Park Tail Fuse blowing

[GERMS]

(SOLVED) :excl:

 

Hey guys, my 77 Datsun 620's top right (PARK TAIL 10A) fuse keeps blowing every time I turn the headlights on. When blown the tail lights still work, don't have front, nor front side markers just the rear side markers (if that helps)

Is there something I don't know here? Hopefully and easy fix.

 

 

Second problem: Hazard lights work, but not the turn siganl, when I switch the turn signal it stays into a solid color and the blinker arrow stays solid. Is it the flasher or the TS switch?

 

THANKS!!! :D

 

BTW, after a long time I finally got to drive the dats around! My first stick shift car, I shift like a sissy but getting better at it! :P

[inline4]

bring it out thursday night. we meet up @ starbucks over in mission valley.

 

that is unless you're one of the guys that comes out already...

[GERMS]

bring it out thursday night. we meet up @ starbucks over in mission valley.

 

that is unless you're one of the guys that comes out already...

 

 

Hey! I went there once, but felt like an outcast driving my 68 Dodge Dart, but now that my Datsun is running I'll make the short trip out to the meet, thanks for reminding me!

 

Being the impatient person I am the turn signals work now, I remembered I have a dash in my 620's bed and yanked the flasher off and indeed that was it.

 

So now the fuse problem is next...

[I'm BLUE]

What kind of car again :huh: ?

[GERMS]

What kind of car again :huh: ?

 

 

Woops, 77 Datsun 620, please do forgive me :P

[I'm BLUE]

Woops, 77 Datsun 620, please do forgive me :P

 

You are not forgiven = :lol: :frantics:

 

I honestly have never owned a datto truck , but have owned 3 240z's. I had to recently replace and re-wire my fusebox ( because my heater motor fuse kept blowing , then the wiper circuit wen't , and then driving home one night the running lights wen't out so it took a = :poop: it was not gooooood !!! --->>> :no:

 

(1) Clean your electrical contacts in harness in engine bay to marker lights ? ( spray contact cleaner , de-oxit , or the best = Wurth Contact Oil --->>> is expensive but worth it ! ) Your gonna need an aerosol of some kind and this will take more than just one spray if they are bad enough ??? ( either way you might need some kind of contact cleaner , and electrical pre-servative possible ? )

 

(2) Remove and clean fusebox contacts or re-soldering connections ( re-soldering never really worked for me long , but you never know ! ) ( some member say vinegar , some say rubbing alcohol , IDK honestly ??? so I just replaced mine and wired it in myself for $60.00 total , and problems wen't away for me , but not always the same for your troubles )

 

(3) check grounds at the markers or lights themselves , and clean clean clean maybe ???

 

(4) Not just a loose wire around or hot wire jumping somehow ( I have seen some crazy things and probably caused a few :lol: )

 

(4) I'll give myself one of these in advance from you to me --->>> :fu: === :rofl:

 

Sorry , not a 620 or 720 series owner , but as a datto owner we all have one thing in common = electrical troubles ! :w00t: :w00t: Good luck anyway you go :D

[I'm BLUE]

Just to clarify this , you flip the headlight switch ON , the Top Right --->>> (PARK/TAIL 10A) fuse keeps blowing,

 

(1) your rear tailights and rear marker lights work after the (PARK/TAIL 10A) blows ,

 

(2) but not your front markers or front side markers after the same fuse blows ^^^^^^^^

 

(3) Do your headlights work when your front marker Lights or front side markers blow ?

 

( is it a plastic base fuse box , that gets hot from corrosion or higher resistance and keeps melting the base at the riveted holders like the Z series ? They get to be a Bi$#h to clean if it is )

 

Ok start diagnosing :P

[GERMS]

Just to clarify this , you flip the headlight switch ON , the Top Right --->>> (PARK/TAIL 10A) fuse keeps blowing,

 

(1) your rear tailights and rear marker lights work after the (PARK/TAIL 10A) blows ,

 

(2) but not your front markers or front side markers after the same fuse blows ^^^^^^^^

 

(3) Do your headlights work when your front marker Lights or front side markers blow ?

 

( is it a plastic base fuse box , that gets hot from corrosion or higher resistance and keeps melting the base at the riveted holders like the Z series ? They get to be a Bi$#h to clean if it is )

 

Ok start diagnosing :P

 

I don't have the front/ nor front side markers mounted, only the rear side markers that I bought on ebag. Yes when I turn the headlights after putting a new 10A fuse at the PARK TAL slot it blows, but the tail lights keep on working fine...I'll take the fuse box off and see what the deal is behind it.

