I just got this 88 iroc and am trying to get it ready to drive. My taillights aren't working, the fuse was blown, and it blows a new fuse when I turn the headlights on. All the other lights work except the instrument cluster lights. I'm more concerned with the taillights, but they could be related.

I swapped out the interior from my 87 camaro, carpet, seats, stereo system. I can't remeber if i've seen the taillights work, but the instrument cluster lights worked a few days ago. It had an alarm in it and it went off while i was working on it and the cluster light were flashing, but that's the last time i saw them work. That fuse was blown too yesterday when i found the taillights not working, but the new fused doesn't blow. They just don't work now. I took out the alarm since i don't have a keypad for it. Most of the wires just seem to be t'd in with other wires so i just cut the wires from the t's leading to the alarm. A big yellow one was cut and running through a relay, I assume this is what keeps the car from starting when the alarms going off. I just cut out the relay and respliced the two ends together.

 

 

It's got continuity, but I think you misunderstood me. The taillight fuse is still blowing. Removing the alarm didn't change anything. I just mentioned the instrument cluster lights and the alarm in case that would give anyone any ideas.

So, right now, the taillight fuse blows when i turn on the headlights, and the instrument cluster lights don't work.

I've disconected the connector leading back to the taillights and the fuse still blows. In my testing i've found that i have ground on every terminal at the headlight switch except the red and orange wires. They have power. I found the brown wire under the dash for the taillight and cut it, right there by the drivers side kick panel, but the fuse still blows. I also get continuity across either side of the cut wire.

 

sounds to me that you have a short some where. DO NOT!!! AND I REPEAT DO NOT pierce the insulation on any wire!!!! that can cause corosion which will limit current flow and corosion can travel up to 6ft in either direction from where it was first introduced. your best bet is to get a wiring diagram and trace every wire one by one to see if there are any breaks in the insulation. look for anything that might cause it to touch metal or another wire.

 

HEY, that happened to me 3 years ago lol. on my 86 iroc. i ended up wiring my tailights direct to my low beam headlights, long story short it ended up bieng the orange wire on the back of radio. trust me!!! my fuse kept blowin with my tailights, and dash cluster was black. i found this orange wire unhooked back behind the radio, then just went ahead and connected it to the orange wire comming off the radio. wahlah it worked lol. plus the orange wire DID say "int lights" or sumthin, printed right on it.

 

Thanks alot for the info, I'll check behind the radio tomorrow. I did change the radio, so that makes sense. I'll let ya know if that does it.

 

My dumbass used the brown wire behind the radio as the ground for the radio. I cut that and it's all good, now I just have to find another ground for my stereo. Thanks alot cIaRmOaCrZo.

 

haha no problem man. good thing someone had experienced the same exact thing lol, cuz i didnt figure mine out for almost a year. kind of a differant feeling when i had dash lights again lol