no taillights

[scottb]

Driving my car this evening in the rain and I lost dash lights. I hit the 4 ways and keep driving because it is raining and dark. Pull into a gas station to replace the blown taillight fuse, it blows again immediately. I have been continually checking the lights over the last few weeks to make sure that I had expelled all of the electrical gremlins, then this happens out of the blue.

After thinking about it for a minute, Im thinking that I have a bad marker light socket or bulb that got wet and is shorting out the circuit. Which one do yall think  it is? Place your bets now.

[scottb]

Put. In a 25 amp fuse and it seems to be holding. Roger suggested I look at some little thingy under the dash, I forget what it is called. Will try to look at that later in the week.

[Fierofool]

If you're blowing fuses, I wouldn't put in a larger one.  The recommended fuse is designed to protect the wiring and circuits to prevent fires.  Else, just equip everything with a 100 amp fuse, or no fuse at all.  Can you say LUCAS?

[Raydar]

The trunk light is, I believe, on the taillight circuit.

Also, if it's JUST the dash lights that went out, there is a transistor mounted on a heatsink, above the driver's right leg.
The whole transistor/heatsink is removed as an assembly. The transistor (a metal, diamond shaped thing) can then be unplugged from the heatsink after removing two hex screws.
The white stuff is thermal compound. Needs to be there. It is NOT corrosion.
When you unplug the transistor, be careful not to damage the quartz insulator that is between it and the heatsink.

What usually happens is that the pins will gradually get an intermittent connection in the sockets. Usually, bending the pins just a bit will help the connection when it's plugged back in. I soldered my pins after plugging it in.

[scottb]

Hey Steve, you missed my cars debut.

Yes, I know that putting in larger fuses is not a good thing, but it is holding and all of the electronic stuff still has the magic smoke in it.

I also changed out a ground strap on Charlie's recommendation. That seems to have helped the long start conditions. I was going to put another on the passenger side front head to the body but ran out of daylight. Will be servicing grounds over the next few days.:

[Fierofool]

Ran out of daylight !?  You should have bolted one end to the positive terminal and then when you touched the other end to the block, you would have had light 

Ray picked up one of these for each of us.  Ours is a little different in that it has a hook for hanging, a stand, and magnet to hold it onto a metal surface.  The 28 flood lights up the engine compartment very well.  Cheap enough to carry several in the car. 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/2-in-1-led-work-light-and-flashlight-combo

[scottb]

Yep, I need to put together a tool kit with a flashlight to carry with me.

The 25 amp taillight fuse is still holding, even in the rain this morning.

New electrical gremlin: I was changing the lighter socket out and I have now lost power to the radios memory. Which fuse blew this time?

I really need to service the grounds on this car.

Thanks, Scott

[scottb]

Fixed the radio memory issue, blew another fuse. I really need to service the grounds on this car.

[Fierofool]

I never knew there were two different layouts for the fuses.  Always thought they were all the same, but they're not.  While checking Chilton's to get an answer for you, I found that 84 and 85 had one layout and 86-88 was different.

But---In the case of the lighter, it's in the same position on each.  It's 3rd row over and 3rd row down from the top.  Your dome lights and horn may not work, also.  I once had the problem of blowing the lighter fuse.  Couldn't keep it from blowing until I discovered that I had actually attached the black wire to the center and the orange wire to the outside ground on the case.  Don't ask how I did that, cause I don't know. 

[GTRS Fiero]

Chillton's isn't always correct.

So, what was the cause?

[scottb]

No clue what caused it. I believe the bigger fuse is still tjere, I dont recall changing it. I reckon the magic smoke is still contained, it hasnt leaked out yet.

[GTRS Fiero]

So, you never figured out what the problem was?

[scottb]

Its obviously a short in the long wire....
.. or it is, as most electrical thingys are, PFM.

[Roger]

I had the same lights (tail, dash & interior) go out when I plugged in my phone charger into the cigarette lighter socket.

Replaced the fuse with the adapter out of the lighter socket . . . got lights. Plugged in the adapter . . . out they went again.

Eventually removed the lighter socket and learned that the adapter had shorted out the socket because the 'collar' contacts on the adapter had somehow caused the problem.

I now have to plug in the adapter so that the contacts on the side of the adapter do not come into the contact with the 2 side fingers inside the lighter socket.

Even if you don't use your lighter, it may be a good place to check.

[GTRS Fiero]

I got an adapter that does not excessively protrude from the lighter socket, but it does tend to work its way out of contact, resulting in no power to the phone.