Hey all. I unfortunately haven't been able to play as much around with my 83 GL (AT, push 4wd)as I would have liked to the past year because of a pos van that I bought, thinking it would be fun to build out for my climbing trips... Anyways, I've been doing a general maintenance overhaul this winter and soon started randomly blowing the turn signal/4wd fuse (which oddly enough also works my power windows and the intermittent speed for my windshield wipers...weird). I say random because I could replace the fuse and it would work for a day, but then sometimes I would replace the fuse and it would blow immediately. 

So, after thinking it was the right turn signal bulb from corrosion, which I replaced, it stopped blowing. Well after 3 days the fuse blew again, and this time for good (I went through like 10 bucks of 15amp fuses thinking it would work, I was in denial).

I finally was able  to stop the fuse blowing, by disconnecting the 4wd harness right above the transmission in the back of the engine bay (below the spare tire), so now people aren't giving me the evil eye for not using my turn signals (is that what bmw drivers feel like all the time?) So I "assume" a short is somewhere in that wiring. The thing is, I've checked from the 4wd switch located at the passenger side of the tranny "accessible" (hardly) underneath the car,  and all the way to the main wiring harness located at the driver side by the firewall before it enters the firewall and I cannot find any outward appearing problems like cuts or nicks. I haven't gotten deep into the console area so that could possibly be it, but I just don't think it's a wire cut...could the switch that attaches to the transmission be the culprit for the fuse blowing, or possibly the switch on the shifter or somewhere along there????

I'm learning patience here

 

Perhaps it in the lighting wire if they truly are tied together with the 4wd.. I had a wire get shaved in the shifter boot at the chassis on my 93 Loyale 4wd Wgn Goodtimes! 

 

That is a solenoid on the trans,not a switch.

It(or its harness) has probably shorted internally.(usually they fail open)

Check it by putting an ohmmeter across the leads.Maybe tap it lightly at the same time.Measure resistance to ground on the transmission side of the unplugged connector too.

Edited January 12, 20197 yr by naru2

Naru, if it has failed is there anyway to buy a new solenoid? I honestly think that it is the solenoid, and I've looked online but can't seem to find an exact fit (retrofit from a Mitsubishi maybe?) but  idk If would  be able to get a replacement...regardless I'll try that tomorrow when I have some time and shoot back here. Thanks for the tips!

Don`t think there are any new ones left.

Try an ad in the classified here for a used one.