MECHANIC DESCRIBES HOW A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH A CROSS-TIE RELAY LIGHT ON THAT WOULD NOT RESET ON AN MD-80; LED TO AN INADVERTENT REISSUE OF THE SAME MEL DEFERRAL NUMBER THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY CLEARED.

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ON PREFLT; CALLED OUT BY CREW. PLT STATED ACFT CROSS-TIE RELAY LIGHT ON AND WOULD NOT RESET. AFTER SEVERAL MAINT PROCS; ADVISED CREW I WOULD HAVE TO RE-PLACARD PROB. MADE NEW LOGBOOK ENTRY; CALLED MAINT CTL. TOLD THEM THE SAME PROB OCCURRING AS PREVIOUS MEL. PREVIOUS WORK PERFORMED THAT NIGHT DID NOT FIX PROB. ACFT HAD NOT FLOWN. NEEDED MEL REISSUED. ALSO; MADE ENTRY IN THE LOG SHEET. MAINT REPRESENTATIVE ASKED IF I HAD CALLED DISPATCH DESK. TOLD HIM NO; THIS IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY. SOP IS FOR MAINT CTL AND DISPATCH TO CONCUR FOR MEL ISSUANCE. HE THEN TOLD ME AND FORWARDED ME TO A DISPATCH DESK. DISPATCH REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THEY WOULD NEED FLT NUMBER AND AUTH CODE. IMMEDIATELY CALLED BACK; TALKED AGAIN TO SAME REPRESENTATIVE. WAS TOLD IN EFFECT THEY COULD HAVE GIVEN ME THAT INFO. AFTER RECEIVING INFO; AGAIN I WAS XFERRED BACK TO DISPATCH DESK ACFT X. AFTER A SHORT DELAY BECAUSE OF A CHANGE OF SHIFT PERSONNEL WAS OCCURRING; RELAYED REQUIRED INFO. AFTER SEVERAL MINS; TOLD MEL WAS GOOD AND REISSUED. ACFT WAS GOOD TO GO; RELEASED FOR REVENUE SVC. LOGBOOK COMPUTER ENTRIES WERE MADE BY LEADS ON DUTY AS THIS IS STANDARD PROC AT MY STATION. IT IS NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY IF OTHER COMPUTER ENTRIES WERE IMPROPERLY MADE OR OMITTED BY OTHER DEPTS (DISPATCH AND MAINT CTL). WITH OVER 22 YRS OF LINE EXPERIENCE; I WOULD NEVER REISSUE AN MEL DEFERRAL WITHOUT FOLLOWING THE CHAIN OF COMMAND FOR AUTH OF AN MEL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE FLIGHT CREW WAS ATTEMPTING TO TRANSFER ELECTRICAL FROM EXTERNAL GROUND POWER TO APU POWER. MAINT THOUGHT THEY HAD CORRECTED THE PROBLEM DURING THE OVERNIGHT CHECK; SO THE DEFERRED MEL AND ITEM NUMBER WAS CLEARED. BUT THE CROSS-TIE RELAY INTERNAL SPRINGS WERE LOCKING AND NOT ALLOWING THE RELAY TO ALLOW THE ELECTRICAL TRANSFER. REPORTER STATED THE ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN RELEASED WITH THE SAME MEL NUMBER THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY CLEARED; WHEN THE CROSS-TIE RELAY AGAIN FAILED TO ALLOW THE POWER TRANSFER.