Ok, so I've had an interesting past day or two. Here's the story:

Head home from work only to find out my blinkers aren't blinking. I'm thinking great, head to the parts store and pick up a heavy duty turn signal flasher and replace two front side blinker bulbs that were no where to be found. Took the top dash pad off because I thought I'd remembered seeing that there when I had it off last time. Nope, so I put that back on, and head under the dash. Get the new flasher in and start her up...uh oh the dash is dim on the speedometer. Pull off the bezel and see that two of the bulbs are blown out. Sweet!!! :banghead: Head to wally world to pick up two 194 bulbs, but they don't fit, ordered the 882s today from Advanced ($8.98). But on my way home, I'm turning onto my street and all of the dash lights are out (except the two bulbs that were good on the cluster) Every light is out (radio clock works and the temperature on the digital cluster) but that's it. Get out to see that only my headlights are on.

Pull the fuse panel and start checking fuses. The 5 amp fuse for the taillights is blown. Ok, no problem, just replace the fuse. WRONG!! :banghead: Everytime I turn on my lights it blows that fuse.

So I removed the two little front side blinkers and tried again. Blown! I'm about to go check all the tailights but figured I would stop here for some valuable information.

Any ideas or is it time to :auto: :smash:

 

First, DO NOT put anything in the 5A fuse position except a 5A fuse!!!!
But, on my 87 vette the tail fuse is 10A.
Any fuse that continues to blow, you have to trace all circuits powered by that fuse to locate the short and repair it!

 

Ok, so I went out and pulled all of the exterior bulbs out. Started with the tailights (PITA) had to get my g/f to help me so she could get her small arm to reach the back ones (she did quite well). So I pulled all of the bulbs out and went and got new ones for the rear tail and reverse lights and for the sidemarker lights. Start replacing the tails one by one. They all work fine.

So I head to the rear sides, work great. Head to the front. Blinkers and side lights work great. Get to the parking lights.

Find they both work, but the light on the passenger side has a ground wire (green, i think thats ground) that's missing the rubber boot and the wire has pulled out of the socket. Push it back in and it only lights one filament. Great, but the lights are still on, no blowing of the fuse yet.

Get to the fogs. Put one back in, and wham, fuse blows. Get another fuse, try the other side, bam, blows again.

Aside from the ground...what should I start with? Replacing the sockets? Trace wires?

Thanks!! :cheers:

EDIT: Just to point out, I tried the fogs before the parking lights. And all the lights were recently working, besides the one filament, this just happened.


[Modified by 88vettelover, 2:12 AM 5/21/2004]

 

I don't quite understand what you are doing that causes the fuse to blow. Do you mean that with the fog lights unplugged, all the lights work but when you plug a lamp into either fog light socket the 5A fuse blows? Also, why is there a 5A fuse in the ,"tail", fuse socket when the tail fuse is 10A? Definetely you must fix the passenger side light wire!

 

Well, I finally got it. It's supposed to be a 10a fuse. Why there was a 5 in there was anybodys guess.

I'm guessing the guy before me had it in there, but he had some bulbs unplugged (side blinkers) so I guess that wasn't enough to snap the fuse. But I restored those bulbs and pop. Put a 10a in, installed my fogs and it all works.

I don't have any idea how to fix that wire. I'll take some pictures so you all can see and we'll go from there. Thanks!! :cheers: