My car stereo keeps blowing fuses but an older stereo works fine. Any ideas why this is?

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Paul

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This started a while ago, i removed the stereo one day and upon reconnect it I found it wouldn't turn on. I checked the fuses, replaced blown fuses and tried again but the instant I turned on the power the fuses blew again. I have now connected an older stereo after replacing the fuses again and it works fine. I would much rather use the problematic stereo as it is (when it worked) a much better stereo.
*** Sorry I should have been a bit clearer. The car is an 03 corsa and the stereo in question has worked fine for over a year before this happened. I initially thought it was just the fuse in the stereo but I have replaced this and still it blows the fuses. The older stereo is just older in terms of my ownership of it, its not that old in actual age, I only mentioned it to demonstrate that it must be something wrong with the stereo not the car wiring
 
Have you reversed the polarity? Most stereos have a diode inside them across the power supply, this is there to cause a short circuit and blow the fuse when powered backwards - the idea being to protect the rest of the machine from the reversed power. This works about 50% of the time but just as often the diode will be destroyed in such a way that it conducts in both directions, so it'll cause a short circuit whichever way around the power is then. You need to examine/have someone examine the stereo, don't just keep trying it or it'll be permanently destroyed, if it isn't already. These diodes can cause some of the printed circuit to be burnt out, if so you'd have to solder wires to replace the damaged tracks. If you're really lucky, removing this diode may cause it to start working again - you should replace the diode though.
 
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