So the first time around the ground closest to the cam sensor somehow shorted and melted all the way back into the harness, also melting and fusing to every wire along the way. So i did a patch job till i could source a new harness. I got the new harness in and everything was dandy up until recently, when what i can assume is my alternator going out since i only see 11.5 volts. Well around the same time i noticed the alternator issue, my gauge cluster kept popping its fuse, ive been through over 10 of them ranging from the 7.5 it needs to a 15, it blew them all. So im not sure if these issues are related but then i took a look at the ground again, and all i saw was bare copper and it looks like it goes back kinda far, i dont want to cut into a new harness just yet. So my current thought process is to replace the alternator, then investigate the wiring issue. That's where i need help, i know nothing about wiring, where do i start and what do i check because this is getting frustrating. O and one more thing there isnt any corrosion on the junction box plugs so i can rule out gremlins.

 

This is obviously a VERY difficult issue to diagnose (especially online) but this will get you off on the right foot until someone else chimes in. If you bought the car used... I would remove the glove box, lower panel under the steering wheel and radio/hvac console. Look to see if anyone had any safc/gauges/head unit/turbo timer or anything installed. My car had some open safc wires dangling around that I caught before problems arose but this is absolutely step 1. If someone had gauges and linked them to the gauge dimmer switch there could be your issue. Report back with ANY modified harness you find. Where in Ohio are you?

 

in columbus, ya i have stri gauges with the dimmer hooked up, most of the dangling wires were on the old harness but ill go through it once more. also the owner before me decided to cut the radio plug to wire in a new headunit, so when he went back to stock he used butt connectors to reattach the stock plug back on the harness, so ill have to go through and check all that. Should i disconnect the dimmer wire on the gauges? I unplugged the gauges to see if i could get the cluster to work but had no luck there

 

If the dimming works on the gauges im not so sure i would change that at first. I think you just need to spend some time with a flashlight and really look at every altered part of the harness. As an FYI the factory dimmer switch does need to be plugged in for the gauges to work

 

ya the dimming works, ill def have to go over everything with a fine tooth comb, im just not looking forward to having to pull the engine harness apart again to fix the bad wires

 

update: i stripped the harness back and im trying to figure out where exactly the ground by the cam sensor goes, because whatever it goes to is more than likely causing my short. The ground wire is melted all the way back, when i get time again ill keep going down the rabbit hole till i figure this out

 

best of luck, you'll find it. its never the easy stuff =[

 

actually just got doe stripping the harness all the way back, that ground by the cam sensor goes to the passenger side coil pack. So next step would be to figure out why that pack is creating a short, im on a second set of packs since the last passenger side one melted, so i know there has to be something wrong somewhere