Hey guys im having trouple with my wiring or something I keep blowing 20a fuses as soon as I pull the light switch to the first position, Ie. no guage lights work or running lights work but headlights still work. no im guessing the switch is shorting out any other ideas? also do you need to take the dash out to get that switch out or how should i go about doing it,.
thanks alot!
-chris
fyi its a 72 cutlass supreme.

 

Start by un plugging the harness to the rear lights in the trunk try a fuse if it still blows go to the front & do the same or remove the park light bulbs see if you can eliminate which end its coming from then report back

 

thanks for the response! I unpluged the back and still blew the fuse didnt try the front, are you saying to un plug the headlights and take the bulbs out of the running and marker lights and try it? also when unplugging the front half any good tips from unplugging on the firewall? seems tough to get at.
any one else have any ideas?!

 

tried the front with all bulbs out and headlights unplugged still blew.

 

First of all welcome to the forum!

What fuse is blowing? Please be as specific as you can, since I cannot see anything... )

The light switch has an integral circuit breaker, eliminating a dedicated fuse for the headlights and running lights. Is the the INST LPS fuse? If so, that fuse is supposed to be only 4 amps and you have a SERIOUS short in the dimmable dash lighting somewhere. Do you have a console? I have seen shifter light wiring get pinched to ground on reinstallations before. It is possible there is a short on the light switch in the dimmer rheostat, but since its a pain to get at, lets check all the dimmable dash light wiring first.

If it is not a dash lighting wiring fault, then perhaps a previous owner put in some funky wiring to be causing a normally-unrelated fuse to blow. I got lots of this with my car! This is easy to look around for.
If these are not the issue, then the light switch should be checked further.

 

Find the feed wire for the underhood light, especially if you don't have this light installed. The wire is supposed to be tied up in the harness, but on my first 1968 442 it fell down and would periodically short out on the headers. Took be six months to find it, since it was intermittent.

 

its the second 20a fuse up i believe it says "tail" also thanks for the welcome

 

Okay, just checked the schematic...
The TAIL fuse DOES fuse the running lights AND also the dash lights. The dash lights (dimmable ones) are ALSO protected by a 4 amp fuse, so this rules out your dash lights (sorry for any confusion)...
Only the headlights are protected by the intenal breaker.
I learn something new every day, despite my age...

DO check the hood light wire as Joe mentioned; it should be right near the brake booster. Also follow all the wiring and see if anything has gotten pinched anywhere down the line. Don't forget to check the side marker light wiring and check for rust and crap in bulb sockets.
The wire to pay most attention to will be brown in color.

You do have a big nasty short lurking somewhere; it must be eradicated!

 

thanks for all the help ill guess ill just have to keep hunting it down. also heres a little eye candy Ill keep you guys updated!
442mon8th001.jpg

 

well thanks for all the help joe was spot on it was the wire for the hood light wedged in the front fender. thanks again all!

 

Glad you found the problem...
That is a sweet looking car! I like the colors, too... Is that the original vinyl roof?
If that your '72 with a '70 rear bumper or a different car altogether? Many guys here have a collection of Olds'... I only have two due to space limitations...

 

MMMMmmmmm, now I am on sugar overload!

 

Thank you, Im pretty sure its the original top, but the thing is its starting to bubble up with rust as you can kinda see in the pics . Yes it is a 72' with a 70 bumper it was like that when i got it and I like it better than the 72 bumper so it stayed. and thats my only olds I bought it with paper route money when I was about 14-15 and loved it ever since and im 19 now.