Dashboard Rheostat jumped.....now bigger disaster

[rjtyne]

Sighnnnnn.......(1983 Spider)
Rheostat made a frizzing noise and dash lights stopped working....based upon previous posts tried to bypass rheostat with jumpers.
For a glorious 4 seconds, dash light worked .then fuse blew..no problem..(brain stopped working at this point)..replaced blown fuse with larger fuse..viola...10 seconds of glorious dash lights.....blows fuse again...warm jumper wiring.... (brain starts to work again).
Removed jumper, replaced blown fuse with correct fuse, resolved to buy new rheostat.....however, now have no rear and side marker lights working when turning on via column switch....front lights work fine....., it just seems that all items on the 2 circuits (G & H) (left and right rear lights, front and rear side marker lights, lights-on indicator) no longer work. They will work when activating the parking light switch on steering column. All fuses seem ok, and I even checked the in-line fuse behind fuse box.

Any thoughts?

[So Cal Mark]

the fuse doesn't blow any longer?

[rlux4]

Did you disconnect the wires at the rheostat when you jumpered them, or jumper them while it's still connected? It sounds like you have a short in the rheostat, so it needs to be taken completely out of the circuit. When you say rear lights, are you talking about the tail lights?
Ron

[rjtyne]

Disconnected the rheostat before jumpering.
No more fuses blowing...still no dash lights... tail lights & marker lights not working when turned on via column mounted light switch. They will only come on when using the parking light switch mounted on top of steering column

[mbouse]

You have a short somewhere for certain.

what gauge wire did you use for the jumper? if it is smaller than the two wires you are jumpering together might explain why the jumper wire is getting warm to the touch. go with a 12 or 10 gauge wire for the jumper, and be sure that neither end is grounding out by wrapping some tape around both jumper connections.

buying a new rheostat won't solve a short in the circuit, unless the jumper wire IS the short.