No tail lights, running lights or instrument cluster lights

[bullfighterwife]

Have a 1997 expedition Eddie Bauer and I have no tail lights, running lights or instrument lights. Keeps blowing fuse 7 and don’t know where to start to fix it. Help please.

 

[JohnC60]

If you keep blowing that fuse, you have a short circuit somewhere in that circuit. I would start with verifying this at the fuse. Pull the fuse and check the voltage of the two contacts to ground. One will be ~12V (source side) and the other should be 0V (the circuit side). On the contact with 0V, check its resistance to ground. If it is zero or nearly zero ohms, you have confirmed a short circuit. Now, you will have a fun time finding it. You can pull all of the bulbs and inspect them and their sockets; then recheck resistance of the circuit to ground. There could be a problem with the headlight switch; you can disconnect that to verify. Does it blow the fuse immediately or after you turn on the lights? A question that has to be asked: Have you added any electrical accessories to this circuit? Have you changed bulbs recently and perhaps used a (wrong) bulb that draws more current?

The instrument lights not working is a bit curious since it is powered by a different circuit and fuse.

-John