no gauges when headlights are on

[Frogger]

ok i checked the fuse panel. dosnt seem to be roted out from the master cylnder.

i replaced all bad fuses. some were just old and falling apart. i have headlights and the gauges work, but when i turn the lights on the gauge lights and the clock light to the right of the gauges go out.

every once in a long wile they work for about 30 seconds

 

any sugestions on what to do.

[Geonovast]

My money goes on a bad ground in the dash somewhere.

 

Year/motor of your truck would probably help out quite a bit.

[Frogger]

sorry

its a 89 2wd long bed about 260,000

other than a little eletrical like this its in great shape

[cracker]

I have the same problem with my 87 :(

[Dirteatr717]

this happens to me sometimes...i just turn the lights off and turn em on again and that little problem goes away somehow :nuts:

[Frogger]

dosnt work in my case

its been out for about a month now

 

il check the ground.

would it be coming off the gauges or the harnes on them

[Eagle]

The dimmer for the instrument lights is a rheostat built into the headlight switch. It's a contact that slides along a coil of resistance wire. With age, the wire develops dead spots. Probably turning on the headlights also rotates the stem slightly, causing the slider to rest on a dead or dying spot in the resistance coil. Try rotating the headlight switch and see if the lights come back.

[Geonovast]

I missed a word in the OP... I thought he meant the gauges themselves went dead, not the lights. :doh:

[-600JeepMJ]

:idea: have you guys looked at a electrical manual?

 

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12734

[dasbulliwagen]

My guess too would be the dimmer in the headlight switch assy itself.... probly need a new switch.