Help with dead Electrical

[Bryan Niese]

Driving home last night my entire dashboard controlled electrical died: Headlights, brakelights, radio, rear window controller, interior lights, and the amp meter was very low, down to around 10 or so. Strangly enough, the heater works, power door windows work, rear window works when using key in the rear tailgate. Last weekend I put in a new alternator, battery, and new ground wire off the battery. Those were the first things I checked and they looked ok; Checked all the fuses and they are ok. Any Idea's?? It still runs fine but with no brakelights I hesitate to drive it. Help!!!

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Donzi
1988 GW
Totally Stock

[andy d]

Bryan, check the 6 or so fusable links.they are down on the right fender well.a coupla weeks after messing with the alternator,my 88 died on the road. the wiring down by the alt had touched exhaust manifold and burned until it shorted and melted the fusable link. as i remember, i needed a meter to find the open one. i just twisted the thing back together and taped up the bare wires. iwas plenty baffled there for awhile. gwag was completely dead. in order to limp home, i hadda hot wire coil, and then crawl under the rig to jump the starter solenoid. it was the first time a wag ever stranded me.

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'88 gwag,pure stock

[Ralph]

Yep, fusible link. Easy fix, but do it right with solder and shrink-wrap, not with duct tape (the handy man's secret weapon). Though you can simply bridge the circuit with tape in an emergency.

If you can't find the burned out fusible link from looking at the wires, you can probably feel for a wire that's broken internally. Otherwise you'll have to check the various wires with a test light or meter.