Dash Illumination

[sle2115]

Well, everything is back together from the hydroboost install, everything seems to be working well except now my gauge illumination lights do not work. Checked power to the fuse (5 Amp) and the fuse, all is well there. I put all new bulbs in, put new bulbs everywhere, wait to start light works, engine light works, headlight/wiper/fuel tank selector illumination works, but none of the lights around my gauges light. Gauges all work as well, so I'm assuming the plugs are making contact to the gauge panel pod.

When I was putting my steering column in, the ignition switch popped apart and caused a momentary short. It was bad enough that it killed the fusible link that supplies main power to my ignition switch. I'm gonna tear the gauges back out today...

Any ideas?

 

[iverger]

Had a similar issue in the past and it turned out to be the rheostat in the headlight switch was bad. New headlight switch and all was like new again.

 

[timothyr1014]

if it were the rheostat you wouldnt have the lamps around the wiper/headlight/fuel selector. More than once I have plugged the gauge pods back in and gotten a connection good enough for some things to work, and not enough for full functionality.

my take, pull the cluster out, throw some electrical cleaner on the contacts and put it all back together. you may also want to check for power at the harness when you are there just to be sure

 

[redneckaggie]

may sound crazy but my dash illumination quit working a little while back. Checked the fuse and it showed to have power going both ways with my fluke. figured it was bulbs or something else and just started using my led's for dash illumination(already had a strip right above the gauges) one day i had another 5 amp fuse blow and didnt have a spare so i put the one for the dash illumination in that spot and those accesories didnt work. come to find out if i held the fuse just right i could se a hairline crack in the wire that goes between blades. replaced both fuses with new and illumination worked just fine. apparently when i pushed on the blades to test the fuse it closed the crack and the fuse conducted but otherwise that crack was keeping it from doing this. dont know why the damn thing didnt burn out but it didnt

 

[typ4]

While installing the hydroboost did you knock loose any ground wires, they are finicky little things.

 

[sle2115]

While installing the hydroboost did you knock loose any ground wires, they are finicky little things.

Don't think so and I have an extra ground wire that I ran...I'll make sure there are good connections, but I hooked my test lamp to that connection to test for power and it worked fine...who knows, the ground system sucks, hence me adding extra!

 

[sle2115]

may sound crazy but my dash illumination quit working a little while back. Checked the fuse and it showed to have power going both ways with my fluke. figured it was bulbs or something else and just started using my led's for dash illumination(already had a strip right above the gauges) one day i had another 5 amp fuse blow and didnt have a spare so i put the one for the dash illumination in that spot and those accesories didnt work. come to find out if i held the fuse just right i could se a hairline crack in the wire that goes between blades. replaced both fuses with new and illumination worked just fine. apparently when i pushed on the blades to test the fuse it closed the crack and the fuse conducted but otherwise that crack was keeping it from doing this. dont know why the damn thing didnt burn out but it didnt

Cool, fuses are cheap, I'll try that.

 

[sle2115]

if it were the rheostat you wouldnt have the lamps around the wiper/headlight/fuel selector. More than once I have plugged the gauge pods back in and gotten a connection good enough for some things to work, and not enough for full functionality.

my take, pull the cluster out, throw some electrical cleaner on the contacts and put it all back together. you may also want to check for power at the harness when you are there just to be sure

I'll check that out! I have an extra switch.

 

[sle2115]

if it were the rheostat you wouldnt have the lamps around the wiper/headlight/fuel selector. More than once I have plugged the gauge pods back in and gotten a connection good enough for some things to work, and not enough for full functionality.

my take, pull the cluster out, throw some electrical cleaner on the contacts and put it all back together. you may also want to check for power at the harness when you are there just to be sure

I kind of was thinking along these lines too.

 

[sle2115]

One thing I also noticed, when I turn the key off then to accessory, there is no accessory! I'm wondering if I need to adjust the ignition switch as this one has a ton of adjustment! I'm gonna play with it to see if I can get the accessory key position to work (it always did with the other column and switch) and see if maybe it's not fully in the run position making all the contacts it should.

I'll post results...hope to work on all this tomorrow. Moving the fiance in today, and putting stuff in storage, etc. A man's gotta have his priorities! She's not even questioned all the time I've spent working on it or money spent on it...body lift, new cab mounts, all kinds of body panels, etc. I did push the limit though saying I was gonna buy a bigger flat screen tv...she said "I thought we were saving for a house!" At least she's ok with my diesel truck vice!

 

[redneckaggie]

nice i seriously had a girl tell me that we had to break up because i worked on my truck to much and it made her feel like i loved my truck more than her. At least she had good instincts lol.