Try to solve this Elect. problem!

[furyeel]

ok check this out i have a 1999 camry 4cyl. auto trans. recently had my engine rebuilt. since then i have had this problem with the 10amp fuse blowing that controls the dash guages powerwindows. took it back to the mechanic ten mins later he says ok good to go! i leave everything seems to be a.ok.... i let my ex borrow the car for a few days and when she gave it back i asked her if she had any probs with blowing the fuse i was having problems with... and no she didnt.. i thought cool right... well as soon as i jump in my car shift it to first gear(automatic) i notice the dash lights go dim and shortly there after bam there goes the fuse again... I pulled the fuse and noticed the mechanic had simply wrapped a tiny piece of wire around the pegs of the fuse to keep it shorted. well this piece of wire burned apart and slightly melted the fuse housing but still functional... i replace the fuse with a 10amp fuse and everything is cool .. as long as i dont put the shifter in 1st gear,,, wich is a habbit i cant shake....but now my speedometer does not work. and when i shift it into first gear while sitting there it makes my speedometer needle rise fast like im accelerating and wont stop till i shift it out of first. the needle rises smoothly from 0-??? ... so any ideas?????

[toyomoho]

If you are blowing the Gauge fuse examine the wiring harness that goes from the chassis to the trunk lid.

The wiring can become damaged, the result is a short or power overload when shifting past Reverse, the reverse light wiring runs through this harness.

[frenum49]

Um...find a new mechanic. This guy is a joker. The fuse is there to protect the electrical system. When you put a wire in there like he did this effectively removes the fuse safeguard. I would have to say that you are lucky you didn't have a more serious melt-down or even an electrical fire. When wires short with enough current running through them they light up like toaster wires melting all insulation and anything else they happen to be in contact with. Heh, 2nd mistake is letting your ex take your wheels. Now your Cam is pissed off. Did your speedo stop working after the mechanic pulled his wire trick? If so I would bet that the electrical system has been damaged from this. You need to talk to these fools. They need to either fix the problem correctly or pay the bill to have it fixed right. Tough situation. I would talk to the shop manager or better yet the owner.

[furyeel]

1.Wiring harness that goes to the trunk A.O.K. its when i shift to first gear it blows...
2.You are correct this guy is a joker...you know the saying if you want something done right do it yourself...ya the speedo problem was after the wire trick he pulled. no f'ing way im taking my car back to that rebuild shop...unless i troubleshoot this and its a costly part then i go there knowing what the problem is bring my nieghbor that speaks fluent spanish and get them to replace the part salvage, black market, however they handle it.... im here in southern california fyi. thanks for the advice though... sometimes the time it takes to figure it out yourself and fix it and move on is time well spent rather then haggle with a shop you already know sucks and all the b.s. accompanyed with trying to make them tie up loose ends...if i had nothing else to do then maYBE...but like i said you want something done right you got to do it yourself.... im hoping to find a short somewhere at the base of the shift lever..... wish me luck .,,, anyother idears?

[Mike Gerber]

frenum49 is correct. I would go back to this shop and inform them of the problem they created and also let them know you weren't too happy with their fix of a blown fuse with the piece of wire. Tell them you will try to fix it yourself or take it elsewhere, if you can't fix it yourself. Let them know that if it's any more than a few dollars to repair, you will be back to them to pay the added repair bill. Then stay away from this shop. They truely do not know what they are doing and are dangerous.

Mike

[furyeel]

I definitly agree with all you about how to handle the shop and i will handle the shop..... thanks.
Now if anybody would like to expand this thread on a technical note please do so......
im to the point where my speedo jerks like crazy and the camry gets confused as to what gear if any its supposed to go into,,, so i just pulled the fuse for now to get from point a to point b. no cluster guages or power windows or O/D but is drivable. COME ON NOW ELECTRICAL PRO's THROW SOME INFO OUT HERE THANKS!

[new echo owner]

Did you check the engine grounds?

N.E.O.