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Topic: center gauges go full scale left when I turn on the headlights?

in Forum: C3 Electrical


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center gauges go full scale left when I turn on the headlights? (1/3)
 7/15/15 6:47pm
Babyblue 78
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Vette(s):
1978 Corvette Light Blue Pulled from the swamps of Miami! Its a driver and back on the road!


Joined: 12/3/2007
Posts: 280

Had this post on the interior but I guess it should be on this post. New light switch and when I pull the knob out to turn on the headlights and its not parked full right- turning the rheostat up or knob to the left puts the center instrument cluster lights on but the gages themselves go full scale off to the left?????The speedo and tach and gear shift lever lights work all the time but the center gage indications do not work if I increase the intensity of the lights in the gages to see.NO USE seeing them if they do not work, all gages go back to working if I turn the light knob all the way to the right or turn the light switch off!

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Re: center gauges go full scale left when I turn on the headlights? (2/3)
 8/2/15 3:33pm
Babyblue 78
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Vette(s):
1978 Corvette Light Blue Pulled from the swamps of Miami! Its a driver and back on the road!


Joined: 12/3/2007
Posts: 280

Ok and now for the rest of the story????
 
I checked all I could with the light switch and came to the conclusion that the only thing that handled both the power for the lights and the power for the gages was the wiring harness that clips into the back of the center gauge cluster.  I remember now when I was putting it back together after the new dash that the male end had two missing gold contacts,, I'm guessing for options that I id not order or other. And It really did not show which way was up or down.  And the female receptor for the harness had gold contacts on every slot so could not tell right from wrong there either.  So I pull out the gage cluster in the center and make sure all gold contacts are not touching and shorting and put the harness back in the opposite end up this time...and Bingo the lights and gages work fine now........ I have no diagram or picture or indication that I can see on the plug at the end of the harness that would tell you which way is up or down????
Hopefully this saves someone else some head scratching if they run into the same issue.
 
So now its just the rear chrome trim to attach and then I'm done till October..
 
Its time to drive the car!
 
BB78


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Re: center gauges go full scale left when I turn on the headlights? (3/3)
 8/2/15 5:36pm
kstyerLifetime Member
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CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH - USA

Vette(s):
1975 C3 Red, T-Tops, Black Interior. All I need is time and money! Getting there!


Joined: 12/2/2003
Posts: 6424

Yep, you lost a ground. The odd effect is from a feedback grounding through other lights. When you turn them up it loses it feedback ground. You need to find the real ground and reconnect.
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