Gauge Cluster Lighting
 

Ok, My gauge cluster a while ago.. the lighting went out.. I dont know what happened but it kinda works not really. when I have the key turned off and put the lights on the turn signals light up and the cluster is lit VERY VERY Lightly, when I turn the key on and hte lights are on they go out completely. Anyone heard of such a problem? Also if noone knows about it is there a way I can cut into the power wires and kinda hotwire a switch to them or anything? I cant drive at night because I cant see the gauges.. any help is GREATLY appreciated.

check the fuses. also try hardwiring the dimmer. take it out and disconnect the plug and jam a paperclip in the top 2 connectors.

The bulb connections in the cluster are not the most reliable. When I had my cluster out I checked all the bulbs and then installed them and checked the connections with an ohm meter. Had to clean several of them. The dimmer control is a pulse width control (electronic). Easy to get to, as it pops out or you can remove the radio and it's right there.

Well I checked all the fuses and relays. Whats going on is when you turn the lights on, the headlights ect work fine but the guage cluster lights up the turn signals and leave them on, and nothing else lights up.. The rest are not even lit like i thought, it was just the turn signal lights bleeding through.. This is making me very irritated.. What else could it be?

btw, i did the hardwiring thing.. the blinker lights are much brighter.

none of the other lights are working, i guess thats why i figured somthing else must be wrong..

I used my ohm tester.. the blinker lights are getting 10.67 average.. the rest are getting a big fat 0.00000

Have you checked the voltage in and out of the dimmer wheel?

I hardwired it like I was told.. that should bypass it correct?

I did something semi / on accidnet... I wired up my foglights to my switch (Center Console) but I needed to know when the lights (Headlighs) were on, so I wired into the ashtray light, well I also wanted to have them run when the Ignition was on, and I had the switch on... what ended up happening is that my gauge cluster lights were on all the time... cause the ignition voltage all of a suffen fed the gauge cluster... which I fixed, with some Diodes, but anyhow you can use that to spot check your junk... hook up a couple of wires from the battery to the light in the ashtray and see if it lights up, if nothing else the ashtray light should be nice and bright... :D
If nothing works I'd yank the gauge cluster and start with a voltmeter on the plugs to see if I'm getting voltage when I turn on the lights, that way you elliminate the cluster and can maybe focus on fuses, or the wireing harness....

-DC

wow thanks man! Ill go check that now.

yeah if the bypassing the dimmer made your blinkers brighter then somehow you wired them to the backlighting. they should be totally seperate circuits. dunno what could just up and break like that, maybe you did some work on it recently and could start looking there.

K, they did nothing.. I dunno what wires to check with the ohm meter for the gauge cluster harness's anyone got a diagram?

i have never touched the wiring back there.

get a copy of the FSMa nd take a look there.

any idea on where to get the FSM? I have seen it online somewhere..

anyone?!