The Gauge Cluster Conundrum

SSnakeGT127

15 Year Member
Apr 23, 2008
44
27
28
VA
Ok, this maybe a bit naive to ask but I need to ask anyway.

But would a bad or failing dimmer switch prevent all the gauge lights and A/C accessory lights to stop working.

Drove the car one night and all then gauge lights just stop immediately stop illuminating, gauges all still mechanically work ( well the ones that do work lol)

Not a big deal, but it is slightly annoying at night, car just hibernating in the garage at the moment till it’s warm enough to start playing with it again.

Might change the gauges out to something different at some point, not sure yet and somehow get my RPM tach working, just not crazy about putting the giant 5in in there lol.

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I should add, this has happened before on several occasions, but the gauge lights would eventually come back on, I normally would fiddle with the whole cluster until it came back on (not completely secured at the top), now just stop coming on completely.
 
Most likely is the dimmer switch and there is a "super technical way" to fix it too. You do not need any tools FYI.

  1. Open the Driver Side Door
  2. Locate the Dimmer Switch just left of the steering wheel
  3. Take your index finger and scroll the wheel all the way to the left
  4. Then scroll the wheel all the way to the right
  5. This is the important step
    1. Scroll the wheel to the middle of the wheels travel from steps 2&3
    2. Then move the wheel left and right very quickly

In all seriousness, the Dimmer Switch is a common issue and the contacts the wheel scrolls on start to corrode over time. Moving the wheel back and forth quickly cleans the contacts and should address your issue.
 
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I've had to replace a bunch of dimmer switches for the same issue. Another issue could be the printed circuit on the back of the cluster. You said you moved it around and it started working, so it may be a bad connection at the plug.

When this move is over I'll get you to the house so we can go through it all. The lift should be here in a couple weeks. We'll be cruising in no time.

I'm still jealous of those TTops...:D
 
I appreciate it guys, I went ahead and took the cluster out to see If anything was disconnected or tingle up, so far the only thing I see is my # 13 fuse (5amp) keeps blowing out as I just replaced it a second ago and the back of the cluster looks a little haggard, don’t know if that would stop it completely.

Getting LMRs new updated retro cluster is very tempting but it’s so dang expensive, otherwise I get that in a heartbeat.

I like to keep my interior components close to stock as I can, but with parts 30 plus years old, you can only go so far to maintain them longevity lol.
 

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That gauge cluster printed circuit has several broken and 1 missing trace. They do sell a reproduction printed circuit. The hazard light harness needs to be put back in the plug. That'll cause issues with wires touching each other. If you tape them up individually we can walk you through re-pinning another connector.
 
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The gauge cluster flexible circuit board on my ‘86 had to come out several times. At the end I had loose copper traces, which we glued back in place, and everything works. NPD sells replacement circuit boards.

Bill
 
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Yeah I was looking at the printed circuit broads at NPD, which I'm probably going to order from, as well as a hazard switch pigtail from LMR, ( The old one literally broken apart a couple years back) and somehow I repin them to make the flasher/ turn signals come back on,

So overall, I had a few things to tackle, including this and some others stuff non-related, not nothing too crazy.
 
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I'd get a new hazard connector for sure and repair the circuit traces on the back of the cluster. Make sure nothing is touching in the mean time and hook it back up one connection at a time and see if the fuse blows. If not then you know the problem was in the cluster with a touching trace. If it does you have a starting point to trace back.