short circuit ? electrical prolem? help!

I'm not absolutely sure what your problem is, but it's definitely a short, and it sounds like a doozy..........

If you can, check the harness that runs through the dash...........it has a big ganged section behind and slightly to the left of your gauge cluster....probably runs along the top, up under the lip of the steel dash frame.......

I have seen these short out in there just due to age and vibration......they rub against the retainers, and sometimes get screws stuck through them when the clusters are worked on...........

It won't hurt to check and see........If it starts to fry, you can lose the harness and even the car in quite a jiffy.............

I'm not sure your link is routed through those circuits..........Be safe.