Okay, following suggestions, I used "Zoom Spout" to lubricate the speedo and cable. . some improvement. However, why I turned on my headlights after, the "main fuse" (added inline with the battery) blew. Pulling the speedo and disconnecting every bulb and ground to the speedo eliminates the fuse blowing. Could having the wrong light in the wrong place cause the fuse to blow? Or did I screw something up?

Thanks

sounds like your on the right trouble shooting path.

So, are the three little light bulbs/sockets all "equal"? or is one unique?

Which bulbs? There is one "idiot light" in the speedo (high beam or parking light, I forget which) and at least a couple of illumination lights.

Some (most) of the lights will ground through their sockets. Few (or possibly none here?) will ground through a separate ground wire. If there are two plugs on the bulb holder, make sure you don't get them mixed up. The ground should have zero (or just about) resistance to the outside of the holder, and the "hot" should show the resistance of the bulb from its connector to the outside of the holder.

Dig out your ohmmeter and start checking resistances to ground. If you can narrow down where your short is, you can check that wire/bulb/whatever more closely.

If you don't have an ohmmeter, get over to Rat Shack or your FLAPS and pick up a cheap $20 multimeter. The cheap ones are more than good enough for automotive work on our old cars.

--DD

conductive grease causing shorts???? did you remove the speedo cable at the meter befroe this happened? if so maybe something got bumped then?

Were there any additives in the oil?

Both moly and graphite are sometimes used as a lubricant, and both conduct electricity.

When not being used as a lubricant, moly is used to make electrical heater wires and rods, and graphite is used to make electrically conducting brushes in electrical motors and generators.

I'm a bit afraid that the lubricant is conducting somewhere weird. . but I can't see how it would get INSIDE The little sockets of the bulbs.

Okay. . it is NOT the lubricant. I traced back to the switch but ran out of time and patience.

Next step: disconnecting the wires (they are spliced in) from the light switch to see if the switch is grounding or ALL the wires are (well, one wire, but they are bundled in a connector).

I might need new "sockets" for the itty bitty teeny lights that go into the ventilation controls as they are deteriorated beyond use. Any suggestions?

Okay, it isn't the dash lights. But before a fuse popped, I noticed one of the tail lights out, but the bulb isn't burned out. That's the next place. I HATE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS!!!!!!

And now I have to re-create part of the behind the dash wiring because I just CAN'T reinstall what I removed. .it is oogy.

How about the license plate lights? If the wires on those get switched around, you'll keep popping the instrument light fuse the instant you turn the lights on.

HINT: One of the terminals on the license plate light has continuity with one of the mounting screws. Which (eventually) has continuity to the car's chassis. That one should get the brown wire, but it's easy to swap them...

--DD

Actually, we added a battery fuse (currently 15 Amps, but usually 20 AMps. . just using 15 for light experimenting) and THAT is the fuse that gets popped as soon as I turn the lights on.

My next check is all those in the back, as there was considerable rooting around back there (giggity)