86rusty

I have a 1986 Toyota Pickup, 5 speed regular cab 4x4 and everything on the truck works perfect(at least for its age and miles) except for the gas, temp, and the dash gauge cluster lights.

I've already pulled the gauge cluster out and looked at all the lights and they are fine, checked all the fuses and relays and they are fine. I've checked the ground under the drivers side kick panel and its good and even put in a new gas tank and pickup/sender unit. I don't have a gas pump in the tank, mine is mechanical on the side of the block, also the only gauges on the cluster are the gas and temp, everything else is dummy lights which do light up when the key is turned to acc.

The dash lights did work up until about a month ago and just one night didn't come on with the switch on the column, didn't hear anything pop or sound like it blew when i turned the light switch on and every other light on the car is working, brakes all running lights tag lights.....everything. The temp and gas gauges do come on at what seems random times driving down the road like hitting a bump in the road turns them on and then they go right back off.

I'm stumped....bad. Any information or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

tazmaniac_37752

Sounds like your problem is a lose connection, it could be a bad brightness control knob which I believe is on the dash panel on the left side of the steering wheel!

86rusty

I forgot to mention that i did try eliminate that dimmer switch by unplugging the pigtail on it and just jumping the wires together with a small piece of wire plugged into each. I'm guessing this would be like a bypass and just make the lights burn as bright as possible if they were working. But i got nothing when i tried this Thanks tho

tazmaniac_37752

Not sure about the bypass like that. The fact that the lights come on and go off consistent with bumps suggest to me a lose connection someplace! If I remember correctly these lights are "wired" in series which means if one of the bulb connection is corroded and not makeing good connection it could cause them all to not work! If on the back of the dash panel you can trace down the positive and negative feeds where the wires connect you can test it there with an ohm meter, make sure you unplug the wires first! I can probably walk you through testing one possibility at a time if no one gives you a faster way to pin point the problem. Just let me know if you want to do it that way!

86rusty

its not the lights that are switching on and off while riding, its the temp and fuel gauges. The lights cut off about a month ago and they have never came back on

tazmaniac_37752

Sorry I misread your post, If all of the guages are switching on and off at the same time it suggest either a shorted " hot wire", a lose connection or bad connector. Sense the lights have quit also, which would normally come on without the key switch being on and the guages only work when the key switch is on, and no fuses are blowing, this all suggest a faulty connection could be either at the fuse panel or where the wires plug into the back of the dash panel!