what did i do wrong???

[sasquatch]

hey i just put in a friends radio in his mazda b2200 truck... very easy install... or so i thought lol... i checked for ground with my multi meter and found the ground and my constant power and then the switched power.... the truck has no wires for the auto dim thing... i wired it up and it works fine then he comes back the next day and says his lights dont work... the fuse is blown, so i put a new fuse in and turned on the lights and it blows the fuse again.... so i bust out the multi meter and after about about an hour of searching for a short in the lights (cause the radio has nothing to do with the lights and i was sure it wasnt the radio...) i figgured out it was in the dash... turns out it was the radio lol... if i have my multi meter in the fuse port and the other end to ground and touch the radio to ground with the lights on it grounds out.... its the crazyiest thing i have ever come across... anyone have any idea what i did wrong?

[crazyrog17]

You lose me when you start metering from fuse to radio?

Maybe you could disconnect the power line you found for the radio and run a new one straight from the fuse box or the battery.

[David88]

I had the same thing. Don't hook the ground into the wiring harness. Instead hook it to the metal dash frame. Find a screw you can loosen an hook it there or drill a small hole and use a sheet metal screw if need be. Just don't use the ground wire in the harness. Worked for me.

[sasquatch]

awesome, ill try that in the morning thanks!

[phyaz91]

i found this problem in my old car 99 eclipse... blew fuses like 10 times before realizing the problem.. but it was my headunit... it was causing a short... as it was an older radio i just changed the radio and the new one didnt do it..