First and foremost, Merry Christmas if you celebrate, happy holidays if you don't.

Coming back from grandma's dinner in Pennsylvania last night. Switch on the headlights, which work fine. Taillights work. Dash lights don't. Play with the dimmer, no joy. Pull the kick panel and start checking fuses, BTW , 8 baby boy is screaming, 2 car loads of people waiting on me.

Found the offending fuse and also found the po had used the spares. Pulled the ac fuse and used that. Finally got on the road, pulled out of the driveway and the fuse blows again. So now I got no ac, no dash light and a 95 minute drive in a snow storm with wife, infant son and mother in law in the vehicle. Make it about 5 miles before the windows up. Swap out another fuse from another circuit to restore ac but now I have no electric defroster on front and rear windows. Whoever designed the system of putting multiple circuits on a single fuse is a #*%$£€€¢® moron. thank god for the ultraguage I OK installed. Gotta call them though. That died on me 2 miles from home. Fun times!

 

Thanks for reminding us all that a spare pack of fuses is a good idea to have - or a couple of packs.

 

Might I recommend springing for the bonus pack...

 

I've had a couple similar instances caused by loose grounds. I've started replacing with those fuses from oreillys that light up when blown. You have to turn on the key to see them lit once they blow, but it sure does help not having to search all the fuses while it is cold or raining on you on the side of the road or out in the woods.

 

Sounds like the shoemaker's kids need shoes - $$$,$$$ in tools and gear back at the shop. SWMBO and family watching. You showed professional control that many of us under the influence of another Red Bull would not have.

 

No kidding in the shoemakers kids needing shoes. Of everything to check, freaking fuses. And most gas statiins dont sell regular sized fuses. Just the tiny ones. Bastards.

And buzz, you gotta keep cool in a situation like that. Her entire family was standing in behind me.

 

Please believe, now I will!

 

Funny you mention the grounds. I was trying to adjust my ultraguage cable that morning, and I stuck it in that space behind the kickpanel, where the ground for initial issue of no instuments lights is located.

 

Ordered! Thanks

 

In a former life I worked testing new circuit boards in finished products.

Sometimes - the short could not be found.
It was a small hairline trace.

We had a mode called FM.
You can read between the profane lines on the meaning.

We would hook up a car battery to the two circuits with the parts removed.

One could hear a short POP.

And the short was gone.

I am not saying do this for the rover..

But, if a lightbulb has shorted internally..

A one second "FM" of a stiff wire across the fuse terminals would probably blow out the short.

Or, it would cause more damage.
If you absolutely can't find the short later, you could try FM.