Hey all. Yesterday my glove box wouldn't work. It's also connected to interior lights and sun visor lamps. I checked the F57 red 10amp fuse behind the passenger armrest and it was blown. I replaced it with a new fuse and there was a spark and it immediately blown the fuse. I have a service contract, but don't wanna leave it at the dealer and pay a $200 deductible for something like this. Has anyone experienced this and can give me any help? Thanks!

Btw, it is a 2011 X351

 

Do a search for
Glove box and interior lights not working
In this forum under the FX cars or put it in Google.
Same issue and person found a short in the sun visor wire.
(Using my iPhone so can't cut and paste the link here.)

 

I found that post but wasn't very helpful. I removed both sun visors so no contact was being made and replaced the fuse and it blew again. I have no idea where to begin to find this short. I can't even get into the glove box to check there.

 

Without a location given in your profile I am assuming LHD as you mention prices in dollars.

I'll give you the wire locations first so you can do end-to-end resistance tests, then some suggestions afterwards.

Central junction box F57/10A supplies the following:

A) From C3BP01C, 46 way blue connector, pin 15 brown with green stripe (top central on front of junction box behind rear seats)

Spliced to:
A.1) To C32-B, 12 way grey connector, pin 3 brown with green stripe (driver side of instrument panel/dash, behind plastic end trim).
A.1.1) This goes to the glove compartment lamp, pin 2, brown with green stripe. Note that the ground is switched via the glove compartment switch C2LN12, 2 way black connector, above the passenger footwell. (That is not the push switch that opens the glove box, it is a microswitch that ensures the lamp is off when the door is closed.)
A.1.2) This also goes to the glove box module, which is what releases the glove box and locks it shut. C2PR08, 3 way black connector, pin 1, brown with green stripe (behind the glove box).

Also spliced to:
A.2) To C49-A, 22 way green connector, pin 1 brown with green stripe (behind passenger rear C pillar next to the parcel shelf).
A.2.1) This one connects it to the roof harness for all the roof-related things - front and rear vanity mirrors (brown with green stripe at each connector) and also the rear overhead console as pin 1 on its connector and the front overhead console again as pin 1 which is used for the integrated lamps (same wire colour).

In order of likelihood the fault could be:
- Faulty/blown lamp or heat damaged connector
- Worn wiring
- Module fault

Start by checking each bulb.

Then with the car doors unlocked and within 5 minutes of opening the driver door (so the interior lamps are active, but the ignition is off):

Disconnect C32-B and C49-A, then replace the fuse. If it still blows you have a wiring fault on the body harness. Check connector C3BP01C to ensure the pin is securely housed. I had a pin pushed out the back of the connector on a different circuit at that same junction box as the connectors used do not latch the pins in place if they are even slightly misaligned.

Disconnect the glove box interior lamp connector and check it carefully for damage (they get hot, this is a good candidate for connector failure - if your switch failed the lamp would be on permanently and quickly overheat) then reconnect C32-B. If it blows suspect either an IP harness fault or a glove box switch or module fault.

Then disconnect each vanity mirror/sun visor and the rear and front overhead consoles. Reconnect C49-A. If the fuse blows you have a wiring fault in the roof harness.

Reconnect each mirror and console one at a time to test for failures.

I have attached some wiring diagrams (EWD) and removal instructions (WSM) that cover everything mentioned above for reference (including how to get to the connectors). The headliner removal steps reference how to remove the rear roof console as steps 11 and 12. The glove box steps are useful as they show the location of the switch and module if you need to access them.

Please post back with your results.

 

2011BlackXJL, just to ask a simple question, has any work been done on the car recently (ie, just before the fuse started blowing)? If so, I would start in the area where that work was done and look for a damaged wire. Because the fuse is blowing immediately, this is telling me that you have a hard fault and should be easy to spot. Also, the damaged wire is the power wire coming straight off of the fuse box. Using the information that xdave gave you, this should help in finding the problem easier.

In my experience with problems like this, you are most likely looking at one of the overhead light fixtures or you are looking at somewhere under the dash where a wiring harness has been moved and it is now pinched between something hard and a metal part of the car, resulting in wiring insulation damage.

 

Thanks Dave,
I'm using your post to find where I probably blew a fuse when when making a connection for power in the upper lights above the rear view mirror.
Will let you know if I find the correct one. !!! Was over in your neck of the woods many time while in the military and stationed at SHAPE in Belgium in 79-82.
Regards,
Ken

 

Thanks, it was F%& as shown in the diagram.
Ken

 

Hi Ken.
Can you expand a bit?
I don't know what you mean by F%& maybe F57? That's fuse that was blowing but you said you replaced it and it popped again?
Did you find the reason?
.
.
.

 

I just want to say the guy in the threes with all the pdfs and schematics really helped me react down the blown fuse . Which I then proceeded to disconnect my visors which didn’t have any light coming on them . Once I did that and replaced the third blown fuse . My glove box began to open again & gained my dome light function as well as rear sunshade functions .