I'm Ashamed

[milehighbear]

I'm ashamed of what i did tonight. For the last four days I've been trying to find a short in my running lights. I have traced wires from front to the back. My corner running lights and rear tail lights will not work. Everytime I put a fuse in it blows. I've taken each bulb out and put a fuse in and it still blows. I even cut the three red wires with little green stripe that goes to back lights where they run by the drivers seat, put a fuse in and it still blows fuse. So now i know its either in the front wiring, or the wiring that stops by drivers seat, or possibly in switch. But the switch does turn headlights on. The parking lights do not come on by themselves or with the headlights. Turn signals in bumpers work and back signals work, and brake lights work. So I'm ashamed to say that i put a toggle switch in that turns front lights and rear running lights on. I can't drive car at night without them. I'm still going to keep hunting the short down. I'm like a dog with a bone, i won't quit till i find it.

[Futurefesty90]

cant help you but i learned quick that i cant honk and break at the same time now that i put a big boy horn on mine.

[TominMO]

Man if that's all you got to be ashamed about in your life, you're doing pretty darn well...

[CharlieZ]

Save those fuses. Rig up a 12 volt bulb to fit into the fuse socket. Then twist and turn wires, wiggle lamp sockets etc. When the test lamp goes out, you narrowed down the location of the short.

[milehighbear]

TY Charliez, that will help me alot. Thats one thread i missed. I think i remember someone saying that before. But i have a good excuse, I'm getting old and sometimes its hard for me to remember things because of all the trees and bushes that have grown in front of memory part of my brain. Have a good day.

[batstiva]

Feh, that's nothing to be ashamed of. A temp fix until a permanent fix is found is perfectly legal. Heck, my new car had a horn button in the ashtray.

Dumb question, but have you pulled the column, and checked the connectors to the switch, just to make sure nothing there is shorted?

[miami man]

charlyz is correct. my 91 was running rough for years and i could not find out why until one day a dropped a wrench on the wires that plug into the vaf meter and it started to run better then i took my hand and moved the wires more and it ran way better and that was the problem after all of those years of aggravation.

[Festiva_tunner]

nothing to be ashamed of if its a temporary fix to get you by - its when the fix becomes permenent that you need to be ashamed

[milehighbear]

naw, won't be permanent, I'll keep going til i find it.

[milehighbear]

well, i did get the toggle switch in tonight and it works good. At least for now i feel good about having running lights for night driving. Bought me a light socket and bulb and will now see if i can find the short. I do have another question, what is this socket for. It is behind a blank in the dash board.