Right side marker fuse

[crumbum]

I noticed that my right side tail light was out. I tested the light bulb by switching it from side to side and the bulb turned out to be ok.

I finally tracked it down to the right side marker fuse (I think position A3). Trouble is, every time I replace it, immediately blows immediately.

I am not a sparkie by any stretch of the imagination. Where (and how) do I start looking?

[Loren]

The you have short to ground - likely in the socket.mounting.

[crumbum]

Any suggestions on how I isolate that? Do I remove the circuit board and side marker and see it the fuse blows again?

Other than that, how do I check the circuit board itself?

[Loren]

Take the side marker off the car by disconnecting it and the electrical connector.

Then look for damage and or corrosion.

[crumbum]

I removed the side marker and the tail light circuit board tonight and put in a fresh fuse in.

When I switched the light switch on and POP.

%%$&* !!!!!!!

So, I am assuming that the short is somewhere in the wiring harness.

[Loren]

... or the headlight switch. All light connections go through the headlight switch.

[crumbum]

Can the headlight switch cause problems for only the right side?

[Loren]

Yes. As I said all lights go through the headlight switch so an internal short could cause that too.

I am trying to point out the obvious issues here - bulb sockets that are corroded and worn out headlight switches are the two most common (lights) problems on the 9x6 series cars.

[crumbum]

Ok, I just went after a fresh batch of fuses and popped one in. When I turned the light switch to Park, the right side marker fuse (A3) popped again.

I still had the side marker and the tail light circuit off.

Does this mean that the switch is suspect? Or could it still be somewhere in the harness?

[crumbum]

Ok, I found the problem. After A LOT of troubleshooting, I found that the front park light bulb had burnt out and fused against the socket. That caused the short.

The bulb that I pulled out of there looks strange though. I have not seen it before. Looks like the following: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-31825660550277_2185_27428520http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-31825660550277_2185_27428520

I see that they are available on ebay, but cannot seem to find anything else about them. Anybody know?

[ChrisJP]

This is not the original bulb but a LED replacement.

You can get LED from several suppliers, such as www.superbrightleds.com

[crumbum]

Thanks for the help guys. I got the original part and installed it on both sides. Boy, those things are expensive. I wonder if they carve them out of diamonds.

It was frustrating not being able to drive with the nice weather we have been having, but I learnt quite a bit in the process