Please help, weird issue with VS electrics, tried everything

[Flyingwide]

Hi All, I’ve got a very strange issue with my VS series 2 L67 Caprice.

Part 1.
I was putting my dash back together after I fixed the air vents, and when I was putting the glovebox back in and reconnecting the sensor (pictured), it arced out, not sure how though, there’s no bare wires. It blew 2 fuses, the cigarette lighter, and the illumination fuse. This caused the faults in my second photo. I replaced both and they didn’t blow, but the faults came back and now there is no power getting to the illumination fuse. The weird part is the fault lights go away when I open the glovebox or or release the sensor, but then the fog light comes on and stays on until I close the glovebox even when not powered up (pictured). The air con fan also switches on when the glovebox is opened and off when it’s closed. I also have no dash lights and no odometer or trip information.

Part 2
I left the car at an auto electrician for the day, and he couldn’t find the issue, he suggested replacing the alternator as it was charging at only 12.8 volts. I had another look myself and decided to bypass the aftermarket immobiliser, this seemed to make a difference straight away. There are no fault lights on the dash, but when I turn the lights on, I don’t have any dash illumination, and I lose my odometer and trip information. A bulb fault light also displays on the dash, but this fault light disappears when I press the brake pedal. The cruise control does not work, the automatic aerial does not go up, but when I press the manual button for the aerial to go up it turns the vent fans on. The vent fans also speed up and slow down when on recirculating. It seems like there’s an earth missing, but I am yet to find it. I have since replaced the alternator which fixed the charge rate, but that’s all. I’ve also swapped over the BCM with another one, and still no luck. Does anyone here have any suggestions please?

[Gareth]

How much of the dash did you have apart?

[Flyingwide]

Hi mate, just the centre console and glovebox. It was driving fine with everything put back in apart from the glovebox, it’s only after I put the glovebox back in and arced out that switch that it started having issues.

[Gareth]

You definitely didn't have the cluster out?

[Flyingwide]

No mate, I’ve never had the cluster out, it’s heading back to the auto sparky again in the morning, but so frustrating.

[vlad01]

Sounds like a wire is shorted to ground somewhere.

[Flyingwide]

That’s exactly what I thought, it’s a bad earth which is earthing through other circuits causing the lights to come on.

[Flyingwide]

For everyone playing along at home, it has finally been solved. It was a blown fuse for the RH headlight, the headlight was still working fine, but it was drawing power from the left which caused it to activate all the circuits on that side.