Fuse 1 BLOWS!

[Reb]

Hello to everyone, I'm a long time Beretta owner and a new member here.  After years of piddling with this car (My wife bought it new in 1988) it may finally have me beat.  It is a 1987 Beretta 2.8 with the auto transmission and has been an extremely reliable car over the years.  At 251,000+ miles, neither the engine nor trany has ever been into and it has been a daily driver for all this time!  It burns no oil and until last Thursday still ran like a top (though the front suspension is about shot).  I will probably have to replace it as a daily driver but I would still like to keep it as a back up.

What is happening now is that the #1 fuse in the fuse box by the driver's side door is blowing the instant the ignition is turned on.  I was driving Thursday and had gone about ten miles.  I turned left and the car quit like it had the ignition switch cut off.  No stumble, hesitation or anything, just dead.  It wouldn't restart and I could no longer hear the fuel pump run up.

I finally discovered the blown #1 fuse and have been trying to figure out what is blowing it.  I have tested it at the fuse box with the fuse out using an ohm/voltmeter and the right side of the circut puts out twelve volts just fine when the ignition is turned on.  But with the ignition off both sides read as grounded on the continutity test.  I have also disconnected the direct ignition module (the smaller connector with two or three wires one of which is pink) and tried a new fuse which also propmplty blew!  So I am thinking the DIS module is ok.

As near as I can tell from the wiring diagrams in Haynes and the Allen Institute GM PFI manuals, the ECM, fuel injectors and intrument cluster also run off this circut (the diagrams list the wire as pink and black but on my it appears to be pink and white, at least at the fuse block).  All I can think to do is to disconnect each one and retest the circut with a new fuse and see when it doesn't blow.  If it still blows with all disconnected I guess I start looking for a bad or bare wire ground fault?

Does anyone have any other suggestions?  Could it be the ignition switch?  It is still original as well but since it does put out 12v ok when switched on I thought it was probably ok.

Sorry to be so long winded but this one really has me chasing my tail!  Thanks for any help!  And thanks to Jeff P since his post on this site help put me onto the fuse 1 issue.

Hoping against hope

Reb

[Reb]

The 87 Beretta lives!

Found the problem while I was checking the fuel injectors circut.  The connector from the wiring harness to the injectors has a plastic retainer that is supposed to hold it up out of the way of the manifold heat shield.  Well for some reason 20 year old plastic subject to lots of heat became brittle and broke   allowing the harness and connector to just barely touch the heat shield.  A tiny section of insulation was worn off the pink and black wire resulting in the short to the ground.  A little electircal tape and bingo, problem solved!  Turned the key and she fired right up and ran.  Test drove it and purring like always.  What a great car!

Now I guess I should repair some of the other things it needs.  Almost afraid to put new parts on it.  The ones there just keep going.  Well except the a/c compressor, power steering pump. front suspension, muffler and what not but who really needs those any way. ÂÂÂ

Reb

[Money pit Beretta]

If the tape doesn't stay on there is liquid tape that brushes on. Got mine at Eastwood, but did see some at Wal-mart.

[yellow3800]

Glad to hear it!  It serves as a reminder that we always need to check SIMPLE things first!

I ask myself "Now if all parts and pieces are okay, working, otherwise new, what could upset them?"