My 1998 Maxima keeps blowing the #40 electronic parts fuse. It blows the fuse soon as you put it in. I unplugged all the parts that feed of this fuse (clock, cluster, antenna, bcm, etc..., visors) and no luck. I'm pretty sure there is a short somewhere, but i don't know where to look? Any help will be appreciated.

 

Unplug any jacks that go into those devices if possible. Get an adapter so you can hook up a re-settable fuse. not sure the smallest re-settable but get the smallest rating, this way when the fuse trips it reconnects when it cools down. You do this instead of going through like 50 fuses trying to find the short. They look like this.

 

That fuse feeds an awful lot of things. In addition to what you mentioned, power antenna, door locks, OBD port, vanity mirror lights, key fob receiver unit, the instrument cluster, door chime, security led, ignition key lock tumblers and maybe a couple more.

Was anything worked on before this happened? If so, check for pinched wires in that area.

 

The car is 100% stock. Nothing done to it recently. I went through all of those you mentioned..unplugged everything...same thing..fuse pops right away. Behind the fuse box there are about 4 plugs (two grey..two white). I plugged one in at a time until the fuse blew, so I figured out which plug. However, it has about 12 wires..so I will have to trace those wires. Hopefully I can find the short.

 

Problem solved. It was a short in the rear antenna wire. Water trickled down from the antenna pole to the plug and shorted out some wires.

 

Someone put a screw in the antenna pole to keep it up leaving it susceptible to water (pic 1). Over time the water pooled in the plug on the antenna motor and shorted out a wire. (pic 2)

 

Great detective work! Happy driving.