I don't know if this new problem I've found has a direct link to the ongoing problems of the car not starting under any circumstances, but this morning I noticed that everytime I turn the key to position 2, fuse #4 (8 amp) in my main fuse box blows. It supposedly is linked to horn, emission control, carburetor heater (n/a), delay switch, and turn signal lamp. Also, when I hit the hazard lights, fuse # 1 blows. It goes to the warning buzzer, auto. antenna, trunk lamp, reading lamp, clock, rooflamp, hazard warning lights(l/r)and the fuel supply shut off valve.
I am not getting any power from the wire on glow plug # 5 on ie no power to the preglow system at all. When the key is turned to position 2, I can hear the relay click on, and when I turn the key back off, I hear it click off, so I assume that it is working, but the preglow light does not come on. If I try to start the engine anyway, the light will flash on while it trys to start, so it is not the wire or the bulb. Most of the time the engine won't even turn over.
I have replaced all the glowplugs (the car has not started since), and I had the entire starter and solenoid rebuilt (car has not started since). The ignition switch was replaced in January.
There is not a braided groundwire strap coming from glowplug #1 to the bolt on the block and apparently there never was. The closest thing I see to that description is a thin black wire which comes off of the sensor on the side of the block and is attached to glow plug #1. There are appaently two sensors, with wires connecting them and then running to the main wiring harness. There is no 80 amp fuse on this car, so the wire coming from GP#5 goes directly to the relay.
Has anyone had a similar problem to this? Any Ideas on how to fix this? What could be wrong? It seems to have a cascading effect. Once one thing is fixed something else breaks. For example, before the starter was rebuilt, the glow plug system worked fine, and no fuses were blowing. When I reinstalled the starter, the glow plug light never came on, and now these fuses are blowing. The car is old, but it seems like all of these electrical problems must be related.