Electrical fault = blown No. 3 Fuse.

[wasted]

Strange one this, started happening before the car came off the road.

Currently if a fuse is placed into slot 3 on the box (third from the left) it blows immediately because there seems to be a permanent live current flowing across the terminals. As a result, I have no internal lighting, no MFA, no cigarette lighter and no radio.

I've had a look under the glovebox for odd wiring, no joy - I've tracked it down in the wiring diagram as potentially being something to do with the cigarette lighter or the door switches. It's not the radio because having taken that out it still does the same thing. I'm a bit loathe to take off all the panelling on the underside of the dash if it's unlikely to be the lighter - the door switches look ok, but there is additional wiring in there from an aftermarket alarm system (since removed).

Any clues?

[ianaudia4]

Mate, you have something live touching/shorting out. I would check the connections that go into the radio, doesn't matter that the radio is out as the power goes to it not from it!
I think if it is not the radio connections then you will need to get the underdash out, it's only a few screws but saves a lot of grief!

[Tim_R]

Worth checking that your boot light isn't shorting out for some reason.

[wasted]

Right... I've kind of partially resolved this one, but I don't know how, and it's still behaving weirdly.
I basically took out the cigarette lighter entirely (disconnected), and also removed and re-inserted the passenger door switch.

The fuse no longer blows, and everything works as it should - with the exception of the interior lights.

With the interior light switch in the middle position (i.e. everything off), the lower interior lights glow constantly - but are not on fully. Pressing the door switches makes no difference.

With the interior light switch in one of the other positions (not sure which one - will check), the main light goes on fully with the doors open - when the doors are closed, the main light goes off, but the lower lights come on fully.

I'll check what happens when the switch is in the other position, but has anyone got any clue what my damn car is doing now??

[Nate]

your fag lighter has a short in it (look inside it, it's probably jus bent somewhere) and your interior light is wired up wrong

[wasted]

Mystery solved, thanks Nate! Was a random loose wire (red) from the left lower interior light - had obviously come loose and was earthing somewhere. I've taped it off for now - any ideas where it needs to go? The other light has stopped working too, so I'm guessing it connects across to that one...