DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT (KINDA)

Driving the 78 to work today-stopped for coffee-upon returning to the vet turned on the headlights, the tac is pegged and both turn indicator lights(on the dash) are lit but not flashing (the emerg flashythingy is not engaged) if I turn down the dashlight intensity the emergency indicator lights go out  (turn signals are working correctly) but now there are no dash lights (decision drive with the emergency indicator lights lit so I can monitor my speed or dim the dash lights and gustimate my speed). When I started to work everything was working.

I recently replaced the headlight switch but it was working correctly when I started (8 miles ago)

Any idea what is in common and caused this problem?

Man u got ta love lectricity.......it rules......Can u reach up and unplug and replug the light switch. Did anything else get loose around that area?

[QUOTE=ebo]Man u got ta love lectricity.......it rules......Can u reach up and unplug and replug the light switch. Did anything else get loose around that area? [/QUOTE]

When two normally non-related circuits start working together, it is usually a ground problem.  Electricity looks for any path, including backwards through a different circuit (like your warning lights).

Good luck
Larry

[QUOTE=VetteSpecialties]When two normally non-related circuits start working together, it is usually a ground problem.  Electricity looks for any path, including backwards through a different circuit (like your warning lights).

Good luck
Larry
[/QUOTE]

The tach pegging...is this only with the light switch on?
As Larry said, it sounds like a ground issue, prolly with the dash/gauge panel itself, and turning the headlights on takes away the ground(or a portion of it) from the gauge/dash lites...then you're getting feedback from the hlight switch into the dash cluster, that lights up the wrong lights...
The cluster illumination lites are controlled by the headlight switch, of course, but not the tach, so....looks like ya need to located a bad ground in the dash cluster. Sometimes it's as simple as un-plugging the connector, and plugging it back in.
hth

Went to Hooters for lunch - with the light switch off everything else works as it should. the emergency indicator only lights when the dash light intensity control is turned up (anywhere from 1/2 intensity to dome light position )think i will put the old switch back in and see what happens before i pull out the manuals, having worked in electronics forever i know it is not unusual to get a bad part. i believe the switch has a seperate plugin connection for the dash intensity i will unplug it to make sure that im looking in the reght area.

[QUOTE=annicorvette]Went to Hooters for lunch don't laugh since Katrina there is no place on the beach to eat--- Hooters is the first and only place. [/QUOTE] That's great, my brother lives in Slidell...........maybe he needs to use your advice about Hooters

Started working the light problem last night. was going to replace the new light switch with the old switch- after pulling the instrument cluster so i could access the light switch i noticed when i unpluged the instrument cluster those little copper connections on the instrument cluster board were bent -almost touching- i will straighted them and reattach them (what type of adhesive do i use) and be more careful when i reconnect-i must have repluged it in at an angle instead of going straight in with the plug last time. this could be my self inflected problem, could have been this way for some time (i don't drive much after dark) will let you know how the repair works.

A small dab of stupor-glue will work on the copper terminals on the connector...
Hope that fixes the prob...that is prolly what caused it...