Last electrical gremlin

[76 PTO]

Ok, everything works the way it should except my interior lights. This includes dash pad, instument, and headlight switch light. My turn signal and high beams work, just not the white lights. Every time I turn the reastat on the switch for the lights the very top fuse blows, but the headlights still work. I searched and someone said that the reastats sometime go bad and you could just use a jumper wire to solder them at full bright. I too the switch apart a rebuilt it everything seemed to work alright with no shorts. I don't know whats going on but the lights should come on with the headlights. any healp in the right direction would be appriciated, thanks

 

[Trollhole]

Did you take the switch out of the dash and look at it? Post a pic.

 

[76 PTO]

yes I did, I took it apart when it wasn't working the headlights right. I ohmed it out at all the switch positions and it worked correctly

 

[winkle]

Sounds like you have a short somewhere in your low beam curcuit. If its grounding somewhere it shouldn't it will cause it to heat up and blow the fuse. Also I am guessing that its a 76? But you should always post as much info as you can on your rig. I know the top fuse on my 73 fj40 is for the radio. If this is true on yours you might check to see if there is a dimmer wire connected to your radio that is shorting out. Does it have a cd player? If so where is it located? Pics will also help.

 

[76 PTO]

yes it is a 76, an there is no radio installed. The headlightswork good, I will look to see what that fuse is. I cant post a pic right now im at work.

 

[Coolerman]

The top fuse is the tail lights, license light, park lights, and dash lights. The head lights are on a separate fuse (very bottom one). So it's working like it should except for the blowing the dash light fuse part.

You might try disconnecting the red/black wire for the dash lights from the reostat and applying power to it. Make sure you use an in-line fuse for this or use a jumper to the fuse panel in case there is a short in the wiring ! This test will tell you if the problem is in the reostat or the wiring. If it blows the in-line fuse or the fuse you jumper to then the problem is in the wiring NOT the reostat. If it doesn't blow the fuse you know the reostat is bad or miswired somehow.

 

[76 PTO]

Thats an idea, I do not have the marker lights (front and rear) or the licence plate light hooked up. I will check for a shorted wire on these. Could be, because the lights are all unpluged from the harness.