Fuse #7 Speedo Keeps Blowing

[RickkyP]

I'm trying to trouble shoot a problem i've got with my 2001 A3 1.8T.

Fuse #7 which protects the Speedo, Oil Level Sensor and reversing lights keeps blowing.

I've had the rear clusters out and there's no evidence of water damage, but to be sure I removed the bulbs. What I've found is that if I put the fuse in when the car is running then it is OK and doesn't blow, but whenever I next start the car the fuse blows, at first I thought it was maybe a problem with the sensor, but all works fine while the car is running.
Also sometimes the fuel gauge goes erratic, but not always.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[Ant_S3]

Any other lights on the dash? I would scan your car or get it scanned if you can as could save messing around, if you wanted to check the other things i would look at the wiring to the oil level sensor for damage, and you could pull the cluster out strip it down and look at the circuits you might see a burnt component which could be causing the issue.

 

[RickkyP]

Thanks.
Pretty sure its not the cluster, everything else is working fine, and if I put in a fuse while the car is running everything works perfectly.

Maybe there's some kind of intermittent problem with the speed sensor or wiring.
The only fault code relates to the speed sensor. But it'd throw that even if I pulled the fuse out when it was working fine.

 

[Ant_S3]

I would start the car up, put a fuse in so it doesn't blow, clear the code then go for a spin and see if the code has come back if it has you know it's the cluster, obviously don't turn it off and blow the fuse, if not then it will be the sensor

 

[Jay 01 s3]

I had similar problem with a 02 Audi A3 1.6, kept blowing fuse for dash clocks, I traced it to the wiring of oil level sensor rubbing off drive shaft, shorting the wiring and blowing the fuse, hope this helps.

 

[RickkyP]

Cheers guys.
It was the oil level sensor rubbing on the driveshaft, the clip holding it hand worked loose and it was resting against the drive shaft.

Problem solved!