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Resolved Tail lamp fuse keeps blowing!!!

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SNAKE_15

10+ Year Contributor
572
48
Aug 28, 2012
Bakersfield, California
Ever since I connecting the light that illuminates the cig lighter yesterday, my fuse kept blowing. Because of this, my instrumental lights, taillights, and radio lights don't turn on anymore. Before that everything was fine. Why is it doing this?? This is my second time replacing that fuse. When I do everything works, but only for short amount of time.
 
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Instead of opening a new thread, best to start here again. It' been awhile since I posted, but here it goes.

Long story short, I never found my short because it had stopped blowing my fuse so I didn't know what to look for, but after a few years it randomly came back


I disconnected just about everything going to this tail lamp fuse circuit (side marker lights, taillights, bulbs, cig lighter, radio)

I traced the wiring from the taillights all the way until it hit the dash and I have yet to find wire touching ground. I even unbolted fuse box but did not find any bad wiring. I tested continuity on side marker lights, tails, and cig lighter with no issues. I'm at a lost. Just yesterday when I went to see if my fuse would pop after disconnecting more plugs and moving wiring around, my low beams on headlights stopped working but high beams still work. Fuse tested just fine so now I'm at a loss.


Any ideas?? I'm a newbie when it comes to wiring but I tried just about did what I could, tested continuity and disconnected what I could think of going to this circuit it's still blowing my tailamp fuse and now low beam headlights aren't working now.
 
You may have an intermittent short in the low beam headlight socket itself or tail light socket itself (or wiring right on the socket). Does fuse stop blowing when unplugging those sockets (not just removing the light bulb)? Also will wiggling wires right on those sockets cause the fuse to blow?

A long shot but one time a guy had a bad light bulb where one of the internal filaments intermittently shorted against the other one.

Another long shot: Has someone wired in something extra to the tail light circuitry (look under dash especially on wires to fusebox and fusebox in engine compartment)?
 
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You may have an intermittent short in the low beam headlight socket itself or tail light socket itself (or wiring right on the socket). Does fuse stop blowing when unplugging those sockets (not just removing the light bulb)? Also will wiggling wires right on those sockets cause the fuse to blow?

A long shot but one time a guy had a bad light bulb where one of the internal filaments intermittently shorted against the other one.

Another long shot: Has someone wired in something extra to the tail light circuitry (look under dash especially on wires to fusebox and fusebox in engine compartment)?


1. Yeah fuse still blows after I disconnecting the sockets for tails and headlights including bulbs so nothing is powering them at all.

2. The fuse blows immediately when I first click to the running lights before I can even turn headlights on. Fuse did not blow when moving these wires around

3. Nothing extra was wired to the tailight circutry. Only thing I have is a turbo timer but I used a plug n play harness to the ignition and I disconnected power just to be sure. Also disconnected the 3 plugs for the switch that turns on the fogs and that adjust side mirrors

During these past 2 weeks, my headlights were still working normally then suddenly stopped working so not sure what caused this or if they are related with my tail lamp fuse because I know they're on a different circuit.


I noticed that my high beams will only work if I'm holding the switch back to turn them on but as soon as I let go they turn off. I borrowed two turn signal switches but they are different in plug locations. I thought they were all the same for 2gs? Mines on the left


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Update: I was messing around with the light tester and noticed my headlights turned on when I put light tester here on the turn signal plug



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Another finding, I grounded the fog light fuse location to ground and my headlights turned on.


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Well now I'm lost and have no idea what to do next. I'm not even getting power to the tail lamp fuse circuit on the fuse box

I swapped relays and that didn't work. Looks like I need to pull the dash to trace the wires. I did notice that when I bypassed the tail lamp circuit the light bulb for the cig lighter was really low compared to the ash tray light and all other interior lights so maybe something going on in that wiring.
 
Another finding, I grounded the fog light fuse location to ground and my headlights turned on.


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Your adding power here in this picture, not grounding, which would support the theory that your not getting power. Are you getting power on that big ass connector that connects the exterior fuse box to the engine wiring harness?

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Check that red wire there on the back middle of that connector and see if its getting power when you turn the key to on. If your not getting power then you should start chasing that wire back. I wonder if it pulled out of the factor splice in (there are a bunch in our harnesses) and its grounding out on shit causing your problems.
 
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Ok guys so I pulled the dash and literally started tracing the green wire with no luck. We cut the wire where it meets close to the driver fender (picture below)

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and noticed from the cut back to the fuse box, the short is gone. So it's from the driver side fender to the cabin, but we can't find it.

Note: still not getting power at all at the tail lamp fuse slot and not sure why. Tail lamp relay is so not sure where the problem lies. At first, the fuse was getting power so my 15A fuse would pop when I was testing things. I literally got this car taken apart fml

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I know I posted in this thread


Anyways, you unplug all exterior lights and turn on your headlights. Slowly one socket at a time insert all bulbs until fuse pops

The tail light fuse controls the dimmer switch as well as the interior lights. You can bypass the dimmer switch to verify that it is the one popping your fuses


I know I posted a response to this thread.....
 
Unplug your sun visor lights also! those wires short against the metal roof when the plastic coating wears off and are not thought about much, spent several days finding this out one time.
 
Wow guys I finally found my problem and I'm so mad cause I could've avoided tearing my car apart and wiring. Turned out my switch was bad and wasn't sending the signal to the relay which powers the tail lamp fuse. Put the new switch in and no short and running lights work
 
Wow guys I finally found my problem and I'm so mad cause I could've avoided tearing my car apart and wiring. Turned out my switch was bad and wasn't sending the signal to the relay which powers the tail lamp fuse. Put the new switch in and no short and running lights work

Hate to bring this back from the dead but which switch are you talking about that ended fixing this? The dimmer switch?
 
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