blowing fuses - can you help?

Hi,

My 90 has a hard short on the LH tail light (and front sidelight I think), had a quick look this evening before the daylight went and saw nothing obvious. Wondered if there are any common causes for this? Wishful thinking I guess. The front sidelight is out too, guessing its all on the same circuit, heading for the manual now, but knowing my luck probably been rewired all in one colour !!!!

Les

Checked the fuse?

How do you know it's a hard short?

Every time i put a new fuse in and turn on the lights the fuses blows straight away with a flash and pop!!

have any of the lamps been replaced recently?

No lamps changed recently, I'll try a new fuse with the nearside tail and side bulbs removed tomorrow to see what happens.

The front and numberplate light might be directly connected also. I'd check the bulb holders and connections to the back of them before seeking out frayed wires etc. Chances are it'll be something simple.

Yeah now you mention it the numberplate light is out too, I'll check all the fittings as you suggest, maybe even a dodgy bulb? Is the number plate light one of those festoon bulbs? Is there somewhere the front and rear can be easily disconnected?

20 questions!! thanks for helping

Probably not a dodgy bulb. But it trying the circuit with no bulbs will eliminate more of the circuit as the problematic bit. But you never know. One could be full of water.

I've not had my landy long so don't know exactly where the wires go and what the common faults are. Also you haven't mentioned what year and engine you have. Others might have some ideas on that.

In mine, I did find that someone had carefully stuffed folded squares of tin foil down the sides of the bulbs. Obviously at some point the bulbs had become loose, and rather than take a small screwdriver and slightly bend out the bulb contacts to make tighter contact with the side of the bulb they thought of good old tin foil. The obvious solution to any electrical problem. :doh:

Its an 84 with a 200tdi in it, had another stab at it this afternoon but no joy yet, all the fittings and bulbs look OK. Tomorrow gonna try a volt meter across the fuse socket while whiggling wires all over the place to see if the volt meter flickers. Access to all the wiring dosent look good tho, lots inside the rh chassis box, and also looks difficult to get at on inside of LH front wing.

I guess the tow hitch hooks in to the same wiring, will look tomorrow.

Where are you guys roughly in Essex? I'm out past Maldon, I was in Gratech today and they told me that four Landrovers were stolen around the area last weekend so be careful.

My 200tdi 110 though not that it should make any diferance, had the same prob, turned out to be the wiring harness inside the RH chassis had rubed through and shortin in side the chasiss , as for the front sidelight i don't think it's on the same circuit

Slowly making progress, disconnected the tow socket and that got rid of the short, now have all back lights. Now to sort the front LH sides of which there are three!!! One seperate side, one seperate bulb in the headlamp and one which only comes on with ignition in the main bulb but dimmer, I'd never seen that before.

Are these ones blowing fuses also? Or just not working?

Just looking in the Haynes, not sure how accurate it is though, it only shows two individual bulbs per side at the front and no twin element bulbs. Wondering if yours has been modded at some point in it's life, either that or Haynes isn't very clear. All the feeds go back to a big round thing labelled steering column switches, but it's not clear what positions that has or what connects to what.

Do the rear fog light work when switched on? These seem to be on the same feed.