How to Check Fuses When Your Car Has an Electical Problem

First locate the fuse box(s). Your owners manual will give the location of the fuse box(s) for your particular vehicle. May be one on the side of the dash, under the dash, or under the hood. Todays vehicles usually have more than one.

Now take your test light and attach the ground wire clip to a good, clean metal ground of the car. You need to clean off the area for the ground wire in order to get a good connection. If under the hood, using the negative (black) battery cable post is best.

Testlight on the left connected to ground, testlight pointed end on a fuse terminal.

Now, turn the ignition key to the "on" position. Using the pointed end of the testlight, touch both small metal terminals of the fuse. The testlight should light on both. If not, then the fuse is blown. Depending on the circuit, some fuses will not have power to them until that system is required to be powered up. So if no power on either terminal of the fuse, then you will need to remove the fuse and visually inspect. If there is power on one side, then it should have power on both sides of the fuse.