Help Please I Dont Want To Buy Another Car!! Ignition Fuse Keeps Blowing!!!!

[94parkaveultra]

Ok guys I have to get this fixed or buy my girlfriend a new car....

She has an 89 electra/park ave with the 3800 engine that keeps blowing fuse number 7 ( i believe it's the ignition fuse, 10 amp behind the glove box ). About a week ago she was at a friends in the driveway with the car on and it died out. She couldn't get it started, it just kept turning over with plenty of power. I go over there and tear the car apart and find fuse # 7 behind the glove box blown, replace it and the car starts up and is running fine for 2 days. Then her car won't start up in a parking lot so I go over there check the fuses and the battery andthey are all fine, motor just kept turning over without ignition. I go back to the car the next day and bring a battery booster to try again or have it towed and boom it fires up idling rough as hell. I get the car back to my house all hesitating and firing funny and figure out later that day it is running so bad because the ignition coil and control module look like melted bubble gum inside. I replace those with brand new parts
and boom the car was running excellent, even better than before the problems. Two days later the car cuts out with the both of us in there at an intesection so first thing I do is check the fuses and find the same one is blown from the first time the car wouldn't start. I put another fuse in, and pop it blows. Put a higher amp in and pop it blows. After about two more fuses I have the car towed to my house and look over it and it appeared as if some of the bubble gum insides from the old control module and ignition coil dripped on to the wiring harness connector that goes into the control module. So I cut the bastard out,
go get a new one from the junkyard and wire it on. First try car starts up and is running great. Take it for a test spin and it's all good, yey problem solved finally....NOT. A day later, the car cuts out on her again and keeps eating more fuses so we have it towed over to my house and I recheck all the connections and they are all fine. The car keeps blowing the fuse everytime I turn the key to the ON position, so I don't think it's the starter or the ignition switch. Please any help would be greatly appreciated locating where this short is occurring. I bought the car for five hundred so It's either being fixed by me or being parted out( the labor at a shop will be more than the car is worth) Again any help or clues will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Nick

[deadring]

well, for starters get yerslef a wiring diagram..soemthing that can tell you what goes on when you turn on ignition.. get a clymer manual or something similar...then check out every wire and where it goes.. eletrical problems like that demand logic,good luck and wizardry...one thing id' try, pull out ALL the fuses on the car and put the one blowing a fresh fuse in... if it' doesn't blow, put the fuses back one by one..and check EVERYTIME you put one in if it blows or not..with the ignition on of course.. that can tell you if the problem can be affiliated with another circuit on the car..if it blows without you adding ANY fuses, disconnect alternator and starter one by one.. do one and put another fuse in.. if it doesn't blow do the other..( i've seen sh!t like that happen.) after ALL that crap..you will have the PROOf that the circuit has been isolated... and it's on THAT circuit and no where else.. that should narrow down ALOT the problem to very few things..

another trick, when you have found that the ciruit is 100% sure it's blowing by itself, unplug all accessories one by one and trying out with a new fuse.. ( although you can put a vlot meter on beeping moe and touching the fuse connectors and touching the ground(body,metal) at the same time, ti will save you alot of fuses :P

when it beeps theres a short.. when it stops.. you got your answer

hope this helps.. msg me if ya need anything else

deadring

[94parkaveultra]

I have a wiring manual (haynes) and looked through it but have found nothing significant. I have tried the test of continuity with a voltemeter on the fuel injectors and the ignition and coil pack and those are all fine. I'll tried the fuse thing this morning and I don't know what the hell it is. I've had it with this POS. I am now parting this car out, If anyone needs anything let me know.

[deadring]

sorry to hear about that man, hope you find another car for your girlfirend with good and low prices

[shiftgrl]

Its proboloy cheaper to replace the entire ignition than to replace the car. You have a short some where. Replace the fuse with the car running and then start wiggling wires. you know when it blows. trial and error

[wrightz28]

Nevermind

Wait a second, this post is from last year, guess you firgured it out by now.