I've been having problems with my interior/running lights popping fuses instantly. I didn't major in electrical in college, so I just wanna double check something .

I checked the light that is for the ashtray (now used for fuel pressure gauge, but I never touched the wires. Just put the connector that goes to the light bulb on the gauge light bulb.) If I pull out the old multimeter, I get conductivity between both wires and conductivity on each to ground. This is bad, right? It means the 2 wires are shorted, right?

I hate electrical stuff .

Thanks

 

I haven't actually done anything like that, but it sounds to me like the bulb in your gauge could be drawing too much amperage, although that does seem really odd. Second thing; was the ashtray light working without popping fuses before you swapped in the gauge? If so, then you might try checking if the gauge itself isn't causing a connection to groud (possibly through the mounting brackets?). Hopefully this is of some help.

 

It worked after I swapped the gauge in for quite a good bit of time. I took the gauge out now and the problem still persists.

 

Ok, here's the deal if anyone ever needed help with something like this. Talked to my dad since he knows a lot about this stuff. The fact that both at as ground and I can measure current from one to the other just tells me I have a short somewhere on the circuit, not necessarily having anything to with the ashtray light. Silly me forgot that little fact. It could be in the taillights for all I know. He suggested I needed to start disconnecting parts of the system and isolate it that way. Oh fun.

Are there factory disconnects somewhere that will make it easy to isolate certain sections of that system? Like take the tailights offline or something?

This is gonna be fun.

 

I just fixed a similiar electrical problem on my seven. No easy way to do it but you can split the circuit in two by disconnecting the rear end. My connector was behind the driver seat in the rear compartments.

The most useful thing is to learn the wiring colors. Look at the factory wiring diagram or even just a haynes manual or something. You shoudl be able to find out everything thats on the circuit that keeps shorting out and get the wire color. You can then see what else is on that circuit and follow the color of the wire all the way through the car.

Turned out the rear hatch light had been put together backwards after I had my car painted. The connectors back there are interchangeable, one way puts the hot wire directly to ground.

Rhett

 

Stock, the connectors should be male on harness, female on the rear hatch light for one side (positive or negative, I can't recall) and reversed for the other, making it bodyshop-proof. Your guys must have worked overtime to put it in backwards, rhett

 

Thanks lordrhett. Found that harness and have the wire colors figured out. Was able to separate it like you did and check. Unfortunately, it appears that my problem is in the front of the car. That's going to be a lot harder to find I think.

Anyone wanna buy an '84 cheap? (Seriously) Just don't drive at night.

 

you didn't accidently plug the 2 auto light wires together did you? by the shifter there are two wires: a red/green and a red/blue that mate perfectly. sometimes in making sure you get everything hooked back up you can accidently plug them together.

 

Thats how it should work.........but somehow both the connectors on the hatch light are female (or both male). Its very odd.

Rhett

 

Pretty sure I know the wires you are talking about Jeremy. Think they are supposed to be for the A/T console light. This problem I'm having just started randomly. I hadn't done any work on anything electrically in a long time.