number 10 fuse

keeps blowing again.
no TACH, no partial OBC, no gas gauge, etc.
i forget the short list of potential causes and fixes.
any help???
THANKS!!!!

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stirv
keeps blowing again.
no TACH, no partial OBC, no gas gauge, etc.
i forget the short list of potential causes and fixes.
any help???
THANKS!!!!

My guess would be the reverse light wire, it goes down the stick, through the floor to the transmission. It usually frays an inch or two down by the floor level.

Good luck, Rick

thanks Rick. i remembered this. my back up lights were out before this too, must be it.

THANKS!

After I fixed my wires the second time I figured out that they were rubbing on the guibo. I ran them though a very loose wire tie on my shift linkage to hold them up and I haven't had any more trouble. I think there's a clip up there somewhere that's supposed to hold them up, but it doesn't seem to work very well.

John

It's awkward getting at the wires to the reverse switch on the side of the transmission from underneath the car. So, I've never bothered trying to figure out where mine are shorting out.

I simply unplugged the two-wire connector under the shift-lever boot inside the car, then ran my own wires from there to an illuminated rocker switch on my dash. The switch lights up red so I can't forget to turn off the reverse lights (although I still sometimes forget).

Bonus, now I can flash my reverse lights manually whenever someone behind me forgets to dim their high-beams,

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Ferdinand
It's awkward getting at the wires to the reverse switch on the side of the transmission from underneath the car. So, I've never bothered trying to figure out where mine are shorting out.

I simply unplugged the two-wire connector under the shift-lever boot inside the car, then ran my own wires from there to an illuminated rocker switch on my dash. The switch lights up red so I can't forget to turn off the reverse lights (although I still sometimes forget).

Bonus, now I can flash my reverse lights manually whenever someone behind me forgets to dim their high-beams,

Ferd, that is so simple!

I had dreamed of LED signs in my back window and even James Bond rocket launchers under the tail lights

I like your idea better...but the iX is gone

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Ferdinand
Bonus, now I can flash my reverse lights manually whenever someone behind me forgets to dim their high-beams,

I used to do that with the first car I ever bought with my own money, a 1974 Corolla. The reverse lights would come on when you moved the shift lever over to the right on the way to reverse, but before you actually engaged the gear. So I could flash the reverse lights just by moving the shift lever.

__________
Dave
'91 325iX

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Dave_G

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Ferdinand
Bonus, now I can flash my reverse lights manually whenever someone behind me forgets to dim their high-beams,

I used to do that with the first car I ever bought with my own money, a 1974 Corolla. The reverse lights would come on when you moved the shift lever over to the right on the way to reverse, but before you actually engaged the gear. So I could flash the reverse lights just by moving the shift lever.

I've thought about mounting an old H3 rectangular driving light under the rear bumper for trailer duty (when I have to load up in the dark) and to be able to flash idiots in back of me ...

Sigh, you try something like that out here and it usually results in car to car shooting. Doesn't take much to set off road rage these days.

alan

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alanrw
Sigh, you try something like that out here and it usually results in car to car shooting. Doesn't take much to set off road rage these days.

alan

Right, there's that!

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alanrw
try something like that out here and it usually results in car to car shooting.

Note to self:
When in Southern California, keep fingers away from reverse light switch.

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Ferdinand

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alanrw
try something like that out here and it usually results in car to car shooting.

Note to self:
When in Southern California, keep fingers away from reverse light switch.

And they're so laid back out there, with all that nice weather and great beaches ...

Well, it still is somewhat, it's just that a new element and new way of resolving perceived transgressions has emerged. It is a real dichotomy. I mean, I have lived out here my whole life, unfortunately, it has deteriorated IMHO due to increased population. Streets are crowded, people are frustrated with short fuses which can set the stage for really stupid behavior.

Sigh, I guess the dream is over........it was swell in the 60's and 70's to be sure.

alan

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alanrw
Well, it still is somewhat, it's just that a new element and new way of resolving perceived transgressions has emerged. It is a real dichotomy. I mean, I have lived out here my whole life, unfortunately, it has deteriorated IMHO due to increased population. Streets are crowded, people are frustrated with short fuses which can set the stage for really stupid behavior.

Sigh, I guess the dream is over........it was swell in the 60's and 70's to be sure.

alan

I'm sure that's happening all over to some degree. In the height of summer here, in the hamptons there can be some awful behavior

I lived in SoCal in the mid to late 80's and I remember several cases of freeway shootings. One of them happened only minutes behind me near San Diego. Turned out some poor hapless fellow in an old pick up signalled and changed lanes too quickly for the guy following him. The follower sped up, pulled along side and blew the pickup driver's head off with some huge revolver

That incident started a rash of freeway shootings buy bored, rich and stupid young men in their early 20s

And usually, they get the shooter who then earns an all expense paid 20 year vacation courtesy of the state penal system. What baffles me is the notion that having to make your point cost some poor soul his life and the shooter 20 years or more. It just doesn't add up.

just crazy, simply crazy.

alan

I lived in SoCal at that time and it got a lot of publicity on TV news and suddenly there was a rash of them. The news media was accused of sensationalism and causing more copycat actions. They denied it of course but stopped talking about it and only reported the convictions for the offense. Hard to say if they stopped or not since the news was selective. Have not heard much about it in recent years though.

Bob in Lake Havasu

I love how you guys digressed on my post! lol here's the textbook fix from a guy on the E30tech forum:

Yes, the reverse light circuit is the common cause for fuse 10 blowing.

The quick, illegal work-around is to pop off the upper shift boot and unplug the wiring harness that goes through the lower rubber shift boot. The connector should be a few inches from the boot, just under the lighter socket.

Before you get under the car, have the following clips ready. The two plastic ones hold the wires to the shifter support. The metal clip holds the wires to a fin on the transmission case. They tend to get lost when a hack mechanic doesn't put the cable back exactly

25-11-1-220-837 Cable clamp, reverse switch cable to shifter support $0.39/0.31
61-13-8-364-037 Cable clamp, reverse cable to transmission case $0.10/0.09

If the rubber boot is split (or more likely, cut), you'll need to replace that as well. Be certain that the wires run through the hole in the boot, not between the boot and sheet metal. It's NOT OK to cut a slit in the boot to route the wires. You must disconnect them from the reverse switch on the side of the transmission, feed them through the hole in the boot, clip them to the shifter support and transmission case and reattach them to the reverse switch. Otherwise they will short out again.

and i still have not done it yet. . .