Cluster Gauges Have A Mind Of Their Own....

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

The long and short of it is, car was an stdt so the entire car loom has been swapped out. Gti-6 fitted on Omex and all up and running. Have what I think is an earth issue, electrical faults are not my strong point!

 

Fitted bx clocks and modified the rev counter, which works fine, along with the fuel gauge. I have also made a new sensor loom. The rest however do not work. Initially with the ignition on if i turned the lights on the stop light and warning lights would go out. The oil pressure and water are not working at all. I cleaned up the ribbons on the clocks, the stop light now stays on when the lights go on, but the warning lights still go out.

 

The sensors were taken off a working engine, all 8v, if I earth the wires out on the block, nothing. I swapped the cluster over with a spare and still the same issues, apart from the oil pressure goes to full, as though its earthing out somewhere, but i'm confident it's not. Symptoms seem to change each time i pull the plugs out the back. I have checked the condition of the wires and plugs that fit into the cluster and they all appear fine.

 

I did initially have problems with the main engine earth which has since been cleaned up and car cranks and starts every time now.

 

Any suggestions or a course of action would be good!

 

cheers

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

Anyone have any suggestions?

[jackherer 543]

The oil pressure gauge on BX clocks needs modifying IIRC, the oil level controller needs to be removed from the back of it.

 

Everything else should work though, what you're describing does sound like an earth problem, have you checked the one on the upper steering column bracket?

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

I was thinking same thing re: earths, always been the cause of strange dash behaviour for me.

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

The oil pressure gauge on BX clocks needs modifying IIRC, the oil level controller needs to be removed from the back of it.

 

Everything else should work though, what you're describing does sound like an earth problem, have you checked the one on the upper steering column bracket?

 

 

 

I've removed the oil level controller from the back so everything should work just fine afaik. I have checked that earth and all seems good, I'm assuming that's where the earth for the dash earths too? I may run a temporary wire straight off the battery neg, just to see if that changes anything.

 

 

I was thinking same thing re: earths, always been the cause of strange dash behaviour for me.

My thoughts also, will run some more wire and change some plugs and see what happens I guess.

 

Thanks.

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

Managed to get to the bottom of this after getting the power probe out. Found the broken wire causing the short on the oil pressure guage, wire a1, after removing most of the dashboard, no idea how it got damaged!

 

The gauges now work on the gti clocks but no oil pressure on the bx clocks. After a bit of searching I finally found the issue. I had removed the level sensor unit but NOT the ribbon it attached too. After removing the ribbon and putting the bulbs and bolts back in it now works as it should. Finally meant I could run it up to temperature and make sure the fans cut in which they did after a bit of wire wiggling!

Edited December 11, 2015 by j_turnell