 2 kinds of fuse boxes one under the hood and another in the driver’s side footwell underneath the dashboard.
- Check for burnt marks, melting spots, or rusted parts. If you find some fuses that contain black or brown marks, then remember or take a picture of them (if you can’t).
- Test the fuses using an ohmmeter or fuse tester if they are working or not. If not, then the fuses are blown and need replacement.
Overall Thought
That’s the answer to whether is it safe to drive with a blown fuse or not! With the knowledge now, I hope you will replace the burnt-out fuse to avoid making things miserable.
It will take 5 – 10 minutes to replace the fuse which cost approximately $10 – $20. I hope this somehow helps you!
