OK I'm having some fun. Not really.

I took out my gauges sometime back to fix some wires and other stuff. I posted on here for help where to put the wires back. As I'm an idiot and didn't take a few pics to make sure I got the wires back in the proper places. Did I mention I'm an idiot?

Well. I now have another issue.

I pull the light switch to position one and parking lights come on and all the gauges light up, but if I pull the light switch to the full position all the gauge lights go out.

Now it is as fucked up as a box of coat hangers....

rubberbabybuggybumpers

turn the switch all the way in both directions...I found yesterday that this switch is backwards...turn it fully clockwise and it will click on to keep the dash lights always on. (funny, now that I think about it...this switch is logical...its the american dimmer switches that are backwards....)

The dash lights are really simple if you got lost.
There are two leads.
One is for the bulbs in series...this means the current runs through each bulb...its a daisy chain that you can see when looking up from behind the dash.
The other most important lead is the ground for the dash light...
Look for a small brown lead that supplies ground for the dash lights.

You may have disconnected the ground for the dash lights and it may find its ground via the headlight relay (until you activate the headlights and the current flows the other way on that circuit)

An open relay is grounded...at least that is what a meter sees, so the dash lights (low aamperage draw) may be able to find ground via the headlight relay.
Once you pull out the switch, the headlight relay closes the circuit and now instead of ground, it is a positive circuit...

So, look for the ground lead for the dash lights. Its a seperate ground lead that should attach the gauge pack to the chassis somewhere...I forget where, but its under the dash near the steering column.

Rich

The dash light bulbs ARE NOT IN SERIES. They're in parallel. Each one is grounded, although all draw power from the same wire. Sounds to me as if that one wire (black/blue) is on the wrong terminal of the light switch. They have NOTHING to do with the H/L relay, or any other relay, for that matter, nor can they ground through the H/L relay. Look at the wiring diagram for your car. If you don't have one, they're available, in color, on the Bird. The Cap'n

I just went a looked at a gauge pack...I stand corrected.
they are parrallel...two wires to one spade terminal.

I thought it was in series just from my mind...but I dont remember details like that till i see them...

Rich

Fuck me running...Stay tuned to this channel.

I will have an update as the Skipper hit upon something.....

Well I thought that I had something. I just flipped on the turn signal and the damn gas gauge goes left then right on each click! Shit..... I hate wiring!!!

Too frick'in complicated.

Now I have to pull every wire and start over. I wished like hell I pulled the gauges out nice and flat and shot a high resolution picture. Then I would be able to zoom in on each wire and make sure the colors were right per each connections.

I'm so fucking dumb sometimes.

In diagnosing my crazy wiring I found the PO had removed some bulbs, swapped holders into the wrong positions, etc. I found it only took 30 minutes to trace every wire on the dash with a colour wiring chart and swap them around.

It did take me a while of messing around before I decided to sit down calmly and follow every with though...

Cheers, Steve