Rewiring of exterior lights

[harrylee]

I have an 88 gt mustang and looking recently under the dash i'm not to impressed. I have been having some problems lately where sometimes my fuse for the exterior lights would blow. Tonight my rear exterior lights didn't work. The fuse for these is 15 amps. I replaced it and flipped on the switch and the fuse popped. So kept stepping up fuse amperage until the fuse stopped blowing. I now have a 30 amps fuse in its place. I would really like to rewire my headlights (as the turn signals front and back don't work, checked relays). Are there any sources that could help me with this project?

 

[HISSIN50]

Do not put a larger than stock fuse in the fusebox. The fuse is matched for the wattage rating of the bulbs, which has wiring only large enough to accomodate said load.

Find the source of the short(s) and repair it. This can be a time consuming task.

 

[93 LX]

you could have bad light sockets. If they get corroded they will increase current flow thus blowing the fuse. Increasing the amperage on the fuse is spelling an electrical fire in your future.

 

[harrylee]

I have removed the fuse. I'm new to circuit testing. How do I correctly check for a short and what am I looking for when I do test for shorts?

 

[93 LX]

1st pull the lights and look at the sockets. You will see if they are bad. If they are you need to either replace them or try to clean them. Look at the wire its self for cracks and such. Any damage may be a place where water gets in and starts to make the wire go bad.

 

[harrylee]

I checked the lights and sockets and they are good. Both the front and back don't work. I'm beginning to suspect the switch it's self. Before I blow 100+ on a new switch, how do I go about testing the switch with a multimeter? Which connectors do I need to test? Any help would be beneficial.

 

[HISSIN50]

Chances are you have a short to ground and not an issue with the switch.

It's easiest to find a friend who knows how to go short hunting (there are several good methods for doing this. They vary depending upon what resources one has available).

 

[harrylee]

One other thing I forgot to mention...when I have the lights on for evening driving, the front corners and inner fronts are not lit. Do the wires that go into my emergency switch need to be plugged in for the turn signals to work? And do you know any good sources for hunting shorts?