boneheaded mistake
 

Hey all, new to the forum here. I have a 1995 Ram 1500, 5.2L engine. The other day it wouldn't start so I jumped it. Unfortunately I wasn't paying close enough attention and crossed terminals on the battery with the jumper cables. After a shower of sparks (luckily the battery didn't explode), I was able to disconnect the leads and get the right. Long story short, after a new battery, alternator, and 120a fusible link, it runs again. The problem is that the stereo and dome light aren't working. It's an aftermarket JVC stereo. I checked the fuse behind the stereo and it looks good. I also checked the stereo fuse in the main fuse box and it looks ok too. Anyone have ideas of other things I may have fried?

IOD fuse in the fuse block on the side of the dash.

Welcome to DF! :D

I went out and checked the IOD fuse, and wouldn't you know it, it was blown! New problem though, I put in a spare 15a fuse, and that one blew immediately too.

Sounds like you shorted something out.... That's gonna be fun to find.

Grab the service manual for your truck from here. Wiring diagrams are in section 8W. See what feeds from that fuse, and start checking circuits.

Here's an old trick:
Take a 12v light bulb (say turn signal bulb), solder some wires on it and stick in place of the fuse. The light will light up. Now go looking for your short. When you find it, the bulb will go out.

Yes, it's safe. The bulb will be a current-limiter for the time being.

Thanks for the input guys. So I went and bought brand new fuses, and replaced the IOD fuse again. I made sure the truck was OFF when I put it in this time, as I'm not sure if it was last time, and not sure if that would cause the IOD to blow right away. When I put the fuse in the dome lights turned on (score!), but still no radio. I'll do some more checking around wires, fuses, and such as I have time to see if I can track down the problem.

You said the fuse behind the stereo was good, but did you check for voltage. Why I ask is perhaps the stereo went bad because the fuse didn't do the protection it should.