Radio and Interior lights

LINDA BLY

MEMBER
1988 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER
3.3L
V6
4WD
AUTOMATIC
102,000 MILES

I am a 69 year old widow and two year ago I purchased the car listed above (Landau) with 96,000 actual miles. No body damage whatsoever. I have spent approximately $1,800.00 on it (fuel pump, a tire, alternator, new wiring etc.).
I also purchased new motors for the doors and had the A/C control unit serviced. The only problem I have now is my radio, and interior lights and dome light stopped working. I thought it was the fuse and I I tried to replace them but every time I put a new one in it blows. I have went to three shops and everyone says it is in the turn signal switch, but everything that is suppose to work on that (cruise control-turn signals-dimmers-windshield wipers) works. Plus they want $251.00 just for a new one. The other two say that it is an electrical problem and will have to be taken apart. I have read and read as much as I can without a manual and I think it is the IOD fuse. Any suggestions. I really need those interior lights to see how to unhook my grand-kids from their car seats. Thanks

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,752 POSTS

It is not the I.O.D. Fuse, but that is a good guess. There are too many other systems covered by that fuse, so you would have a lot of other symptoms. You already found the fuse that keeps on blowing. That is the circuit we have to work on.

The radio has two power wires. One is a memory wire to keep the clock and station presets in memory. That is always tied in to some other circuit that is always live, like the horn, brake lights, or sometimes the cigarette lighter. Chrysler almost always ties it in with the interior lights fuse. Therefore, your two dead systems are related.

Does your car still have the original radio? If it has an aftermarket replacement, there is a very good chance it is wired incorrectly. If you still have the original radio, there are better places to start looking.

I tried to look up a wiring diagram, but the information you listed is not correct. The 3.3L engine did not come out until 1989, and there were no four-wheel-drive Chrysler's in those years. The more common model was the Fifth Avenue, but that had a 5.2L/318 c.I. The front-wheel-drive model looked like the Dodge Dynasty, and came with a 2.5L or a 3.0L V-6. These models are quite different, so their wiring diagrams will be different too.

If you are up for a small challenge, I have a trick that can help you find the short without going through piles of fuses. Remove the blown fuse, then plug in a pair of spade terminals in its place. Connect a small jumper wire from each terminal to the two terminals on a small brake light bulb. Harbor Freight Tools has a set of jumper wires and the terminals. The easiest bulb to hook the jumper wires to is a very common # 3157. Those have a plastic base with four exposed terminals. Use one terminal on each side. You will find when the short is present and you connect to the right bulb terminals, the bulb will be full brightness. Hang it where it will not burn the carpet or melt plastic door panels because it will get pretty hot. Now you can move things around and unplug stuff. When you do something that isolates the short or makes it go away, the bulb will get dim or go out.

Things to check include the glove box light, cigarette lighter light, if it has one, and "halo" light around the ignition switch. Also watch for the test bulb to flicker when you open and close the doors, particularly the driver's door. Broken and frayed wires between the door hinges are common, and your car likely has interior lights on the door panels. Wiggle the sun visors too. I can describe one of those I found with a vanity light with cracked insulation around the wire. Once I know the exact car model, I will look at the wiring diagram to see what else is on this circuit.