Turn signal fuse

Discussion in 'Sparky's corner' started by Taulbee2277, Jun 3, 2018.

  1. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Seems I fixed something till it broke.. again.

    72 GS350.. At first the fuse would blow every time the key was set to run, monkied around and got it to the point where the fuse would only blow with 5-7 minutes of drive time. I could idle in the driveway with the blinker on forever and the fuse would be fine. It would only trip during an actual drive..

    Redid the only change I made in the engine harness just to be sure.. the black w/ pink stripe wire split to the idle stop and TCS. Originally did that since the connections were very loose when I took everything apart the first time.

    Out for a cruise and all was well, hit the turn signal switch one last time in the garage while stopped and bam.. bye bye fuse.

    So now the steering column, cruise control, backup lights & trans/idle wire (light green & pink wire on neutral safety switch) are all disconnected (I don't have a rear defroster to disconnect) and I'm still getting instant fuse destruction with the key turned to run. Happy to hear any recommendations.. Im at wits end here..
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2018
  2. DasRottweiler

    DasRottweiler -BuickAddict-

    Power going directly to ground.
    Disconnect the plug leading to the rear taillites, courtesy lites, trunk lite etc.
    Try another fuse. It pops, you have eliminated half the car. Keep looking up front. Maybe disconnect front lite harness from fuse block to eliminate that as well .
    Grab your multi-tester. Spin the tester dial to speaker image, beep. Touch the two leads to one another. Audible beep. Now ground the black lead to underdash frame and touch red lead to steering column block, one wire at a time. The one that beeps should be the one shorted. Hope this helps. JIM
     
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  3. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Copy all, and thanks for taking the time to respond.

    Picking up a buffet of fuses during lunch and will get at it again tonight.
     
  4. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Figures now I cannot get the issue to replicate in the garage.. fuse won't pop with everything connected with key on run.

    I did manage to test the column connection and did not find any indication of wires being grounded.

    Back to trying one thing then a 20 minute test drive.. sigh..
     
  5. DasRottweiler

    DasRottweiler -BuickAddict-

    Bumma, I would have guessed it was in the column . Still may be...
    Maybe it has something to do with the turn signal flasher. Electrical can be a PITA. Jim
     
  6. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    For sure, and I haven’t ruled it out yet. Want to give it a shot with the wheels in the air turning back n fourth and messing with the tilt. All while the blinkers are on.

    On the subject of wires and narrowing sources.. if I don’t have a thermovacuum switch on the manifold does the transmission controlled spark connection need to be plugged in? Just trying to eliminate potential sources..
     

    Attached Files:

  7. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Page 68 of the 72 owner manual-

    That 20 amp fuse controls- Directional signals, back up lamps, cruise control, rear defogger, TCS solenoid, idle stop solenoid and power window relay. Eliminate one at a time.
     
  8. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    And that is what makes it so fun, the only thing this circuit’s missing is a toaster.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2018
  9. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Definitely one of the biggies.....:D
     
  10. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    You can eliminate the column by just disconnecting the turn signal switch at the base of the column. Disconnect the cruise stalk as well. That will take both out of the loop
     
  11. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Ok great, found the wires to the cruise stalk. Will give it all a go weather depending. Intermittent problems give me ulcers..
     
  12. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    No, but if you have any bare connectors or wiring, it needs to be taped up. Just stating the obvious.:)
     
  13. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Larry, I am a big fan of stating the obvious.. It avoids confusion! :D

    No road test tonight with the lightning, rain, etc..
     
  14. LARRY70GS

    LARRY70GS a.k.a. "THE WIZARD" Staff Member

    If it makes you feel any better, I have a brake fuse that will blow every so often. It could be 6 months or more between occasions. It isn't a big enough problem for me to try and fix it.:) Don't be surprised if the problem suddenly goes away.
     
  15. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    I wouldn't say better, however nice to have a friend in misery. ;) I'd be a-ok with semi annual fuse replacements in my case. Heck I can almost change the fuse now by feel alone!
     
  16. Ken Warner

    Ken Warner Stand-up Philosopher

    A little creativity and a self resetting circuit breaker will make trouble shooting easier. When i turned a wrench for a living the interiors guy had several made up, some even had light bulbs so he could easily see what was going on from the rear of the vehicle. I watched him use a cordless screwdriver to pull and reinstall about a 100 screws inside a huge conversion van and when he found the screw that someone had pinched a wire with he clippped the head off the screw then glued it back onto the panel. Problem solved! :)

    The self resetting circuit breaker along with a clamp on ammeter and you should be able to narrow down the problem pretty quick. Dont get greedy and put in a too big fuse or circuit breaker though!
     
  17. TheSilverBuick

    TheSilverBuick In the Middle of No Where

    I literally just battled this last month. My backup light switch shorted out.
     
  18. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I had an issue years ago on the black car with the very same fuse. Would pop intermittently. I knew it popped because the power windows stopped working. Took a while to figure out but I finally put two and two together and figured it out. The kick down switch for the T-400 was the culprit. Fuse only popped when the trans downshifted!
     
  19. Taulbee2277

    Taulbee2277 Silver Level contributor

    Ken, I like the idea of a resetting breaker! Will have to work on one of those..

    I was hoping it was the backup light switch.. I could get to that one easy enough.

    But so far I think Jason may have got this one right (again). Disconnected the cruise wire at the column and had a nice 30 minute drive and came back with the same fuse in tact. Before now I could not make it past 5 minutes on the road without tripping. Still early to tell but I am optimistic..
     
    TheSilverBuick likes this.
  20. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I'll take the props! lol

    Fortunately, I don't think you have to get too deep in that column to get that stalk out.
     

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