Guage cluster fuse bows when cracking ovee

[Ken B]

What causes the guage cluster fuse to blow when cracking over the truck?
My shop is telling me when they go to start the truck it blows the fuse for the instrument cluster?
Any ideas?thanks
Ken

 

[Ken B]

Dang figured someone had this issue sometime b4 me...

 

[gmbellew]

Sounds like a short to ground of some fashion. Does it blow during cranking or just when you turn to IGN? Have to see what is on that fuse and look for a shiny wire. There are also ways to track short to ground using a meter, I’ve read about them but never done it. I have been lucky enough to find mine the old fashioned way by wiggling things to make them spark or using a flashlight and looking for shiny wires that shouldn’t be shiny.

 

[goldpack]

for those smarter than me,...is this an automatic or a manual. (neutral safety switches,...pop starting)

wondering if there is an easy way to diagnose starter vs. ignition switch,....

and wondering if there is a resister there somewhere that is not resisting anymore.
( charm.li may show something on a wiring diagram that is not easily visible....like an inline thing).

but just spitballing, left brain thoughts for the right brain people.
(edit: left brain is analytical,...right brain is big pic artistic...hopefully working cohesively together)

 

[Sad Sack]

Have changes been made? Column work? Engine compartment work? Interior work? All bone stock electrical system, etc.?
You said truck was in a shop...so...

 

[Ken B]

It's an automatic trans.
Yes the column was out . Completely new wiring harness. Basically the column is the only old wiring.
The column was not rebuilt or anything just removed and painted and reinstalled.

 

[Sad Sack]

Does sound like a dead short somewhere. Since it happens when cranking the engine using the ignition switch and after doing a R&R on the column I would be looking at wiring diagrams to determine if any wires that affect the gauge cluster are present in the column. See if anything got pinched on the re-install.

 

[Sad Sack]

Tilt column? Gauges or idiot lights?

 

[Bextreme04]

Make sure they have a solid ground from the engine to the frame. If the engine is not grounded, it could be trying to ground all of that cranking voltage through a bad oil or temp sensor. Those sensors are single wire that ground through the sensor to the block.

 

[Ken B]

Guages. I think grounds are being checked.
Non tilt

 

[Ricko1966]

They make a device just for tracking shorts I happen to have one I bought decades ago. I'll try to get you the name and a pic. BRB. Okay got you some pics the red thing with the jumpers is just a self resetting breaker. The way it works is the wire shorts creates an amperage draw you trace it with the ammeter to the point where the draw stops that's where your short is. The breaker keeps popping to prevent burning up the wires. The 194 bulb with the spades. You plug the bulb in in place of the fuse. The bulb becomes a load,which prevents the wire from burning. Turn what ever you have to to get the bulb to light. When it's lit the short is present,start unplugging things,shaking wires etc. until you find something that puts the light out or shaking something makes the bulb flicker. There's your suspect short. 2 methods,both work great.

 

[Ken B]

Awesome thanks