wiring short Options

[jdlmodelt]

So, I've been finalizing wiring on my recently acquired 914. I had all the wiring except the license plate lights hooked up. I got my license plates last week and was checking the lighting last night. I could smell something and I saw a whisp of smoke coming from the three wires that go to the engine compartment light. I immediately pulled the battery positive cable off. I could feel the heat on the cable shield going to the engine compartment light. I could feel some minor heat going back through the bundle of wiring to the rear tail lights and ultimately to the license plate lights. Is there a particular place in this that others have experience this wiring short? I guess I need to remove the protective sheathing from the bundle to make sure wires didn't get melted together along the heat path. I was disappointed to see that the fuse feeding those wires did not blow, It just started melting the plastic fuse body? It was an 8 Amp fuse and I'll have to look at my printout to see what position it was in. Approximately a middle fuse in the fuse block.
Any ideas?
thanks,
James