No Turn signals...then the Nightmare began!

[RhainyC]

Well, we started last Weds with no signals once I got to work...they worked fine the whole time I have had the truck. I also noticed the passenger side headlight was out. This is the side that got wrecked. We replaced the fuse, it was blown. Within about 4 blocks of driving, signalling to turn left twice, it blew again.

Thursday evening hubby didn't have another 15 amp fuse, so he put a 10 amp in, figuring it should blow if it wouldn't work. He checked the signals and they didn't work. He assumed the 10 amp fuse blew.

As I went to pull out, I backed out of the parking spot, and then began to drive away...smoke began rolling out of the dash and filled the cab. I got the truck shut down and ran for the fire extinguisher as he disconnected the battery. No fire thankfully, but terrifying none the less.

Ok, now we are down to the nightmare part...yeah it gets better...

He could see that 4 wires fully melted the insulation off of them completely. He could not tell which wires they were, so now has the whole dash pulled apart. He is checking circuits one at a time to see if he can find the short.

My first thought it since the truck was wrecked (and had some serious damage from impact) on the passenger side, and the passenger headlight went out the same time the signals stopped working...is that the short is probably somewhere in the headlight/signal wiring on the passenger side. It makes sense to me that there might be a pinched wire somewhere in the body damage we haven't started fixing yet...that finally, due to rubbing/pinching has worn through and caused a short.

Am I barking up the wrong tree or being logical?

Also, is there any where that might have a picture of the Fuse block showing the wiring harnesses as they are going in, or a look under the dash of another 91 that might give us an idea of just which wires (color) were the toasted ones?

He is good with things, and an electronics tech to boot, but he is having a hell of a time figuring this one out.

Any help/ideas/suggestions would be truly apprecaited.

 

[mrboyle]

You are on the right track. The first place to look for a short is in either an area that has been damaged (due to an accident) or where someone has been into the wireing (installing a stereo, etc...). In your case look in the damaged area.

 

[RhainyC]

Mike, thank you so much for your input. Hubby seems to think I am not on the right track...the only other thing is that we did have a stereo head unit installed, but that was last year, and no problems with that at all. No flickering lights, guages acting weird or anything, as I always watch for that sort of thing when having installs done professionally.

 

[seth247]

you would have to have encountered a SERIOUSLY inept stereo installer to cause problems elsewhere in the car. but this is always possible.

i think you are on the right track with the passenger side wiring harness. but for the heck of it might as well check the headlight/parking light switch on the dash, right of the steering wheel since all the wires converge there as well.