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Old 08-24-2007, 12:29 AM   #1
deci
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Default Turn signal, gas, temp, rpm gauge not working

Hi just earlier today after I started my car I noticed my turn signals were not working. Also, the fuel gauge, rpm gauge, and I think temperature gauge were all dead. In addition, the ac, and rear defrost buttons don't seem to work either (or at least they don't light up).

The hazard lights, head lights, high beam, instrument panel back light, fog lights and most other things work fine.

Upon further inspection, I noticed fuse 23 was out, but when I replace it and start the car, it instantly blows the new fuse.

What could be causing this? I'm not exactly sure where to look.
Any help is appreciated it.
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Old 08-24-2007, 01:07 AM   #2
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I had the same problem. I just kept on replacing the fuse. After about the 4th fuse it stopped. I'll try to find the thread of when I had the problem.
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Old 08-24-2007, 01:56 AM   #3
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It stopped after replacing the fuse several times?

Hmmm, I've popped 3 so far. Were yours going out as soon as you started the car?

Thanks for the info!
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Old 08-24-2007, 02:04 AM   #4
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I think they did pop the second I started the car. I don't know why, but hopefully your problem goes away randomly like mine. I haven't had the problem since!
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Old 08-30-2007, 10:03 PM   #5
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nope, i still keep blowing fuse 23 as soon as the car starts.

i guess i'm going to check the different wires one by one.

anyone have an idea on where to start looking? like are there some known trouble areas for 98ti's?

and is it worth trying to figure this out myself or should i just take it to a shop?
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Old 08-30-2007, 10:33 PM   #6
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it is worth trying to figure out yourself
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Old 09-02-2007, 02:53 AM   #7
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Well still no luck. (or I should say only a little luck)

The first thing I tried was to unplug both turn signal lights. The fuse did not blow so I thought I may have got it figured out. I then plugged in the passenger side turn light only. Fuse was still ok. So I plugged in the driver side light and it blew the fuse. At this point I was sure I had found the problem, but after cleaning up some potential trouble areas in the wire, fuse still blew. For sanity sake, I tried it again with both lights unplugged. Fuse still blows.

So now I am back to square one. Does the fact that the fuse still blows even though these lights are not connected mean that the trouble is definitely elsewhere?

I keep reading that I should check the grounds but where exactly are the grounds for these systems? I can only find one of them and that one seems fine.

And what exactly should I be looking for on the grounds that would say something is wrong?

I'm pretty lost here and am about to give up. Anyone know how much it would be to get a mechanic to fix this?
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Old 09-02-2007, 02:55 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deci View Post
Anyone know how much it would be to get a mechanic to fix this?
Depends how long it takes.
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Old 09-02-2007, 03:28 AM   #9
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Have you made any modifications recently? Sometimes things get bumped and move around which can result in a problem. Did you throw something in the trunk? I actually am going to say that a ground would not be the problem directly. Something is grounding before its meant to ground, so most likely I would look at the power side of things to see where the issue is. Did you say that if you pull out all the lights the fuse still blows? If not, start with just one light at a time like it seems you were doing, try to pinpoint what happens when, and inspect those wires.
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Old 09-02-2007, 04:51 AM   #10
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Thanks for the replies guys.

I have not made any modifications recently or thrown anything in the trunk.
I did however wash the car about two days before the fuse went out, but I had driven the car twice after the wash and nothing was wrong. Also, by now shouldn't everything have dried?

As for the turn signal lights, even with both pulled out it still pops the fuse now. The socket of the driver side turn light did seem dirty, but the light seems to work just fine when I use the hazard lights? (And as I said previously, even unplugged, fuse still blows)

Is there any systematic way to try to find the short other than eyeballing stuff? Like using a circuit checker or multimeter?

Thanks
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Old 09-28-2007, 01:24 AM   #11
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Hey, I had this exact same problem. I turned out to be a bad tailight.
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Old 09-28-2007, 02:07 AM   #12
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http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=6689

John Firestone's first response. That may be what is wrong with your car deci
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