i have been getting my maverick ready for the road. i put a halogen headlight in and it blew my dashlight fuse. i put a 30 amp fuse in place of the original 25 amp. that did the trick for a few minutes. the dashlights quit working again. i started to hear the lightswitch crackling and im worried i burned up some wires. i put my stock headlights back in and took the dashlight fuse out and the switch doesnt smoke or crackle. im kinda rushed on time with getting the car done. i dont know if i shouldve put another 25 amp fuse, if i burned up some wires or if the switch is bad (i tested another switch off my donor car and it did the same as my original)
You have a short somewhere, and the dash light fuse is 10 amp, NOT 25. Get that 30 amp OUT of there. You are risking damage and even a fire. The headlights have nothing to do with the dash lights, other than the switch that turns them on. They come on when just the park lamps are switched on. You have another problem. The halogen headlight is not the cause.
there has been a 25 amp since i bought the car, where would you recomend looking for the short. this problem didnt start untill i put a halogen light in my car a few days ago
ok crazy larry, i took the fuse out and i hooked my switch back up, the park lights come on and headlights and highbeams also work, no sign of any trouble. so im thinking one of the wires that is connected to the switch that controls the dash lights has gone bad. i would really appreciate some help sorting this issue out
putting the correct fuse in didn't correct anything. the fuse is the...weak link...if you put a too big of a fuse in then the wire is the weak link..."You are risking damage and even a fire".
There's no way I can determine through the Internet where a short is located. I just know that I installed a pair of Halogen headlights in my car 20 years ago and have never had any problems. I would first suspect an old, worn-out headlight switch. Installing a higher rated fuse is NEVER the solution to an electrical problem. They blow out for a reason. Installing the correct rated fuse will not fix a short (or bad switch), but a 10-amp is the size that's supposed to be in there.
i must have read the old fuse wrong, so thats my fault. where do think i should start with checking the wires
would a hot wire burn up first or a ground wire, or is there really no way of telling. should i just start rewiring my car?
I'd start by replacing the light switch, and make sure there are no frayed wires touching where they shouldn't be. Check the headlight connector & wires as well.
ok i made some progress, i put a 10 amp fuse in, it didnt blow, so then i put my dash gluster in and flipped the switch, my shifter light on my column light up the fuse wasnt blowing and the headlights were on full. i checked all my dash lights and one was badly burned, i replaced it and my dashlights now work, no smoking switch, no fuse being blown. now could a severly burned bulb have been the source of a bad ground?
i also took the fuse box out and cleaned every terminal, im gonna finish putting everything back together and cross my fingers that i fixed it
also crazy larry would you recomend the mod where people paint the one part of their cluster white so its easier to see? i have a cluster from a donor maverick that i already painted, but i never put it in
