Recovery story; 95 Camry reversed polarity cables on battery, need help!

look at the back of the fuse box where the dome light fuse goes in

Inspect the fuse box for damage (look at the back). Trace out wires and look for damage too and be sure and check the relays.

thx guys. This option did cross my mind. I'll get back to you with results. Stay tuned.

This thread can now be closed. I made a complete recovery by changing the radio. Dome fuse does not burn out now. Here's the logic why the radio should be the first suspect. This was the answer I got from my previa forum. Users there are brilliant. "I would not suspect a wiring harness fault as the prime suspect as the fuse that feeds the wires is meant to blow before enough current would heat it up too much, which would apply no matter the direction of current flow. The dome light fuse feeds all the things that stay "live" while the car is off - dome light, radio memory, clock, cigarette lighter, often an amp/subwoofer, stuff like that. It shows up as "B+" on wiring diagrams for "B attery Positive (+)" Those things receive the voltage from the battery as long as it's hooked up, regardless of the ignition switch position. IF one or more of those things shorted to ground, the dome light fuse would blow. See if you can disconnect the connectors to those things and see if the fuse still blows. Just spitballing, but a common "burning electrical smell" source is an "electrolytic" capacitor "blowing up" inside a radio or amp. They are usually pretty large and actually have pressure vents to release the "magic smoke" that powers them if they overheat ;^) Probably most of of us with the original external amp on the passenger side have smelled that by now! They can blow with age, but also if powered "backwards." If you have a amplifier in your Camry, that's suspect #1."