[vettecowboy90]

I was driving down the road when all of a sudden all of my middle console gauges, my tach, my windows and the brake warning light in the drivers cluster quit working. Has anyone out there heard of this happening before and if so what was the main problem? I really don't want to have to take the car to a electrical shop to get fixed and would rather do it myself.

Thanks,
Jesse

[toobroketoretire]

I'd start by checking all the fuses, because it sounds like you have a sudden loss of power to those items..............

[abike]

Sounds like you lost a couple of grounds. there is a ground post under the drivers side kick panel.theres a ground cluster under the console.there is only one fuse for the instrument cluster, but there is more than one ground used.another fuse for the windows.
adam

[vettecowboy90]

thanks adam... ended up being a bad ground wire down by the kicker panel... i really appreciate the help~!!!!

[metalkid]

Speaking of ground wires, does anybody know which wire (color/gauge) is attached to the ignition switch housing (stamped sheet metal that holds the ignition switch) on the steering column (for a '78). I rebuilt the steering column, and while I was doing that I also cleaned up the wiring under the dash, and the wire that was attached to the threaded hole in the above mention switch housing, needed a new ring lug, so I cut it off, planning on replacing it with new, ...assuming I would remember which wire it was. It took so long for me to rebuild the steering column, that I developed CRS disease.

So I've got two wires that look like candidates: Both come from behind the fuse panel.

One is about a 14 AWG and is either red (or brown...I'm a little red/green colorblind...) and the other is like a 20 AWG in light blue.

I suspect the red/brown because there appears to be a fresh cut end where the ring lug used to be, but red/brown doesn't seem like an appropriate color for a ground wire, but then again neither does a light blue.

Anybody...anybody............Bueller?


Metalkid

[abike]

Originally Posted by metalkid

Speaking of ground wires, does anybody know which wire (color/gauge) is attached to the ignition switch housing (stamped sheet metal that holds the ignition switch) on the steering column (for a '78). I rebuilt the steering column, and while I was doing that I also cleaned up the wiring under the dash, and the wire that was attached to the threaded hole in the above mention switch housing, needed a new ring lug, so I cut it off, planning on replacing it with new, ...assuming I would remember which wire it was. It took so long for me to rebuild the steering column, that I developed CRS disease.

So I've got two wires that look like candidates: Both come from behind the fuse panel.

One is about a 14 AWG and is either red (or brown...I'm a little red/green colorblind...) and the other is like a 20 AWG in light blue.

I suspect the red/brown because there appears to be a fresh cut end where the ring lug used to be, but red/brown doesn't seem like an appropriate color for a ground wire, but then again neither does a light blue.

Anybody...anybody............Bueller?


Metalkid

The only wire that can attach to the housing is a ground. black is the ground. any other wire will cause a short.if someone has gone in there and had to splice the wire then you would have to check them with a meter to ground. I don't recall a ground wire being attached here.
adam

[metalkid]

Thanks!

You're probabaly right about someone using the threaded hole and a ring lug as a ground for something else, (like aftermarket radio, CB, etc). I have metered both of the two wires I mentioned, and neither of them were tied to ground. (Don't know where they go, but it's not to ground.) Looks like I should continue "tidy-ing up" the fuse box area, and trace down then remove those two wires if they're not stock and don't hook to anything...don't want a loose "hot wire" hanging around.

Metalkid

[smokintires]

I would have crapped my pants!!!!