wireing issue please help

ok lemme start off by giving a little background ok 2 weeks ago put a new optima red top in my mazda everything seemed fine truck ran and drove fine well started noticing a funny smell popped the hood and the battery was boiling so pulled it and the alternator and had them tested and the regulator in the alternator was bad so it was over charging the battery, ok truck has sit in my garage since then ok got another battery and alternator and now i go to start the truck and there is no power to the ignition and the dummy lights on the guage cluster not working but headlights radio and everything elese fine even when the key is in and door open the dinger dings lol so i know its not the batery well started testing wires at the fuse box (all fuses were fine by the way) ok well the guage fuse and ignition fuse both are testing as a ground meaning i hook test light to a power and touch to them two fuses and the test light, lights up meaning it would be a ground right? ok where do i start trying to find the prob and what in the hell could have caused this? i just dont understand how could it be fine one day and doing this the next when the truck has not been touched? fuck i hate wireing

sounds like you melted some wires somewhere. check the wiring under the steering column and the main harness where it goes through the firewall

Man thats the way things go some times. I would check the starter that could be the issue. that little wire that goes to it i belive goes to a relay that runs to the ignition.

I think.

did you check the fuses under the hood?

if there good, then start with the ignition switch, check for constant power, then ignition key on output, and go from there

Thanks guys ima tear into it tomorrow since im off work

I recently bought this truck from Matt, anything else you guys can think of? I'm gonna give it a look over and test some things, but anymore help is greatly appreciated.

I'm also thinkin' that the ignition switch is the place to start checkin' .