ok, here's the deal.....

i installed a Pioneer DEH-2100 stereo in place of the stock stereo that came with my 93 Protege DX. after completing all the wiring, and testing the stereo (which works fine), my dashboard lights went out. i checked the fuse for them, which was blown, so i replaced it with another like kind (15 amp), turned on the dash lights, the fuse blew again. after going through this 3 times, and trying higher amp fuses with them blowing as well....im stuck.....being a computer geek all my life has left me dumb as hell when it comes to cars, so i have no idea where to go from here. could my wiring be wrong even though the stereo works fine? or is something else screwed up? also when the stereo is disconnected, the dash lights work. WTF?? any help on this would be awesome!!!! thanx!!!!


p.s.
after buying this car 8 months ago, i fell in love with mazda's, will be buying them for a long time to come! Protege's kick ***!!!

 

You almost definitely have a short to ground. You should very carefully review your wiring connections. I am thinking that you are probably connecting a lead from the car's harness on the dimmer (that has a positive voltage) to a ground with your wiring harness setup. Either that or you have a break in insulation that is doing the same thing without you realizing. Do you have a voltmeter or voltage test light to confirm what you are connecting to?

Also, if a fuse blows, it is VERY BAD to replace it with a bigger one. The fuse is for protection, and usually will only blow if something is messed up. Blown fuses are a signal to check out what's wrong.

Hope this helps. I don't know anything about the car's wiring on a 93 unfortunately.

Dale

 

thanks a ton for the info! i do have a voltmeter, and checked the stereo power wires before i hooked it up to see if i had the correct ones, i was sure that i did, but i must be off somewhere. gonna spend most of the afternoon messing around with it. i'll post again if i get it up and running. thanx again!!!

 

Good stuff. I would concentrate on the dimmer wires mainly, as this is where you seem to be having a problem.

 

i would just like to say i eat ALOT of beef and i can't spell worth crap.