Hello, Let's first start off with I was going to install a aftermarket radio I'm trying to get a consent 12v. I was using a volt meter to gather if I was getting any volts to the cigar or clock, I traced it back to the fuse panel under the dash and the cigar/clock fuse keeps blowing I was getting 12.51v (same as battery).
I have no idea that I'm really looking at, all the help would be greatly appreciate.

 

Do you have any cuts/splices around the center console?

Back when people were stealing radios, the guy that ripped mine out clipped wires which caused a short and constantly blew that fuse.

 

Is your car a manual trans? If so, do you have the auto trans shifter light connector in the shifter location plugged in? So folks see the extra connections and connect them. Then the cig fuse always blows.

 

That doesn't go through the cig lighter, that goes through the illumination circuit. It has been my experience that the fuse is protected from blowing by the dimmer switch frying instead.

I have had two Series 3s and I have had to hardwire the dimmer on both of them because the dash lights didn't work anymore after someone plugged those two wires together.

What you need to do is replace the fuse with a headlight. The fuse blows because there is a short circuit, no resistance between power and ground, so current goes way up and blows the fuse. Plugging a headlight into the fuse will make the headlight a load on the circuit. It will glow brightly. NOW, you can go through the wiring diagram and find everything that is on that circuit and start unplugging things, or shaking wiring harnesses around, until the light goes out. That is the easiest way to find a short.

My bet is a wire got chafed in the dash or got pinched against a sharp edge after less than careful reassembly. Or there is a penny stuck in the lighter socket