With that fuse in, the headlights are off. Only the tails stay on.

I walked across the street to ask my neighbor, he mentioned maybe a ground somewhere is loose so it would try to pull power through other wires somehow.. causing it to be hot.

I'm still not understanding completely.. but I know the previous owner blew a tire/harness got messed up so he replaced it with a new harness.

The rear tail/brake/turn bulbs look as if the wires have all been cut but re-connected and they all work fine except for the tails being on always with the fuse.

 

If all else fails, could I find the closest spot where the red/black wire is near the tail lights.. cut it so they go off, then somehow fish a new wire through the interior to under the dash, up spliced into the harness with the old black/red wire removed.. so then (IF) the combo switch is fine as well, i'd have a working switch to power tail lights?

its too bright outside so im not able to see if the fuse being in makes the instrument panel glow

the battery/seatbelt/srs/gear im in lights all work though just not speedo/tach, etc..

 

It sounds like a wire is reversed in the connectors at the tail lights, like your neighbor said a ground issue, if you follow that diagram back to the tailights you'll notice that the black wire (see the lower left hand corner) is your hot wire when the switch is on, that wire should be dead with out the switch, if you've got power there keep tracing...

Pull the connector off your tail lights so that the bulb isn't closing the circut and test the black wire, if it's dead when/not hot when it's not connected then your problem lies (also leave that 20 pin connector at the steering column off) on the other wire, I'll bet your tailights are wired backwards....

 

running outside to check all of this now, ill post back asap. THANKS!!!

 

check out those tailights and try reversing the wires that go to the bulbs, one side of the bulb connector is going to be hot and one is going to be dead, connect the dead one to the black wire and the hot one to the other wire, that should make your red/black #20 connector go dead (work with one side at a time) if that does then you know that he just reversed the tailight wires... I'm gonna grab some lunch be back in a few, keep us posted

 

I checked with a tester, and the only wires that are hot back there are the red/black ones that go to one side of all the bulbs. The black wire (other side of bulbs) aren't hot.

Does this mean they aren't reversed and my problem is something else?

Thanks man.

 

with the brake lights disconnected your red/blak #20 pin on the connector should be dead if the black line is dead, if this isn't the case then your problem lies elsewhere... I hate electrical stuff....

So basically confirm that with your tailights disconnected your red/black wire #20 is not showing power at the 20 pin connector, if it's still showing power then the problem is something different, if it's not then I'd guess your wires are reversed in the back, try swapping them (temporarily on one side) and see what happens, if that solves your issue then great, if not then the worst it should do is blow a fuse

 

I hope I didn't screw you up.... I was just looking at the diagram again and I read it wrong, the black wire is your ground and should have no power to it, (like you noticed) since the red/black wire has power then your problem lies elsewhere towards the front of the car, your red/black wire should have no power

 

Since I'm not great with wiring (diagram/tracing wires) wise.. would it hurt to cut/cap the red/black at each end, close to tail lights and close to the 20pin plug.. then run an all new wire of the same gauge from the couple inches of red/black, to the tail lights couple of inches of red/black i leave?

my stepdad just sat in the car to see if the speedo/tach lights came on while plugging that #32 fuse in.. he couldnt tell since its soo damn bright outside, but he did say the [P] park light went off, then back on when I unplugged the fuse.. so if I do run a new wire for tails, I'd probably have to run a new wire for gauges too.. whole new dilemma lol.

This sucks..

 

your dash lights and your tail lights all run off that red/black wire for power, that wire shouldn't have any power until the contorl switch is flipped, so it's drawing/getting it from somewhere, I'd start tracing it forward, actually look at the fuse box, the fuse that you're messing with should only have that one pwer lead connected to it, is the red/black wire connected directly to it as well?