AAAARRRGH!! Can you hear me NOW!? Out of desperation, frustration, Confusion and Determination I spend some quality time with my FSM. Determined to find the cause of my strictly inop dash lights. I start at ground zero. I carefully check firewall and wiring leading everywhere under hood. All looks original and unhacked. Next stop, Fuse Block. All the fuses in the relatively barren fuse block look good. I have everything but damned dash lights. No matter, I pull each fuse for a white light inspection. Every light but the dash lights cluster work fine so pulling fuses is a redundant exercise but... Then I can be 100% certain all is right and good and I can move on from there. The NSS just gave up recently. Lights and back up beeper working fine, but I had to ground the starter relay to start the car. I feel thats unrelated, just poop happens.
My "Doba has fuses 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 16. 1 is good, 5 pretty stuck. I move to 6, 7, etc all pass the white light test. (No hairline cracks) everything works. I grab my needle nose to pull and wiggle stubborn fuse 5 that runs the dash illum, park lights, license & tail lights which all but dash work. Redundant because everything works but dash illum. After a real struggle with fuse 5, my screws poking threw flesh from my titanium rod and plate reinforced frame, determination sets in and I rip #5 out of the fuse block! ***THE OUTBOARD LEG OF 20A FUSE #5 IS WELDED TO THE FUSE BLOCK*** and I have 3/4 of #5 fuse in hand.
Hmmm. Im not looking fwd to the mess Ive created by pulling that fuse.. So what is my next step? Pull fuse block, clip fuse 5 wires and add a 20A inline btwn the two wires? No, first, locate and cut that reverse beeper out of the car. Not sure its the problem. Thats slot #16 with a 20A fuse. The beeper is spliced into Backup lights Im sure. Does that NSS throw a ground or hot that could have shorted with beeper wired in? Im pretty sure a fuse will never go back into #5. Question, How does that get so much juice it welded itself to the fuse block on a correct 20A fuse? Is any of fuse 5 circuit tied to reverse lights and NSS. Nothing found in FSM. Maybe the grandson installed beeper and direct shorted #5 circuit somehow? Its the only aftermarket part on the car. How does every light work with that #5 circuit 20A fuse welded to fuse block and apparently not be blown? Have I opened a can of worms? I am now intimidated and regret pulling the fuses. Nothing looks disturbed around fuse block or under dash, such as spliced or cut wires that dont belong. Its got to be somethin with that back up beeper and i suppose the PCB I so carefully repaired that was probably torched when that fuse welded to fuse block. I dont know what to do next. See if it blows a 20A fuse with one shortened leg, like an "h" at slot #5 to verify a dead grounded + when it goes to reverse or lights on, use T/S, 4 ways, brake lights or dash Illum. till it pops? I am Bumming, but I did decide I was getting to the bottom of this. I just didnt prepare to be overwhelmed. I would like some advice before I go further. This is a real head scratcher for me.
HEELLLLP ME PLEASE!!! Please and Thank You