alrighty folks, i've searched a while for this problem, and i've found similar issues in threads, but worst of all, NO ANSWERS. so here is my car's version of the story.....

the car ('86 base model) keeps blowing the 7.5 amp METER fuse. that is affecting all gauges (other than speedo, of course) and the heater/fan control thingy. the horn also does not work... and she has a funny idle on start up that goes away when i push in the clutch and put it in first gear.

recent projects to the vehicle:
this started happening after installing power steering in the car. she actually ran fine for a couple days before getting the symptoms. while we were installing the rack, we got rather violent with the steering column, i poked around and didn't see any electrical stuff that looked bad, but who knows? i sure don't know what i'm looking for. i also had an alignment done the next day, and had the steering wheel changed while they were at it... don't think much could have gone wrong there, far as i know.
also had some nasty electrical problems that turned out to be a toasted alternator, so i just replaced that today as well, and the thing's charging like a charm (i figured the old was was on its way out, i just put it off). still, the blown fuse problem remains.

i had also read about some reverse light problem being somewhat related.... i changed my clutch about a year ago, and afterwards my reverse lights were ALWAYS on. so i yanked the bulbs, and that's how it's been since then. haven't really had any problems in that past year though.

i know you are the guys to go to, cuz you actually know what the hell you're talking about! sorry this is so long, but i hope i've made my blasted car's problems as clear as possible that it might be easier for you folks to help out. thanks!

 

well first of all, you hooked up the wires on the tranny wrong, and that needs to be fixed first, since the power for the reverse lights is the same power as the meters.

 

I'm not too sure, but it sounds alot like a problem i had with my old car (89 integra) i had to tear apart my car compleatly with a multi-meter and find out what was happening. Turned out to be a huge mass of melted wires that i needed to replace.

here's what you do:

what do you do that causes that specific fuse to blow?
does it blow when you put it in right away?
depending on what the answers are to that question is where you start.
personally it sounds like an open or a wire that's grounding out when it shouldn't be.

from your story it doesn't sound like you did any electrical work so it might have been just bad timing, or there was too much load on teh altanator and it put too much current through some wire, melted the casing and is now grounding out. follow the harness from the fuse and see what the meter says. compare that to a good fuse box. (save this for a time when you can spend a good couple of hours to do, or have all the bits in a garage so you don't loose anything)... then you trace your problem wire. follow it through out the car and see if the wire is open, grounding, or shorting somehwere. good luck!



...or do what he said.

 

first off!.... any idea which particular wires/circuit i messed up on when hooking the tranny back in? i'll go look at my haynes manual, but i thought i had labeled and reconnected all the wires when i finished the clutch job. and do you think that could be a major part in this?

next up..... i don't particuarly DO anything that i know of when the fuse goes. it seems kinda random, like the car will run fine and then i'll notice all my gauges just die while i'm cruising along. this of course answers the other question, that the fuse does NOT blow right upon being put in..... it works fine for a while, then goes.

 

Yeah, you probably took the black/yellow to the Red/Green (and hopefully didn't run it through the switch and didn't mix up the 5th gear switch wires).

page 294 in tha Haynes manual.