Hey all

I got a problem. Theres a short somewhere in my car, seemingly the signa llight wiring area. lately (the past week), i keep blowing the fuse for my signal lights. i relace the fuse, it works fine till it pops the next one...I've tried a 20, a 30, even a 40. I just wanna know if anyone can point me in the right direction....any common places on an 85 Bird to get a short, that ONLY affects the signal/parking lights? when the fuse IS holding, all signals work fine. any help greatly appreciated...thanks

 

Are you able to determine what action causes the fuse failure? For example, using the left turn signal while the parking lights are on, etc?

 

honestly, the only action that pops the fuse it seems at ALL is hitting a bump...seems like a loose wire thats lost its insulation. One of my neighbors mentioned it may be the relay under/around my fuse box under the dash....is this possible? I've sat and played with the switch for a good 15 minutes, and the fuse never blew.

thanks!

 

Remember that the turn signal circuits are wired through the steering column to the turn signal/hazard switch, and through the brake switch. There could be wiring (insulation) problems in any of those places.

 

well...it seems to have stopped for now...but i'm still keeping an eye on it...

I am curious though. I've noticed my driver side "demon" (parking) light seems to intermittently work when i have my headlights on...half the time it won't go on, the other half it will. it also doubles as my signal light obviously, and that DOES work 100% of the time. The rear lights work all the time though....strange...is that possibly where my short could be?

Thanks again!

:::edit::: added a little more descriptive info

 

And I'm back...blah...

Couple updates, hoping for more info. I checked the bulbs in my signal lights (front AND rear). One had one of the filaments gone. So i replaced it. parking lights still work, but now I'm still popping my fuse. it blows the second i turn the key into the ON position...don't even have to crank the engine now and it blows. I'm using a 30A fuse in the 20A signal/B/u slot. possible issue there? will try a 20 A soon. I realized my backup lights have NEVER worked, so i checked those bulbs when i had the rear light assembly apart. no issues that i could find...

I noticed a bundle of wires sticking out of a black box on the back wall of my trunk though, seems like a relay of some kind. I can't tell for sure, but it looks almost like some corrosion has taken place down there...either that or the electrician tape is falking apart. Any suggestions before i do some SERIOUS damage to either this car, myself, or my pocketbook?

 

Sounds like it might be an issue with the back-up light wiring; where they don't appear to work, there could be a shorted wire or something that contacts when hitting bumps.
You'll have to trace those wires from the rear bulkhead out to the taillights.