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buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 12:16 AM

first of all.....hello. this is my first visit. recently acquired 30' land yacht from father in law with 33k miles on it....1995(or 1996).

i drove it this past weekend and the fuse that controls the dash lights/taillights keeps blowing. it currently has a 20 amp fuse in it. when it doesnt blow it starts to melt!!! and the headlight knob (in dash) starts to smoke.....i took the dash off to look behind it and discovered this as i was problem solving

i can not find diagram that shows which size fuse should be in that location (#5) in fuse box

any help would be immensely appreciated

thx, chad (go bucks)

Homewrecker · 10-20-2009, 12:26 AM

my mechanic would easily find and fix your problem. melting and smoking electrical wiring can burn your unit to the ground and there's nothing you can do to stop it.
If you can't find the fuse to that area of the dashboard, what the buck are you thinking? take it to a professional asap.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 10-20-2009, 12:33 AM

Hi, most vehicles should only have a 5 Amp fuse for the dash lights. With a larger fuse [20 Amp] and a short you can burn out the variable resistor for dimming your dash lights. Most common cause for a dash light short is an improperly wired aftermarket radio. Nothing other than a few aftermarket gauge Lights should be spliced into this circuit. If your vehicle uses the glass type fuses, the ends melt due to a poor/rusty connection at the fuse holder, not a short.

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 12:33 AM

didnt say i cant find the fuse.....i know which fuse it is......just dont know which size fuse should be used......currently has a 20a in it, but that doesnt mean it's the right size

i also know a nice rv shop that would fix it.....but purpose of these forums is to help people like myself try to fix these problems on our own.....at least thats what i thought

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 12:36 AM

thx for input robert. nothing aftermarket installed...only original radio and a cd changer tht was installed by the manufuacturer. my dad in law was original owner and never did anything else to it.

when the fuse blows.....the dash lights go out and the tail lights go out.....but brake lights still work and head lights still work

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 12:38 AM

hey robert.....do you know where i could find a schematic of the fuse panel to see which size fuse i should have in the slot that keeps blowing???? it is the fuse panel directly under the glove box on passenger side......fuse slot #5

ROBERTSUNRUS · 10-20-2009, 01:22 AM

Hi, no I don't, but If the dash light fuse blows then only the dash lights go out. If the tailight fuse blows the the tailights and dash lights won't work. Sounds like a running light problem instead of a dash light problem. In that case a 20 Amp fuse for running lights would be correct.

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 01:25 AM

that is what's happening. so 20a probably correct....but why in the heck would the variable resistor start to smoke/smell?? had 20a fuse in.....maybe fuse wouldnt blow?? old fuse???

Minno · 10-20-2009, 08:33 AM

In my 95 Mustang, the head light switch failed - pretty much exactly as you describe your failure. The variable resistor overheated, and the entire switch back melted. Our first indication of a problem were no dash lights or running lights. Then I noticed the smell. The fuses themselves did not blow, just the headlight switch failed. I bought a new one from Ford, and installed it in about 3 hours (had to take quite a bit of the dash apart).

Pretty much anything mechanical or electrical can fail. Nothing else was wrong with the wiring in the car.

Hope this helps.

Chris

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 02:58 PM

thx for that input....i will look into getting a new headlight switch and see if that heals the problem.....another issue i am having that may or may not be related is that the right turn signal does not work once i get over 50mph.....it will blink a couple times then i will hear a squelch coming from the relay...but the left works fine all the time,,,,then the right fine again after i slow down

???!!!!!!what the heck?

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 10:13 PM

i did some further diagnosing and here is what i found. bought new headlight switch...that is not problem. problem is with the brown wire on headlight switch. according to diagrams is is the wire that goes to running lights/clearance lights. if it is not plugged into headlight switch....fuse does not blow, but now running lights. any ideas where to go from there???

Jim Foster · 10-20-2009, 10:28 PM

Follow that wire!

You will find that it is going to ground somewhere between the switch and the lights, or there is a direct short to ground in one of the parking, tail or running lights.

It will keep blowing fuses until you find that short or the unit burns to the ground.

20 amp fuse should be fine for the whole circuit, 5 amp for the dash lights.

Sounds like the GM wiring I have used to wire many Street Rods. I had just such a short in my '47 Chevy, using a factory wire loom from a '72 Chevy.

Find that short! Look all along the loom. You may find a place where the covering on the loom is starting to melt. That is where you may find the problem.

Good Luck.

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 10:32 PM

thx for the input....hopefully i will find it before it burns to the ground!!! but i do have good insurance though!!

could a short be at the taillights if brake lights work properly????

Jim Foster · 10-20-2009, 10:46 PM

Brake lights are on a different circuit. They are wired through the direction signal switch so that they flash when you are pressing on the brake and have the lever to the right or left.

Yes, brake lights can work fine with a short in the running lights. It's most likely the running light wire that is going to ground somewhere.

buckeyechad · 10-20-2009, 11:15 PM

silly question.....same bulb??? never really looked inside of a taillight?? front parking lights on same circuit as well???

Jim Foster · 10-20-2009, 11:45 PM

The bulb will have two filaments, and two connections at the base. One for tail lights, the other for brake lights. It grounds around the perimeter of the base. The socket will have two connectors. That is another place to look for a short. The insulation on the wires where they go through the base of the socket may have gone bad. That will cause a direct short. If the short is at the light socket, usually the wire will burn at or near that point, but not always.

Lots of places to look for shorts to ground. But if the fuse does not burn when the running/tail light wire is removed from the switch, the short is somewhere along that wire. With the unit being fairly old, I might start by looking at the wires where they go through the sockets. Age coupled with vibration can cause the insulation to flake off the wires. I replace the sockets or at least the wire and socket base on lights on older cars during restoration. With age, the spring beneath the bulb connector and the socket base goes bad as well.

I will be interested to hear what you find.

richinny · 10-21-2009, 04:35 AM

if you have a tow receiver on the back you should also check the wiring there.

can you post a picture of a few of the blown fuses. how the fuse melts can indicate the type of overload.

buckeyechad · 10-21-2009, 10:03 PM

i found it!!! after taking apart all the rear taillights, clearance lights, license plate frame light, tow hitch...and finding nothing. the first parking light in front i inspected was the culprit. somehow the two wires had melted together. i separated them...tied it off and turned on the headlight switch....and no blown fuse!!! will buy new part tomorrow!!!

thx for all the advice!!