ARGHH! no dash lights speedo PW

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ginericLC

ginericLC

Wagon Wheeler!
20 Year 15 Year 10 Year
Joined
Jan 29, 2003
Threads
363
Messages
8,428
Location
MH, IDaho
I was driving along and all of a sudden I lost all my dash lights, speedo, tach, fan, etc...I still haven't figure out what caused it them to go out. Right now I'm looking towards the fusible link. Boy am I ticked. I'm supposed to be doing other stuff getting ready for CM and this happens. Lights work, Lockers work without lights, CD works, PDL, works. HELP!

Eric V.
 
Whoa there, big fella!

Eric,

I encountered similar, not exactly the same...goofing off with an LED light strip in the lighter. Blew the cig lighter fuse. Took out all HVAC, radio, clock, antenna (and, the lighter, of course!). At an intersection during morning rush hour traffic. :rolleyes:

Keep it simple. Look under the fuse panel cover, go with each one if necessary, just to be sure.
 
I think it might be the fusible link. Why is the big question?
 
If it was the fusible link, I don't see how your lights or CD would work. Unless the PO wired around it. I am looking at the wiring diagram from my 97 and the fusible link is in series directly off the battery. Give me a list of what is working and I will see if I can figure anything from this daigram
 
All Illumination lights (Dash) do not light up 1) Tail Fuse (I/P F/B) 2) Light Control Rheostat 3) Wire Harness - Also says if Tailight doesn't work it could be the taillight control Relay.

Indicator lights do not light up, except turn and Hi-beam 1) Gauge Fuse (I/P F/B) 2) Wire Harness

Speedo does not operate 1) No. Vehicle Sensor 2) Speddometer gear

Tach does not operate 1) Meter circuit 2) Wire Harness 3) ECM

So Eric, give us a list of whats working:
Sun roof
ligts
brake lights
Hazard lights
Hazard Indicator
Inetrior dome lights
Put lights on Brights and does indicator work?
Power windows (if have them)
Power seat (If have it)
Rear Defrost
Brake Lights
Reverse Lights
Cig Lighter
o/d Indicator, pwr indicator

By fan, do you mean the A/C Heat fan or the one blowing on your radiator
 
you might try playing with the light stalk. see if they work on high beam or somewhere wiggling between high beam and low beam or turning. mess with the wiper stalk too.
 
Here is what doesn't work:
Sunroof
PW
Cruise
Oil Pressure
Water Temp
Tach
Speedo
Heater/AC Fan or any of that control unit
Diff Lock lights, Center light, ABS light, OD light, ETC indicator lights but all of these things appear to function

Here is what works:
dash cluster backlights
radio (factory wiring)
cig lighter
power antenna
turn signals
high beam indicator
stop lights
headlights both high and low
brake lights
turn signals
PDL
Fuel Guage (only guage that works)
Rear Heater Fan but it appears to only work on high (maybe that is a different issue though)

The previous owner did have an alarm wired in but it seems to funtion just as it always has. The rig starts and drives fine. Tonight I guess I start ripping into fuses. Every fuse I pulled in the dash appears to be OK. I even exchanged the 30 amp big boys.

I believe there are two fusible links. It does smell like something was burning near the positive battery terminal. Maybe not burning but a hot smell.

I'm hoping it isn't an alternator. I guess I'll try to check that tonight.

I'm going to be really ticked if I don't make it to CM because of this.
 
Eric,
I don't have my FSM's at work. If someone else doesn't chime in by the time I get home, I will go through what you have given me. What you have given us should make it fairly easy to isolate, at leats to an area to start with a meter.

So what I am getting is your Dash "Illumination works" However, all your indicators, gauges, speedo, tach, and heater/AC controls do not. Everything else appears to function fine. That's a big help in narrowing this down.

Ken
 
Yep! My dad is going to look at the FSM today too.

I'm pretty stressed. This happened yesterday. I still have huge laundry list of stuff to do to the Cruiser prior to CM. And I had another big blow last night. Our hot water heater quit working. So this morning I was up trying to make hot water for my wife to clean up in. And to make it worse my parents are visiting. I also have a final project due on Wednesday that is 25% of my grade. Overwhelmed is an understatement. As soon as I get off work I have to take a horse to the vet. So I won't even be able to look at it until about 6. When it rains it pours.
 
