Dashboard Lights

[WCM]

God morning. All my gauge lights and clock are not working. Fuses seem to be ok, is there something I'm missing besides maybe all the lights have burned out. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

[Nanonevol]

Probably all the bulbs are burned out. Clock is a separate issue. Many fail after many years but I brought mine back to life with a drop of oil.

[TX82FIAT]

Is this car new to you and do you have a line to the prior owner. Would be interested to know the last time the lights worked? Could be a lose connection, ground, any one of many things. If the lights were working previously I suspect it is a ground or circuit issue.

[GeorgeT]

Check the ground pod under the dash just to the right of the steering wheel. Clean the connectors and the pod, apply a dab of dielectric grease to the terminals.

[WCM]

The good news, I bought the car from my brother. So he knows about the issues when they pop up. Unfortunately he was not aware the lights where out. The car sat for 2 years.

[dinghyguy]

+1 on the ground issue. I would also suggest pulling the inst cluster off and changing to LED's because even if the bulbs are ok they may be so dim as to be useless. I also recommend cleaning all the contacts, i used a Dremel and a wire wheel, plus of course the dielectric grease. I did that and it made a huge difference. There are a number of posts on the change over if you do a search.

and next will be your tail lights...….
cheers
Dinghguy

[DieselSpider]

Before the ground pod try rotating the dimmer switch though its range of motion if you already have not done so. Some times those get moldy and just need to be spun a few time through their full range a few times to clear things up. Many just bypass the dimmer since the lights are fairly dim to begin with.

[spider2081]

The dimmer control on the dash has an internal fuse. If ay anytime there was a short on any of the dash lights connections that fuse blows. It can be tested by connecting the 2 wires on the dimmer together through a 5 amp in line fuse. If the lights work you have to repair the dimmer or replace it. I would not connect the wires without using a fuse because if there is a short you might damage something.

[GeorgeT]

Do check the dimmer switch but the clock power does not go through the dimmer switch, it does go to ground on the pod like the dash lights do though.

[TX82FIAT]

+1 on converting to the LED's. They really brighten up that dash and make driving at night fun. Because the car sat for a couple years I would circle back to grounds and connections. Its a good idea to clean the grounds and connections across the entire vehicle. Your going to have to do it sooner or later anyway... Better sooner than later.