 

It is a plastic fuse box :o

 

Thanks for giving me more annoying work to do!

 

Here's another one! :fu: :hyper:

[GERMS]

Well ain't it a b*#&h! The datto was fun while it lasted hahaha

Drove it to work today, left the keys stuck but on off (doubt this was the problem)

 

Battery drained. ajf;ldsjga'sggljlsg

 

I will make the test light trick check tomorrow see if there is a drain...

 

which could it be

 

1) Bad alternator (diode) not charging the battery (ran fine for three days)

2) The top right fuse I was talking about, well after it blew I left it in...can that be draining the battery?

3) The ground on the alternator was unplugged for three days, did that make the alt. not charge?

4) None of the above

 

If I ran the truck up till now like that, is there a chance I killed the battery? I plugged the ground back on the alt. got a jump for 8 min. drove off thinking I was good to go, and then battery drained turning my electric fuel pump off

 

:D Oh I'm so happy! *cough*

[I'm BLUE]

!

 

Here's another one! :fu: :hyper:

 

:lol: :o :lol: ^^^^ aaaaahhhhh for me you shouldn't have :wub: --- :fu: --->>> :rofl:

[GERMS]

:lol: :o :lol: ^^^^ aaaaahhhhh for me you shouldn't have :wub: --- :fu: --->>> :rofl:

 

Ignoring the blowing fuse for now...The alternator turned out to be bad, got it replaced and everything seems to work, took the positive cable off while the car is running and it keeps running meaning its charging (I think that's a way to tell) (BTW still haven't cleaned the fuse block)

 

Well tonight after stopping into a gas station, I turned the car off to wait for an open spot, when I tried to start it again, it just clicked. So I pushed the 620 to the side, checked the fuses, and the top left "Headlamp 10A" was blown.

 

From the stress and anger and I said, "Son of a beeswax! now what is it!!!!???" :mad:

 

Now I'm thinking it's the battery cables because they were loose and old...

 

Had to get a jump from someone and well now it fires up fine and the headlight fuse isn't blowing anymore...

 

I turned the 620 off and on several times to see if the battery was dying but it wasn't so I knew it was now a different problem than before I had the bad alternator.

 

Can someone explain to me what happened and guide me to the right direction here??? THANKS!!!

[I'm BLUE]

Sorry to hear that man :o !

 

Did you clean your battery connections ? ( at the cables especially , to the starter and the battery ) Wire brush or baking soda ( other cleaners are available , but I am cheap ) then reconnect.

 

It is possible that the starter has a "flat spot" ( in which the brushes are worn down significantly , and one of the 4 brushes is just shot or bad connection in there somewhere .) You can pull your starter out , and apply battery power to test her out :) ( after checking/replacing cables , and cleaning connections. ) Apply high-temp grease or protectant of somekind to the battery connections ( positive or negative ) to keep the corrosion from getting to them !

 

--->>> Definitely replace you battery cables if you do not know the history , they are extremley corroded or have troubles with them ( remember electricity travels on the outside ) More often than not it is something stupid like this , I think Skib had the same problem on his goon ( turned out to be extremley corroded battery cables that were shooting a high resistance or "bad connection" ( Think of it as energy getting concentrated at one point , and not flowing through to it's destination ) . He replaced them I think with new ones ,and she runs like a top now :cool:

 

Just refreshing our minds --->>> batterys have a reserve life of like 10-15 minutes ? ( meaning if your alternator was bad , and replaced one with one that was not charging you have 10-15 minutes of juice left before the life is drained from the battery because of a non-charging system. )

 

As far as the fuse box thing blowing , sounds like you might have a loose "hot wire" ( a charged wire or positive connection that is "grounding" or "hitting metal connections" causing the thing to pop. ) I really can't think of too much passed this point until fuse box cleaned ;) , check the switches. )

 

AND ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU --->>> :P :lol: ( Hope your troubles get fixed so she can be a DD again man ! :cool: )

[GERMS]

:D

Sorry to hear that man :o !

 

Did you clean your battery connections ? ( at the cables especially , to the starter and the battery ) Wire brush or baking soda ( other cleaners are available , but I am cheap ) then reconnect.

 

It is possible that the starter has a "flat spot" ( in which the brushes are worn down significantly , and one of the 4 brushes is just shot or bad connection in there somewhere .) You can pull your starter out , and apply battery power to test her out :) ( after checking/replacing cables , and cleaning connections. ) Apply high-temp grease or protectant of somekind to the battery connections ( positive or negative ) to keep the corrosion from getting to them !

