Thread: Need some help

my friend has a 2000 Grand Prix Special Edition sedan 3.8 N/A. we were driving down the street and the lights just shut off dash lights and head lights. the head lights work with the switch but the dash lights dont. we found the bad fuse its under the hood, 20A (parking lamp) we replaced it with a 20A blew out right away then we tried a 25A that blew out, then we tried 2 30A they blew out. so could this be a short in the system? has anyone experienced this before? any help would be appreciated!

Originally Posted by hitman92499

It's definitely a short somewhere in the circuit. Do NOT increase the fuse size over stock...you're just asking for burned up wiring or vehicle. Has there been any work done recently?

i know i should increase the size but i did it to try, and im not aware of any work being done i really dont think it has.

Got anything metal in the trunk? Had something blow my fuse once when it skid in the trunk. You have a wire somewhere that is pinched or rubbing on metal somewhere.

Originally Posted by hitman92499

Use a wiring diagram to locate all the things on the circuit. I like to use a 194 bulb plugged in where the fuse would be and unplug things until the little 194 bulb goes out. Being a lighting circuit, check tail light sockets for corrosion due to delaminated tail lights.

tail lights?

Originally Posted by sseilmnop

Got anything metal in the trunk? Had something blow my fuse once when it skid in the trunk. You have a wire somewhere that is pinched or rubbing on metal somewhere.

and there may be metal in the trunk not sure because its a friends car. but it was weird it happened out of no where. he wasn't even on the brakes when it happened. yea thats what i figured it was a wire grounding out

yea your right didn't think about that because we just noticed the dash lights went out. its just weird because the headlights and tail lights will work with the switch but dash lights will not

nope completely stock

it was #37 on the under the hood fuse box its a 20A ill look for a diagram to show you, and it was the parking lamp

#37

here is another one with all the fuses

yea that is alot ill have to check it out tomorrow with him

we figured it out the tail lights were full of water