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Message: <blockquote data-quote="framda" data-source="post: 928548" data-attributes="member: 16062">I was reading your post and all of the advice that you are getting is  good. I just wanted to add something that has helped me out in the past.  When I was in shop class back in high school I was real good at  wrenching but electrical issues always intimidated me. My shop teacher  explained it like this,Electricity and water act the same in  many ways. They always try to find ground. Water runs down hill and  electricity always looks for the ground. Electrical wires are  basically the same as pipes for water, the more electricity that you are  flowing, the bigger the cable you need to do it without problems.Water volume is similar to voltage, water pressure is similar to amperage.They both take the path of least resistance.  If water can take a diversion that is easier it will. If a cable has a  bare wire the electricity will go that route instead of going towards  (and powering) a light or motor for instance. I think of this as a  garden hose that has a hole, the water will run out of the hole instead  of powering an oscillating sprinkler for example. A short to ground is like a water leak.Switches are the same as valves, they both allow something to pass or block its travel. They both can get stuck open or closed also.Fuses  are similar to a switch in the way they operate but they only do it one  time. Once a fuse burns and stops the flow, it is garbage and needs to  be replaced. Relays can reset, (automatically or manually)Batteries are storage tanks, some are large and some are smaller. Alternators are like water pumps in the sense that they produce output, but they must have a supply to start with. When  you are trying to troubleshoot electrical you always start at the  beginning of the flowchart to eliminate the problem. these flowcharts  are made by smart people and there is a reason to check each thing in  its order. Skipping a step that seems redundant can cost a lot of time  and money. Electrical schematics are intimidating when you first look at them. I  look at them the same way that I would look at a plan for an in ground  sprinkler system. The electricity will start at one part and continue to  its destination unless something is wrong. This is why it is important  to follow the flowchart. Water and electricity always follow the  rules. You may encounter a new issue but the way that the electricity  reacts to it will always be the same unless something changes.Some  of these explanations are simplified and I don't want to insult  anyone's intelligence. I still use this method of thinking after many  years of Ford and Chrysler driveability factory training. Each time I  need to diagnose something I always start at the beginning and I don't  assume anything. Always verify something instead of writing it off as  unimportant.</blockquote>