indiglo guage (screwed up install... ARGH!)

cinstral

SCCoA Member
before i started this, i did a post search and read how other people did this. so i used a fork to remove the needles on the guages. (tach and oil pres.) i reinstalled the oil so i could put the needle on, i remembered that it was on the "R" when the vehicle was at idle. i set the needle and turned the car off. the needle slowly went back down so i turned the key to the ign. position and it shot down to where it normally is before crank. i then started the car and it would barely climb back to the "R".

at this point, i decided to check the tach. i plugged it in and started the car. nothing, doesn't respond at all. i checked all the connectors behind the guage cluster and they seem to be intact. and the needles came off and went back on relatively easy, so i don't think i broke anything on the guage itself, but who knows. i also took the tach back out and squeezed the three connectors that it plugs into on the cluster. still nothing.

i have no clue whats going on. the only thing i can think of is that on the pass. side of the cluster, there is a small circuit board that fell out of the cluster after i had started the car. i then put it back in place while the vehicle was still running. was that a bad move?

please help if you guys and girls have any ideas.

thanks in advance,
nic liller
 
update:

ok, now i'm sure its not the guages that got fubared. on the way home i noticed that when you leave the key in the on position without cranking, it doesn't turn the upshift light on (possibly others as well) and doesn't make that long beep that it usually does when you don't crank.

the other thing is that the passive restraints don't work any more as well.

it had to be when that board fell out.... i'll check the fuses, as someone suggested, in the morning.

again, please help if you have any insight on this

thanks,
nic
 
Last edited:
it sounds like that board could be the problem. check the pins that the needles go onto and make sure they're not broken. a few guys have broken that pin which makes the gauge useless. oh yeah, the backs of the needles have different weights in them. make sure you didn't swap the speed and tach. i forgot which one is which, but i know they are counterweighted different. good luck.
 
thanks for the input, especially the info about the weights.

well, the non functional guages and passive restraints were in fact the result of a blown fuse. however, i do think i fubared the speedo needle. If anyone has done this recently or has a pretty good memory, could you please tell me if this pic looks normal? i think the thin pin at the top was supposed to pull out of the needle, not the guage. it won't go back on and stay on.

25643549-282e-026001C2-.jpg


thank you,
 
If you're not even getting the courtesy chime, i'd start checking fuses. Sounds like you may have a blown one.
 
I had problems with my cluster a year ago. It turned out that fuse 19 pins where touching the fuse properly to send power through it.

1990 model.
 
yeah, the fuse was the problem with the guages.

darkstar, you got a whole new speedo? or just the needle? i ask because the car has pretty low mileage and i would really like to keep the same speedo in it. or maybe swap the mileage parts into another speedo.

thanks for your input fellas.
 
i picked up the whole speedo. because the needle that i broke was what connects to the white needle that shows u how fast ur going. If u pick up a new one. U can always roll back the miles. Just a thought brotha.
 
darkstar_one, how do you roll back milage? Can you instead of rolling back, can you roll forward? I would like to get a 145 mph speedo and want iot to say the actuall milage.

Thanks!
Shane
 
basically... when u have the speedo in your hands... you see the gears on the side... u start moving them up or down which ever direction u choose... its a slow job.. but it will get you there.
 
cinstral, looks like you broke the pin because it's not supposed to come off with the needle like that. i'm not sure if that's fixable. i know a couple other guys on these threads broke theirs. try a search to see if they fixed them. good luck
 
yeah, i think i am slowly accepting what i did. :mad: im considering the rollback idea, 'cause i never really plan on selling the car. i don't really think its fixable unless i swap the individual guts over. search really didn't come up with anything.

well, thanks for the info fellas,
 
cinstral, how hard is it to swap the guts from one speedo to the next. Will a 120 mph speedo's gut transfer to a 145 mph speedo?

Thanks!
Shane
 
quick35th said:
cinstral, how hard is it to swap the guts from one speedo to the next. Will a 120 mph speedo's gut transfer to a 145 mph speedo?

Thanks!
Shane

hah, don't know yet. will be the first time i've tried something like it. i may just do it to see if i can, so we'll see. i'll let you know what i come up with.
 
I know it's a little late now but for future references, I installed reverse indiglo gauges on my SC and didn't remove the needles at all. I just carefully fed the gauge face over the needle and put it in place.
 
darkstar_one said:
to transfer the guts you just need to pull the 145 speedo and just pop it in the 120's place...

i personally am talking about swapping the mileage parts (the numbers) from one speedo to another, whether it be another 120, or 145.

whichever, if i decide to do it, it may just be to see if i can. as the rollback idea sounds a lot easier. but its nice to have a challenge once in a while.
 
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