I have a 73 Delta 88 2dr CPE, and the turn signal fuse keeps blowing, I have replaced the flasher at the fuse box, and have check all the bulbs, they all work and the connections are clean, the fuse blow as soon as the key is turned on. Is there any other flasher on it, any help will be greatly appreciated. Cannot drive it without turn signals the cops out here are ruthless.

 

So the TS fuse blows when the key is turned on REGARDLESS of the turn signal lever position? If so I might also suspect something else on that circuit...
Do the 4-way hazard flashers work?

 

Yes the 4 ways work, the fuse started to blow AFTER I removed the passenger lower half dash panel to see how hard it would be to do the heater core, after they it started to blow I removed again the panel and double checked to see if I might have crossed up any wires and I did not.

 

By the way what else is on that circuit I am in the process of trying to get a haines or chiltons manuel.

 

I only have the 72 diag to refer to. That year had the backup lights (green wires), distributor vacuum switch **(black and green wires at switch in intake manifold), seat belt buzzer wires, cruise plug (pink at fuse box), and maybe other options.

If you remove the turn signal flasher (not 4-way) and the fuse still blows, then the signals are fine. Check the harmonica-looking connector at the base of the steery column and make sure the contacts are all inside the connector. Possible one pulled out?

** - this switch is often disconnected at the intake manifold and the plug left hanging. The hot side can contact ground and cause the fuse to blow.

Here is the 72 88 wiring diagram, but too small to be of much good...

 

Mr. Young where can I get a manual like yours, I have purchased a Haynes but you know how those are, not the greatest when it comes to pictures. Thanks for al your assistance I am going to tear into it this weekend. By the way I did pull the turn signal flasher and the fuse still blew.

 

Does the switch itself, in the column, work correctly?
If so, check the wires at the bottom of the column, [as mentioned above] as I had a '65 Nova doing the same thing - the plug was loose!

 

My money says you did.

Remember, when something suddenly stops working, it's always the thing you did last that caused it, until proven otherwise.

What you did may not have been obvious, but it is entirely possible that there was a bare, stripped, or burned wire somewhere under the dash that you moved when you were there, that is now touching ground. It may be far away from where you were working, but still part of something that you moved, or you may have put a screw through a wire or pinched something when reassembling it.

Keep looking, you'll find it!

- Eric

 

Snipe, you need a 1973 Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manual- the one the factory produced for the dealership service techs. Also grab a 1973 Fisher Body service manual while you're into it as it covers all the body service procedures including power window/seat circuits.

You can usually find them reasonably priced on ebay. There are 15 or so listed right now ranging from $20 for a CSM, up to $100 for a set of CSM, Fisher, and owner's manuals and a CD of the parts book. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...All-Categories

Well worth the $20. Make sure to ask the seller if all the color wiring diagrams are intact.

 

According to the factory diagram, the "Dir-Sig / Back Up" fuse feeds:

• The lower accessory feed spade plug in the fuse block, which leads to:
  • The "Cruise Control Plug-In" and
  • The "Accessory Block Plug-In" (Black-Pink Wire)
• The Green wire that goes to:
  • The Throttle Stop Solenoid (Green-White on the firewall side of the plug)
  • The Turn Signal Flasher (Green)
  • The Back-Up Light Switch on top of the steering column (Green)
  • The Seat Belt Warning Light (Green)
  • The Seat Belt Warning Buzzer (Green)

If you unplug

• the Turn Signal Flasher,
• the Throttle Stop Solenoid,
• the Seat Belt Warning Light,
• the Seat Belt Warning Buzzer, and
• the Back-Up Light Switch

and you still have the problem,
then the Green wire (or the Green-White wire on the firewall side) is shorting to ground somewhere.
If you then plug in each of these, one at a time, until the fuse blows, you will find the problem circuit.

- Eric

 

Eric is right with his diagnosis by unpluging and repluging in each thing on that circuit! I personally would use a multimeter set to ohms, go to the same fuse that keeps blowing and remove the fuse, then hook your red lead to the load side of that fuse holder and the black lead to a good ground!
At that point you meter should read around zero ohms, showing that you are shorted to ground, then unhook each thing on that circuit until meter reads open like it should, then chase that wire down to find where it grounding.

This worked well for me when I had a short circuit, I also used a lot of fuses until i realized that I should used my meter instead

 

Just remember that an incandescent light bulb will read like a dead short for a fraction of a second, until it begins to glow.
This means that if you subject a 12V bulb to about 1V from an ohm meter, the filament will never glow, and the meter will read about zero ohms, and a normal light bulb will look like a dead short, so be careful.

- Eric

 

Thank you all for al of the help, I found a bundle of wires that was touching the exhaust manifold and found a open wire, I fixed the damaged on and put in a fuse an behold it did not blow, thanks again, now the fun part replacing the heater core. I love this car when i get my camera back I will post pictures. A great car for 17 year old son to learn on. He really enjoys driving it.

 

Glad we could help!

So it was the throttle stop solenoid wire, I take it?

- Eric