I am having an electrical problem.

1985 Pontiac Trans AM TPI 5.0 Liter V8 305 - F type

I keep blowing the 10 amp fuse for the gauges. It blew and all the gauges except the speedo went out (I have the rally gauges) I replaced it once and it lasted for a day then blew again. I put another one in and it instantly blew and the car sort of runs like a cylinder is misfiring now.

Has anyone else had this problem? I think it's a short circuit in the wiring somewhere. Does anyone have any ideas about where I could start checking for the bad wire/short circuit? Any input would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

 

I am looking at my Haynes '866' manual for the Camaro. It shows a PINK/BLACK wire that takes power from the GAGES fuse and sends it throughout the car. Now it visits many places. But I do see that there are two CONNECTORS that are used to connect to the dash lights and gages. I would assume if you could find those connectors and pull them apart. Then you could put a new fuse in and see if it does DOES or DOES NOT blow. If it does NOT blow then I would assume the short is related to those two connectors. Those two conectors each have a PINK/BLACK wire running to it and that power passes through the connectors at those points. I do not see (by looking at the manual) if the color of the wire on the DASH side of those connectors remains PINK/BLACK. So the next step would be to isolate which of the two connectors (or both) have a short (or shorts). With an ohm meter you could check which of those dash side circuits is shorted to ground. If you see one of those dash side connectors is shorted to ground then you have to try to pinpoint which item (meter or bulb) specifically is shorted and deal with it.

If when you disconnected the dash related connectors you STILL had a short, then let me know and I will try to specify what other items are associated with that PINK/BLACK wire. There are three (and maybe four) other items associated with that wire.

 

Thanks CamaroRider! I am out working on it right now, I will check those two connectors. I'll post when I find something out. Thanks again, you have no idea how much this is helping me.

 

One of the two connectors has only ONE PINK/BLACK wire passing through it.

The other connector has THREE PINK/BLACK wires passing through it.

If you believe the short is in one or both of these connectors you must test for a short at EACH of the PINK/BLACK wires on the dash side of the connectors.

I would start with the connector that has the single PINK/BLACK wire and see if you can eliminate that connector as having a short. That would then leave the connector with three PINK/BLACK wires to troubleshoot.

Now there is another question that needs answered. If there is a short is this a short from the PINK/BLACK wire to the body of the car or is the short from PINK/BLACK wire to one of the other harness wires. So I would suggest you have to test for both conditions. If there is a short to the body of the car then the body of the car should be where you hold the negative probe of the ohm meter. If there is a short to one of the other wires of the harness then you have to move the negative probe of the ohm meter to the various pins on the connector.

 

If you have a wire with a dead short to ground, you can save yourself a lot of fuses with an easy trick. Place a 12v test light across the 2 fuse terminals - light on = dead short, light goes out when you found the bad wire.
Corky

 

Corky mentions a really useful trick there.
Did you check out the cig lighter yet? Very often there's something wrong there.

 

I agree On mine was ****ing me up.