Problems with Dash Lights and Tail Lights

So over the weekend I installed a cd player in my 1986 B2000, and now my dash lights and tail lights wont work, I found this out on my way home from the night shift at work. (Headlights, brake lights and turn signals still work)
The fuse was blow for the "TAIL", replaced it with a 10A, blew that, replaced that one with a 15, blew that one, so I just tuffed it out and drove home
This morning I put a 20A in there, didn't fix my problem, and didn't blow the fuse, apparently there is a red and black wire that I should be looking at the wires into the stereo, is it a ground wire? because I cant get power out of it.

Any help would be great!

Sounds like you have a wire grounded (shorting) from your CD install. I'd start there, you know, Cause and affect.

Red wires are never ground unless someone messed with it or used the wrong color for a ground.

Dan

No, it's the power wire supplied from the tail light circuit to illuminate internal lights in the OEM radio whenever you turn the lights on. So you probably did what most people do and that is clip it, and then left it dangling and it's touching the transmission tunnel or the radio bezel mounting tray and therefore shorting and blowing the fuse every time you turn the lights on. See if you can find it and then crimp a cap on it to secure it.

Don't feel bad. You're not the first person to do it and you won't be the last.

Yeah, agree, related to the stereo install. You shouldn't need any illumination light wire going to a modern stereo anyway, they all have the LCD and LED type lights already.

In the days of old stereos (and I know old) one would tie into the instrument cluster circuit to illuminate the stereo, so you could see the different AM and FM scales (before digital tuning, pre-sets, etc.). Since the B2200 has a combined circuit coming off the headlight switch for the parking, tail, and cluster lights, that's why all those are involved. So disconnect and/or tape off the illumination wire at the stereo that's either plugged in or touching ground.

You still use illumination wire to dim the radio display when your headlights come on. Some vehicles are ground, some +12v for that connection. Your radio install should tell you. Most the time the wire will have it printed on it also.

Thanks guy, I removed my stereo and found the red and black wire was grounding out, so I found some srink tube and closed that wire out and replaced the fuse and everything is good now