Helping my brothers step daughter out on her 1989 Dakota V6 2wd automatic. The headlights work in both hi and lo beams. The turn signals work. The dome light works. The park and brake lights don't work. The dash lights don't work. The fuel gauge and speedometer gauge don't work. Everything was working fine a few weeks ago. I repaired a yellow wire that comes off the back side of the fuse block on fuse number 5 sunday and everything started working again but she took it to work yesterday and on the way home, night time with the lights on, the number 5 and I think number 6 fuses blew again leaving her with no park, brake or dash lights on the way home again. At least the headlights still worked!. Any help on where to check again would be greatly appreciated.

 

To me it sounds like the one of the wires is cut and tuching ground. check all wire under the dash around the fuse box and under the hood where it comes through the firewall. check all of them. even where all the relays are. There are wireing diagrams on dakota 1st gen FAQ. If you cant find it put power from a different wire sorce to the wire. just the fuse block side. not the rest.

 

sounds like a short somewhere, would cause a whole lotta problems