Dash light Issues
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Joined: Mar 2018
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Dash light Issues
I recently moved a few states away, and on the drive my Dash Lights spontaneously quit. My truck is a 1978 F-250. I had replaced the stereo a few weeks before this, but had no issues until the drive. I replaced my entire fuse box to upgrade to blade fuses, I used a generic marine fuse box for the large input and all the constant power outputs & a few inline fuse holders, for the seperate inputs to outputs (i.e. Blower Moter & the like.) I finally got everything just right, except it did not get my dash lights working. (but they did not work before the swap, I doubt that is the underlying cause. I replaced my headlight switch, and now the 3A fuse immediately pops when I turn the lights on, (something that did not happen with the factory fuse box.) I tried a 5A and it also pops, but I should not be going any higher than that for those tiny dash bulbs. This makes me think the headlight switch was partially bad, since the old one did not pop the fuse, but that there is another fault preventing my dash from lighting up. All my instruments work properly, and the blinker indicators on the dash also work, but the dash backlights do not light up, and the bright light indicator does not light up either. This is my daily driver, so I cannot leave it torn apart for more than a day or so, which limits my troubleshooting time.
I do have a multi-meter, but am looking for advice on what to look for. Thanks in advance.
I do have a multi-meter, but am looking for advice on what to look for. Thanks in advance.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
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Check your radio wiring. It sounds like you grounded the radio to the gauge light circuit - which is a pretty easy mistake to make as the 12V+ for the radio is paired with the gauge light circuit lead for the light in the radio dial.
If it's light blue with a red stripe or hash marks, then it's for the gauge lights.
If it's light blue with a red stripe or hash marks, then it's for the gauge lights.
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Dash Lights Fixed!
That did it.
The new radio was overloading the ground to the instrument panel lights. which was in the old radio couster, because the old radio backlight was connected to dash lights to control the brightness of both with the headlamp switch. But my new radio simply runs through too much power and overloaded that ground preventing dash lights from working.
I ran a new ground wire for the radio, directly to an open grounding point under the dash, and problem solved.
Lesson learned, when installing NEW, AFTERMARKET ANYTHING, in an OLD vehicle, always run new wiring, and avoid being lazy like I did, as tapping in to exhisting wiring is not always reliable.
The new radio was overloading the ground to the instrument panel lights. which was in the old radio couster, because the old radio backlight was connected to dash lights to control the brightness of both with the headlamp switch. But my new radio simply runs through too much power and overloaded that ground preventing dash lights from working.
I ran a new ground wire for the radio, directly to an open grounding point under the dash, and problem solved.
Lesson learned, when installing NEW, AFTERMARKET ANYTHING, in an OLD vehicle, always run new wiring, and avoid being lazy like I did, as tapping in to exhisting wiring is not always reliable.
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