caspermj

Hi all,

Been reading up on this for a little while. My US '83 is blowing the fuse for right side marker lights. Pulled the side bulbs and tail light, front marker light, still blowing the fuse. Where are the ground points? Any suggestions? Happened out of the blue, no recent work done within 3-4 months. Thanks

caspermj

I've removed my bulbs one at a time and checked. Should I have removed them all then tested? I've disconnected the ground point under the right rear quarter cover (inside) and still blows the fuse. Is there another grounding point for this circuit in the front?

76FJ55

A ground point will not cause the fuse to blow. You most likely have some sort of a short on the hot side, not the ground side. if you have a ground side fault the light wouldn't iluminate, but it wouldn't cause extra draw which is what would cause a fuse to blow.

rcrone928

Casper. I had the same issue on my 83 as well. I checked the lamp control module behind the glove box. What I found was the module had gotten hot enough to melt the plastic case and wire insulation enough to cause a short. I cleaned the mess up and resoldered the wires going into it.
I don.t know what caused it to overheat but it's been ok since I fixed it You mite try to unplug the unjt and see if fuse still blows

HaydenM1974

I had the exact same problem on my 84 and it was the 4 way connectors that feed the parking lights. They were completely corroded internally. Disconnect the power coming into the connector which comes in through a small opening from the engine compartment then see if the fuse blows. There is one 4 way connector for each pair of front parking lights.

HaydenM1974

this connector is accessible from the wheel well or from underneath the front bumper. It is attached to the back of the front bumper.

This is what mine looked like...

caspermj

Thanks for the responses! I didn't realize there was a connector behind the front parking lights. I disconnected one pair and tried a fuse....no blow And my rear marker/parking lights lit. At least I'm getting somewhere! Now to find the lead from the engine compartment. Really appreciate the help guys!

HaydenM1974

What I had to do is cut off the 4 way connector. There will be a pair of wires with power coming in. There will be a pair of wires for the side marker and also a pair for the front parking lamp. Splice one lead from each pair together and your problem should be fixed.

Alan

Don't cut anything off yet - take all the front marker bulbs out (including front/side) & reconnect the connector- what happens?

Alan

caspermj

You mean passenger and driver side? I just did the passenger side (both front and marker) and it blows the fuse. With the front passenger light unplugged, no more fuse blowing, but also no front marker light.

Alan

Just on the side that has the issue...

So maybe it is bad corrosion in the connector - you can likely get a used front marker loom from a dismantler along with the plug & grommets - these are not parts that commonly fail so they should be easily available.

Alan

caspermj

Yup, sounds logical. Where does the power feed into that connector? Under the hood or behind the bumper?