Wagner 3497 bulbs in 1996 I30 cornering lights blow the turn signal fuse!

The bulb spec'd for this application is 1156, but the 3497 should work with no problems.

My reason for using the 3497 is because they're supposed to draw the same current 2.1 A, both 27 W, but the 3497 is supposed to be worth 45 CP instead of the 1156's 32 CP, so more light without using more power.

The cornering lights only come on when the turn signal is activated *and* the headlights are on. The turn signal and cornering lights are on the same circuit/fuse, but the headlights are on a different one. The turn signals work fine when the headlights are off (and thus the cornering lamps do not come on)

The fuse is 7.5A

Is there some other reason that 3497 bulbs would blow a fuse? Or is Wagner just that poor quality? These are NOS Wagner bulbs, made in the USA.

You really want Honda P/N 34903-SF1-A01, but in troubleshooting your situation: Are you sure the regular bulb doesn't also blow the fuse? Also, it's possible your Wagner-branded bulbs are the Stanley-made ones-- maybe you're not putting the bulb in right or something (but a BA15S bulb is hard to insert incorrectly).

Try that bulb in your backup lamp position, and see what happens. If it holds up with the installed fuse, then put the 7.5A in to see what happens. If it still works, it's your cornering lamp wiring somewhere.

Wagner's quality doesn't tend to be high in general. As far as I know, Wagner never sold American-made 3496 or 3497 bulbs (neither did anyone else). The real ones are from Japan; the low-quality lookalikes are from China.

Can take an ohm meter to the bulb terminals of the old and new bulb. See if there's a difference....

jzchen said:

Can take an ohm meter to the bulb terminals of the old and new bulb. See if there's a difference....

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There may be a slight difference in the cold resistance; the changes in the filament that will result in the same wattage when burning yet provide more light could mean a change in the cold filament resistance. However, unless the 3497's resistance is very low compared to the original bulb, it shouldn't result in enough inrush current to blow the 7.5A fuse-- the resistance should increase much more quickly than the fuse can 'react' to the higher load, perhaps even with a "fast blow" fuse.

Looking more, I see the turn signals on the '97 I30 are on a 7.5A fuse-- that's two bulbs with their own inrush current when the turn signals are in operation. If the inrush current on two bulbs won't blow the fuse, then a single bulb should be fine. It's almost certainly your wiring, not the bulb.

UPDATE

I just checked the wiring, and the two wires were rubbing inside the plastic shroud. It wasn't visible without cutting off some of that plastic shroud that they have the wires in. I was able to separate the wires and keep them separate, and no more blown fuse

haha1234 said:

I just checked the wiring, and the two wires were rubbing inside the plastic shroud. It wasn't visible without cutting off some of that plastic shroud that they have the wires in. I was able to separate the wires and keep them separate, and no more blown fuse

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This demonstrates the importance of fuses. Without a fuse, you might have blamed that Wagner bulb for your car catching on fire.

Good info guys!!! Thanks!!!!!!

Liquid tape, anyone?