No gauge cluster lights

[Stroked]

Ok, somebody help me before I douse my truck in kerosene and throw a match on it.

My gauge cluster lights worked fine until I took the cluster out to get to the clutch pedal bushings. Now the gauge lights and high beam indicator don't work.

I have power at the headlight switch and at the fuse, but still no gauge lights. I think I'm not getting power to the cluster plug. Isn't it just a direct wire from the fuse box to the cluster? Or am I missing something?


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[bucket]

It's tied into the taillight circuit somehow. Do your taillights work? If not, the cluster lights won't either.

 

[Stroked]

Yea. Someone mentioned they were tied in with either the taillights or the brake lights so I checked and they work. The tag lights aren't hooked up if that makes a difference?

It's really aggravating. Now I'm doubting myself, trying to remember if they actually worked before I took it apart...


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[Stroked]

I guess I should clarify that both filaments in the rear bulbs work because the taillights and turn signals work. I haven't actually had conformation that they light up when pushing on the brake pedal...


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[89Suburban]

Maybe disturbing the plug on the printed circuit did it? You just got to pull the cluster back out and start using a test light.

 

[Stroked]

Maybe disturbing the plug on the printed circuit did it? You just got to pull the cluster back out and start using a test light.

That's what I'm doing at the moment. I noticed in my diagram that the instrument cluster lights and some wire going to the fuel tank selector were both labeled "pink 30". Don't know if they have anything in common, but mine was unhooked by the po and had a hot wire ran to it. So I hooked it back up and now I have 3.89 volts at the pink wire on the gauge cluster plug.

Wtf?!? Again, I don't know if one has anything to do with the other, but that's friggin weird. I also still have no dash lights. Lol.


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[Stroked]

Ok. So I went in the house and threw my load of laundry in the dryer when I thought of something...

My PS tank has a bad ground and reads way past full. (Bear with me here). So I checked the cluster plug again. No voltage. Turned the key on; 3.89 volts. Switched to the PS tank and it jumped down to .3 volts. Soo...I've been grounding my multimeter to the same buss bar that the gauges and the tank selector ground on, so the buss bar must not be grounding good. And its back-feeding through the tank selector trying to find a ground. Right? Or am I crazy?


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[Stroked]

In probably talking to myself here, but I'll add this for future reference.

It was in fact a bad ground at the buss bar under the dash. I took it off and scuffed everything up real good and BAM! Lights! Lol. Can't believe that eluded me for 3 hours...

Here's the buss bar ground in case anyone else runs into this problem. It's on the DS wall under the dash. Kinda behind the far DS air conditioner vent.

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[bucket]

Glad you figured it out! After reading your posts, my brain was starting to hurt and smoke was rolling from my ears, lol.

 

[Stroked]

Lol, you and me both buddy. It was just pure dumb luck that I figured it out at all.

I both enjoy and hate electrical work.


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[Islandk10]

Hey, Im having a similar problem. Took the dash apart to paint the white cluster and replace a water temp gauge and shunt resistor on the back of the gas gauge. Prior to taking apart the dash both my speedo and gas gauge lit up as well as both turning indicator lights. After reassembling the dash both speed and gas gauge wont light up, also the turn signals work outside the truck but not on the dash. Left turning signal never illuminates right one does sometimes and with headlights on light stays illuminated and when indicator is moved to the right it blinks. Any ideas?

 

[chengny]

Sounds like you have a grounding issue. Probably at the harness plug to PC board interface.

Check that the tabs on both the plug and in the socket are not bent/broken and are making good contact.

Looking from the back of the cluster, the grounds pins for an 83 - gauges/no tach - are the top left and 3rd from the bottom right:

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Also, while you have the cluster unplugged check the black leads into the plug for continuity to ground. You might have have pulled a wire out of it's termination.

 

[Islandk10]

Thanks Jerry. You were right. Rookie mistake, the harness wasnt even fully plugged in. I knew it was something of my own doing but it was driving me crazy. Turn signals and dash lights work again. still no high beam indicator and the fuel gauge still doesnt read right. I have to tare back into the dash soon anyways so ill address the high beam issue when the whole clusters out instead of trying to crawl up under the dash monkyin around.

 

[Skweegle89]

In probably talking to myself here, but I'll add this for future reference.

It was in fact a bad ground at the buss bar under the dash. I took it off and scuffed everything up real good and BAM! Lights! Lol. Can't believe that eluded me for 3 hours...

Here's the buss bar ground in case anyone else runs into this problem. It's on the DS wall under the dash. Kinda behind the far DS air conditioner vent.

You must be registered for see images attach

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I will have to check that out. I haven't had dash lights in a year. I don't think my cluster will stay together if I take it out anymore.

 

[chengny]

still no high beam indicator

Not much to the high beam indication circuit. Power to the indicator lamp is tapped at the bulkhead connector feed to the high beams - from the dimmer switch. It's a straight shot to the I/P connector plug.

Next time you have the cluster unplugged from the harness, turn the high beams on and check for power at the lowest tab on the LH side (as viewed while looking at the front of the plug).

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If it is hot, check the lamp and the socket tabs (make sure they are making good contact with the PC board).