Guest bighitbiker3 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Hey guys I just recently got my dash installed with the new deck and everything installed. The deck turns on and such but the gauges don't work anymore such as the speedo and Tach, also the tail lights don't work either. I have gone through and checked connections and everything seems good and i have replaced all fuses! What could be going on?! Thanks, Elliott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 How good are you with a multimeter? You need to run a voltage test to see where the problem occurs. Remember - the grounds are as important as the power leads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skib Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 forget to screw in a ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Get a test light from auto store, they are cheap, put the clip on a known good ground source and touch your wires with test light, if it lights up you have power so this means you don't have a good ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Think of the body of the car as one big electrical wire. You will note that the negative (-) side of your battery is attached to it. All the electrical components have a wire from the positive side of the battery going to them and most then have a wire that connects to the body in some way. A few systems have both hot and ground wires but most just connect to the body and the electricity finds its way basck to the battery through the body. If the component (dash, engine, tail lights, etc.) aren't properly "grounded" then the current does not flow and systems don't work. If you have a multi-meter then you would: 1) check the voltage across the battery termnals. It should read about 12.6 volts. 2) check the voltage at the supply side of the component you are wanting to power. It should read 11.8-12.6 volts. You check it by touching the red lead to the component wiring and the black lead to a solid metal point on the car or, preferrably, the negative terminal on your battery. If it doesn't you have something in the circuit eating your voltage - find it by testing sat points between the component and the battery positive terminal. 3) check the voltage on the 'ground' side of the component. It should read close to '0' volts. If it doesn't then you have something on the 'ground' side eating your voltage or an 'open' - IE: the ground side is not connected. Again - follow the wiring with the multimeter until it finally reads '0'. The problem will be between the point where you were still getting a voltage reading and the '0' reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.