87 Camry Fuse Blow Every Replace

[sma00711]

I have a 1987 Toyota Camry that seems to just keep having problem after problem. Rain season comes and all of a sudden my tail lights and instrument panel lights turn off. I consulted my user manual and found the fuse blown out that controls both of those, so i replaced it. Immediatley once i turn on my head lights the fuse blows again. I took my car out of the rain and let it dry for a day thinking maybe water was causing a short. Still blows a fuse every time i put a new one in.

This is a huge problem as no tail lights at dark is dangerous and i will get pulled over for it. Please help.

[Mike Gerber]

sma00711,

You have a short (or short to ground), which means that a bare wire with current running through it has had it's insulation worn through and is touching a piece of metal somewhere along it's path. The most likely location for this is in the wiring loom inside the trunk along the driver's side, although it can be anywhere. This is the most likely area since it moves up and down everytime you open and close the trunk. You need to open this loom up and inspect all the wires for fraying of the insulation. If you find any bare wires, simply wrap them securely with electrical tape and then replace the fuse once more. Hopefully, this will solve your problem.

Mike

[tntang]

That happened to me when I installed my stereo. I didn't tape the unused wires up with electrical tape good enough and it was shorting out everytime I turned on my tail lights and instrument panel. If you did a stereo installation recently, look there.