 

--->>> Definitely replace you battery cables if you do not know the history , they are extremley corroded or have troubles with them ( remember electricity travels on the outside ) More often than not it is something stupid like this , I think Skib had the same problem on his goon ( turned out to be extremley corroded battery cables that were shooting a high resistance or "bad connection" ( Think of it as energy getting concentrated at one point , and not flowing through to it's destination ) . He replaced them I think with new ones ,and she runs like a top now :cool:

 

Just refreshing our minds --->>> batterys have a reserve life of like 10-15 minutes ? ( meaning if your alternator was bad , and replaced one with one that was not charging you have 10-15 minutes of juice left before the life is drained from the battery because of a non-charging system. )

 

As far as the fuse box thing blowing , sounds like you might have a loose "hot wire" ( a charged wire or positive connection that is "grounding" or "hitting metal connections" causing the thing to pop. ) I really can't think of too much passed this point until fuse box cleaned ;) , check the switches. )

 

AND ANOTHER ONE FOR YOU --->>> :P :lol: ( Hope your troubles get fixed so she can be a DD again man ! :cool: )

 

Today I drove to school and stopped at yet another gas station...

Dead. :D

 

Well while getting a jump from a stranger man

 

I noticed in the headlight harness two wires connected together, one black and one red (I think I did that long ago just out of boredom and forgot to disconnect)

 

Then I saw a green and red together (That one I did not do I promise!!!)

 

Well after getting a jump, I took the positive off and the alternator did not seem to be charging because the engine dies...

 

Did I blow the alternators diode?

 

Should I just take this darn thing to an electrician??? I made it close to shcool and ran to class desperatley trying to turn in an essay worth much of my grade...I made it don't worry guys.

 

Now I'm stuck here, who knows how I will get to work at 3pm :o

 

I keep telling myself these problems are no coincidences to feel a little better haha

[hang_510]

last electrical glitch was bad fusible links, check those connections too.

 

 

fuse keeps blowing every time I turn the headlights on.

dont drive at night and dont talk to stranger mans!

[GERMS]

last electrical glitch was bad fusible links, check those connections too.

 

 

 

dont drive at night and dont talk to stranger mans!

 

 

What's the average hourly rate a mechanic should charge to troubleshoot an electrical short???

 

I took the 620 to a shop in San Diego a friend from here recommended and I think I'm getting ripped apart :huh:

 

Got stuck at school so a man towed it for 40 dlls to the shop but good God $75 dlls an hour, and should take him at the least three hours he said. I had to get to work at 3 and couldn't have the tow truck waiting so I left if.

 

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GERMS]

Well took the 620 home instead, that price gave me the energy to actually troubleshoot deeper into this problem...

 

Found a burnt (black) wire in harness where the voltage regulator connects to...followed it down and it ends into a cross of three wires, the thickest one goes down into the alternator as a ground, another one is just a small wire not connected to anything, and the third is the burnt one going to voltage regulator connection. Its corroded where those three meet.

 

This happened from the last VR that it had, it smoked but didn't care to check the wires...

 

I also checked the rear taillight connections and on the passenger side when taking the harness connections apart a piece of wire about 1/4 of an inch was hanging around, stuck in between the connections, how it got in there? Who knows.

 

You all think I finally nailed this one?

 

What is the right way to repair that burnt wire?

 

***Picture: I put small red points in the burnt wire so you can see which one I'm talking about***

 

 

http://img18.imageshack.us/i/image1072.png/

[GERMS]

Turned out the new alternator took a dump, what could have messed the alternator? It kept passing at the autoparts, they ended up failing it and gave me another one, so was it a bad diode? If so what could have burnt it? Tt was working when first installed. I have an electric fan running straight to the battery, got a relay now but had it like that for the time driving it.

 

What else is capable of ruining an alternator so I can fix it, don't want the alternator to go bad again...

 

thanks guys. :thumbup:

[GERMS]

I've got it! The problem is now (hopefully) gone for ever. It turned out to be two wires on the engine bay harness where the headlights are, one black one red were connected together, the problem was both sides have those same wires, thing is I didn't notice the other side also had them joined together and was causing a short blowing up the park tail fuse, it was messing up the alternators diode, that hence drained my battery down.

 

As soon as I disconnected the other side's wires, viola! even the dash lights com on now and all lights are brighter than before.

 

Gee whiz! What a headache...

 

Next things to do are replace the brake shoes, install the electric fan relay and thermostat kit, clean er up, remove camper shell and start moving furniture to my new house!

 

Thanks for all those who had the patience to guide me through this.

 

Case closed. :sweat:

[I'm BLUE]

Glad to hear man ! :cool: I hate electrical problems :angry: But --->>> I do own datsuns ! :lol: