Voltage regulator/fuse box question

[L&LClassics]

Hello Mopar friends,

I need a bit of help. I just finished the wiring for my auto console on my 68 gtx. However, when I put the fuse in the lights came on for a second but the fuse blew immediately. Is this due to a bad voltage regulator? Mine looks pretty old. I attached a couple pictures. Any suggestions?

 

[PurpleBeeper]

"Maybe", but I would guess you have a dead-short someplace....maybe something on that circuit board is touching ground (gage cluster). You could try to insulate the circuit board from the gages with a piece of cellophane? Maybe you can just go circuit by circuit looking for a short (there aren't than many circuits).

I haven't had the problem myself, but if the voltage regulator on the cluster was bad (should drop voltage from 12V to 5V for the gages) and it allowed the full 12V to the gages, I bet you would fry all your gages and maybe blow all the dash lights too (instead of just blowing a fuse).

 

[Shorthorse]

If I understand you correctly, you said you just finished wiring your auto console. What tests have you done so far? Were all the lights working before you wired the console? If so, that's a good place to start. Are you working with the factory harness? Disconnect the hot lead to the console and try the fuse again. If you think it's in the dash gauges just pull the round 11 pin connector and turn the lights on. There are a lot of lights that run off that same fuse.
http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1968/68BelvedereGTXSatelliteRoadRunneFull.pdf
http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1968/68BelvedereGTXSatelliteRoadRunnerA.JPG
http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1968/68BelvedereGTXSatelliteRoadRunnerB.JPG

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

Sounds like you have a dead short somewhere need to find out what positive wire is touching ground and fix it. something is shorted out you will have to find it no matter what, start with easy things like cig lighter they do go bad and will cause a short

 

[L&LClassics]

Thanks for the responses guys.
Shorthorse-I have done no tests so far. My instrument cluster lights and dome lamp were working before I wired the console. Infact, I'm also having an issue with getting the instrument cluster lights and radio light to turn off. I beleive the dash harness was replaced by the previous owner and the dash to console harness is new.

I did splice the yellow wire from the console to the driver side door jamb switch yellow wire. Could that be an issue?

Thanks and happy holidays,
Matt

 

[L&LClassics]

Sounds like you have a dead short somewhere need to find out what positive wire is touching ground and fix it. something is shorted out you will have to find it no matter what, start with easy things like cig lighter they do go bad and will cause a short

You were dead on. I spliced the yellow positive wire from the console to the door jamb switch yellow wire, which I guess is grounded. Once I disconnected the 2 the fuse didn't blow out. Now I just need to figure out where to connect the yellow console wire for courtesy lights.

 

[Shorthorse]

The problem is that (according to the drawing "A") the yellow wire is the switched ground for the courtesy lights in the console and the car. The yellow wires feed ground to the courtesy lights via the door switches that are grounded on one side. The courtesy lights themselves have constant 12V to the elements via the unswitched side of the fuses (pink wire). If you have 12V on the yellow wire or if you have 12V on one side of the door switches, it shouldn't be there. It's going to get tricky from here. If you are using a voltmeter, it will show some voltage because it's reading the voltage through the light element which is nothing more than a resistor to the meter.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

From the console? you mean center console? like in floor shifter?

 

[L&LClassics]

From the console? you mean center console? like in floor shifter?

Yes, auto center console.