turns out when the short fuse is jumped the taillight circuit fuse blows- The wires at the tail lights were cut and twisted by hand with a minimal wrap of tape then both were taped together side by side- Amazes me how slack people can be with wiring. Reconnected with crimped connectors so I plan to hook back up and try again tomorrow. Hope it was feedback from the tail lights through the light switch that has been causing my woes.