Guage fuse shorts non stop

OK, so background, my truck caught on fire last year. I’m just now getting to the point of trying to repair it. I have replaced almost everything under the hood. It’s got a new known good engine wiring harness (I’ll be honest and admit I’m using an automatic transmission harness for my Manuel Tacoma. I’m just going to be OK with not having a reverse light and a neutral light for the time being. I just want the truck back on the road, Before it went down this last time, it was down for two years because of a previous issue that I had to make the time to fix.

Now I’ve been replacing everything. I finally get to the point of turning my Tacoma back on and boom fuse, panel problems.

I swear the first time I tried to cut it on I did not have these, but I did not have the fuel line or the intake manifold on, so I stopped, and I went back and installed those and then (This isn’t 100% sure but I’m about 75% sure because my clutch canceled, which would work originally now it doesn’t)

but now it is popping every time I put power to the car and turn the ignition switch on. I have isolated it to a connector on the back of the interior fuse panel, but I need to know what this connector does. I do know, however, that the short seems to be whenever I remove the connector from the junction. It stops Continuity on my meter at the fuse. So when I test the connector junction, the only wire that I have Ground continuity on is a black and orange wire. There are two black and orange wires in this same junction. I have ground continuity on one and not on the other When back probing. Pictures will be up tomorrow. I really need to figure out what to do here I am past the point of wanting to buy another harness, and I completely have the skills to build harnesses. That being said, I know that this is a short to ground situation , I have already tried disconnecting every component, one by one. And the issue is still there (diving in all day tomorrow )
I have pretty much pulled the entire truck back apart.

It’s definitely a weird situation Originally whenever the fuse was popping, if I would jump the fuse with a wire instead, the wire would, of course heat up and damn near melt, but it would allow the gauge and everything. My AC came on. Everything would click on instantly, and I had no issues.


Now my biggest question is at what point does the interior harness in the ECU harness connect. Because even if I disconnect all of the ECU harness cables from the ECU and disconnect every component under the hood, I still have the issue.


That being said, I did run myself so ragged on trying to figure this out that I did have my test light hooked up to the wrong lead on the fuse box the positive side, And it was keeping lit up for power whenever in my head, I thought it was saying it was grounded the whole time.

(headaches when you’re running ragged)


If anyone has any type of diagram regarding the wiring to the interior fuse panel or everything that it is connected to like a master wiring diagram, it would be greatly appreciated. I am going to start cutting the harness tomorrow and chasing it back from the very uncomfortable position it is in Under the steering wheel inside the dash.

I had an issue that arose shortly where I could jump the fuse for the gauge, and I would hear a relay click under the hood very clearly, and it would do it every time, and it ended up blowing the radio fuse for some reason whenever I would jump, the gauge fuse. I don’t know if this is pertinent information or what I’m just sharing everything that I’ve come across.
I will be doing some testing live tomorrow on my TikTok account if anyone would like to join and help out

 

my caveat point was I’m pretty sure that the short has to be in the harness at this point the interior harness as far as I know, only goes through that one hole in the firewall down to the fuse block underneath the hood. I am at the point I might take the intake manifold back off and just make sure that none of those wires are somehow pinched in the EFI system because I’m sure that that’s downstream , my brain is running ragged and I really could just use some general direction and help please and thank you