gauges

[Vanessa Brake]

My gauges stopped lighting up. The other dash lights work fine, just the gauges won't light up. I don't know anything about wiring. Can anyone give me a step by step of what to check and how to check it? And while we're at it, my speedometer has always been off. They're after market gauges that were installed before I bought the car and the needle doesn't even sit at zero. So some tips on how to do that would be good too

Thanks guys

Also, if this turns out to be something that I shouldn't be messing with or end up not being comfortable messing with....anyone a little more qualified than me want to make some extra money?? Lol

[Mike Jamieson]

Your first step would be to follow the wiring from the guages to the power source. If they lead to a fuse pull it out and check it. that is the most you can do without any tools. For your speedo it could be that it isnot hooked up or its broken? but that requires tools to figure that out.

[Vanessa Brake]

I have nearly every tool you can think of, that's not the issue lol lack of knowledge is
The speedo does move though, just not to the correct speed
What do I have to take off to get at the gauges?

[Jason Harwood]

You didnt do something stupid like lower the dimmer switch all the way did you

[Vanessa Brake]

Lol no

[Brett Haviland]

i bet its a bad dimmer switch... you can bypass them easily to stay on 100% brightness all the time.

[Sy Haw Wong]

i bet its a bad dimmer switch... you can bypass them easily to stay on 100% brightness all the time.

If that's the case, why not find a wrecker and swap!?  Frank's DSM graveyard maybe!?

Dunno..be nice to have a dimmer, but if you are always at max brightness bypassing it would do fine also ~

[John Hartman]

I would check fuse, dimmer switch and if its not those, then pull the cluster out, and have a decent look at it for obvious issues such as burnt spots, cracked solder joints, loose connectors etc.

Then if nothing sticks out at you(keep your minds out of the gutter), swap that cluster out.  I bet Lucas could hook you up just as a tester.  His car should have the same basic unit as yours.

[DarrylDhaliwal]

bbm'ed (Blackberry Messaged) i'll help her out just went through this with my car

[Vanessa Brake]

I'll check the fuse lol I know how to do that at least... but with dimmer what am I looking for? I got some instructions from Darryl and a diagram from Mike J on how to take the cluster out (thanks again) so I can do that and take a look for obvious stuff. But I also was hoping to get the speedo set properly at the same time. So I'm thinking I should take Darryl up on his offer for help. Thanks for the help guys

[Kyle Kemp]

Vanessa your car is a GS isn't it?? I have 2 extra turbo 2G clusters at work

[Vanessa Brake]

It's a talon esi
I'm assuming it would still fit though. If it turns out mine are broken I might pick one up from you

[Josh Royle]

First things first.. Check for Voltage... Check the Fuses. Do you have aftermarket gauges?

[Jason Harwood]

Sometimes jiggling the switch on and off a whole bunch helps.

[Brett Haviland]

im still betting on the dimmer switch.


its a problem on 1G's as well.  I have replaced like 5 of em.