ignition short

[rwortman]

I have a 99 mazda 626 and I have been having some strange problems. It started when I tried to turn over the engine, and I let off the clutch just as the engine was catching. It stalled, so I tried again, and nothing, no noises at all. I was able to jump the car once, but once I got it home, i tried to turn on the lights to see what would happen, and it caused the engine to die.I checked all the fuses, and they were fine. I took the battery in, and it is fine. When I put the battery back in, the electrical systems worked again (power doors, beeps when the key is put in), so I tried to turn it over again, which caused what I can only assume to be a short, as the power to everything was cut off. Power locks stopped working, no beeps when I put the key back in. Could this be a relay problem? Bad wires? It seems like it must be electrical, and not the starter.