Help Troubleshoot Brake Light Short...

[wojan]

Does anyone have any pointers on how to troubleshoot a short?
Everytime I put a new fuse in the box and press the brake it gets popped.
It's a 20 amp fuse so I put a 30 in just to see if it was spiking slightly and it popped it too.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[strictlypersonl]

It would help if we knew what kit you have or what type of wiring you're using. Do you have a wiring diagram of the circuit?

Since the fuse pops only when you press on the brake pedal, the short must be between the brake light switch and the tail light.

If you have a test light, attach it across the mounting clips of the fuse. It will light brightly when there's a short downstream, a little less brightly with only both tail lights working. Wedge something against the pedal to keep the brakes on.

Disconnect both tail lights lights first. The short might be in one of the sockets.
If the test light is still bright, follow the wire's path forward until you get to the switch. There may be a relay between the brake switch and the rest of the circuit too.

[wojan]

strictlypersonl: Thanks for the help.

I took out the bulbs and the previous owner had two diff sets in. I replaced all of them with new bulbs of the same type and now I have brake lights but no turn signals. I replaced the turn signal flasher... still no turn signals. The weird thing is that if I turn on the hazards, the passenger side will flash but not the driver's side.

Again, any insight would be appreciated.

This is a Lone Star Classic kit from 2003.

[wojan]

Ok, got it all working now. For some reason there wasn't a flasher in the hazzard portion of the fuse block.