Could have been worse, the Hot water heater could have gone out when you were in Moab and the wife would have asked you to come home and fix it.

Good luck Eric! You'll get there, one problem at a time. If nothing else, you could drive to Moab and have all those expert mechanics there to help troubleshoot!
 
You know that is possible. I could install mechanical guages and run speed off my GPS. Then I'd be good to go.

This project is what is kicking my butt right now. This class ends Wed. Then one more and I'm done with school for awhile. After this if I get 10 more credits I'm maxed out unless I get my PhD. that isn't going to happen. It doesn't pay to get one in education.
 
You know the easy way to test the fusible link is to get one of those cheap testers with the sharp point. Clip one end to ground and poke the sharp end through the wire after the fusible link and if it lights, the link is OK. You could do a similar meaurement with a meter and it would take about 1 minute.
 
One thing's bugging me here (I admit I'm not in the know on this):

I wouldn't have guessed the speedometer had anything to do with the electrical system. I would have thought it was purely mechanical, so that as long as the t-case (and hence speedo gear) is turning, the speed would register on the gauge regardless of whether the vehicle was on or off.

Not so?

Curtis
 
CJF said:
One thing's bugging me here (I admit I'm not in the know on this):

I wouldn't have guessed the speedometer had anything to do with the electrical system. I would have thought it was purely mechanical, so that as long as the t-case (and hence speedo gear) is turning, the speed would register on the gauge regardless of whether the vehicle was on or off.

Not so?

Curtis
Click to expand...

Not so, take a read of woodys yellow box speedometer conversion. It's elecetrical at this point. It starts out mechanical at the Tcase.
 
It is fixed, well sort of. The clutch on the AC compressor came off the and melted. It shorted out and the whole AC thing is connected in with all those other accessories listed. Seems sort of stupid to me as if your AC goes to hell then you can't even unroll the windows. But what do I know I'm not an engineer saving the manufactuer big bucks.

I have a new compressor coming from Cruiser Dan. I'm hoping to salvage a clutch off of the parts 80. It has a broken nose cone on the compressor or I'd use it. It won't be hear until Thursday.

I did all this troubleshooting in the vet parking lot while our horse was in getting a cancer treatment. The hot water heater needs a whole new control unit and of course they had to order one. It wouldn't be so bad but my folks are here visiting from out of town. No showers, no water to wash dishes, or laundry.
 
Deleted - Eric solved it while I was typing
 
Also managed to get the swingout on tonight and hauled a ton of hay. Now my wife is set for hay while I'm gone to Moab. I didn't finish grinding it. Just rattle canned over everything. It is functional. It will be pretty by Rubithon.

H20 heater needed a new control unit. Of course it was a nonstocked item so it won't be in until tomorrow. 2 years and 4 months. Not very long for a h20 heater to go without breaking. So tonight I'm prepared. I have 5 gallon jugs next to the wood stove. In the morning I'll crank up the propane camping shower. We will be set :)

Of course everything has to happen when my folks are here from Wyoming.
 
Hey Eric,
How did you manage to determine that it was a bad clutch on the compressor. I had a similar problem a few months back (gauge fuse blowing) and tracked it to the A/C compressor button on the dash, but never got any further. It was winter then, didn't need the compressor much... Now it's starting to get warm again, and I've finally got the time to look into it more.

Thanks!
 
It was pretty obvious. The clutch was loose and there was black goo dripping from it. The magnet part of the fan clutch is completely disintegrated.

In your case, I'd disconnect the compressor wiring at the clutch and hit the switch and see if it pops off the fuse. If if doesn't you are sort of in luck as the wiring is maybe OK? Put it back on and if it pops it off you know it has a clutch problem. Be very careful dissassembling the clutch. If you aren't careful with the nose cone it will break. Mine is broken where the C clip holds the clutch on. I had a spare from a 94 I parted out and it also has a cracked nose cone.

The clutch is 200 and some change if I remember correctly. I'm going to try to use the clutch off the 94 I parted out. It seems OK. If it doesn't work, then I'll be forking over more dough.
 
Thanks a lot Eric! I'll check that out first thing after work tomorrow.
 
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