guage lights

[rangertom]

i removed my old dash and installed a new one yesterday and after putting it back together i realized that the lights behind my guages don't light up when i turn on the headlights? the highbeam light in the center lights up when i turn them on but the turn signal arrows don't light up but they work on the outside of the car and i hear them blinking inside the car? any ideas what could have caused this? everything worked before i removed it?

 

[RunAwayNJ]

I'm having the same problem with my '86. Here is what I suggest you do:

1. Check the fuses. One could have blown.
2. Take it back off, and put it back on. When I got my car, many of the gauges did not work. I re-seated it and they all work fine now, minus the lights. If the connection is not good they won't work. Make sure you put it in as tight as possible. Using 2 people helps.

If neither one of those get them back on, it's time to get a test light and start troubleshooting the connections. Make sure you have power to the console. THat is where I am now with mine. It looks like the previous owner did some improvised electrical work and in doing so shorted out the interior lighting. I just finished re-wiring about half the car, now all I have left is the cluster. I am holding off as I might do white faxed gauges and different color backlighting.

Good luck!

 

[RunAwayNJ]

Oops, one/two more things....

Clean the contacts on the new cluster and make sure they are identical and line up with the old. If you put the old one back on, does it work? If so the problem is with the new cluster.

Also do the gauges work on the new cluster and just the lights are not working? Check the bulbs too. Are they there or are they blown?

 

[rangertom]

i used the same cluster that was already in the car ( i only changed the dash) also the idiot lights work when i turn the keyso i'm pretty sure the connection is good but then again stranger things have happened.

 

[SilverShadow87]

agreed, check the connections in the back, as well as the plugs to make sure no wires are loose or pushed back out of its place... thats been the case a few times on my cars.

 

[RunAwayNJ]

It's funny - I've spent today diagnosing why the lights on the cluster don't work. Whoever worked on the electrical of this car before I had it messed it up. I checked fuses, everything - no luck. So I just started re-wiring everything fresh myself. I have about half the panel lights done now. I took the time to install new LED lighting as well to the circuit. Next weekend I'll finish it up - I'm going to use red backlighting for the cluster. Sometimes starting from scratch is a good thing.