Gauge lights not working, 72...

[Raze]

So after my wonderful rewire job: http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12341, I recreated problems the PO had avoided by disconnecting wires. Such as a short on the line that runs to the backup position switch for the backup lights. Disconnected that, fixed, only took me an hour to realize it.

Now the real problem is getting the gauge lamps to work, the warning lights all work in the oil pressure gauge, the fuel gauge, and the tach gauge. Also, the highbeam lamp indicator works. What isn't working are the turn signal indicators (but that's due to an aftermarket turn relay which is missing some of the outputs, I hope to remedy that), and the actual lights which I assume should turn on when you turn on the exterior lights?

All fuses are good, all other electrical works, all exterior lights, starter motor, wipers, high/low beams, turn signals, brake lights, warning lights. I read something about the trunk light needing to be in place which I definitely do not have, the wiring is there, just no lamp, it looks like some sort of odd light fixture. Oh also, on grounding the gauges, where is the ground point for all the various gauges? Mine has exactly 1 ground strip for any of the gauges, so I assume that's a deficiency. Anyone have any pictures of their gauges and the wiring I would love to see it.

Remember I'm working from a car with so much missing/removed/rewired/patched together, and I've never had another Fiat so I'm learning on this as I go. The Artigue and Haynes diagrams have gotten me this far, but I still need to figure this one last electrical problem out and I'm literally done and can start driving this thing.

Thanks!

[mdrburchette]

The gauge lights are on a loop so if you have one disconnected none will work. Pull the cluster out and make sure you have good connections to all lamps and make sure the lamps themselves are good. Also, make sure your rheostat hasn't been turned off. That may be the first thing you want to check.

[Raze]

There is no rheostat in the car, all lamps test good. Does the power for the gauge lights come through the red power line off of 1/A which goes to the lighter first (I'm missing that as well). If that's the power line, methinks it may have been disconnected and I may have to re-run power. I noticed one of the connectors (2 prong) in the daisy chain has nothing to connect to and was duct taped off (the connection that originally connected to the lighter and rheostat). I'm going to have to spend more time debugging the errors in the PO's wiring hack...

[mdrburchette]

The connector from the lighter and rheostat, does it have yellow/black wire, two yellow wires and three white wires? Those need to be connected.
yellow/black goes to fuse G
yellow goes to the speedometer
yellow goes to cigarette lighter
white goes to temp gauge
white goes to clock
white goes to rheostat (which also has a yellow going from cigarette lighter to it)

Do you have a wiring diagram? Any time I work on the wiring of my car, I blow a diagram up 200%, tape the pages together and have it taped to the windshield of the car. The wiring schematic from the 72 is pretty accurate.

[Raze]

The plug is missing it's connector on the side of the lighter/rheostat, and I don't have a rheostat, clock, lighter, or courtesy light. Looks like I'm going to have to run a power line i.e. the red line to the lighter that tuns into the yellow line to the connector which goes to the gauges for light power.

I have Artigue's diagrams as well as those from Haynes but it took me a while to understand where power was coming from. I wish there was an 'arrow-ized' map to show current flow. That would help with these ridiculously daisy-chained circuits.

[mdrburchette]

Are you doing away with the lighter, clock and rheostat?

There is a 16 amp fuse on the end of the red wire coming from the cigarette lighter. That fuse can be found around the steering shaft area. I would make sure it's not blown too.

[Raze]

The car didn't come with the lighter, or any of the other stuff and I'm not putting it back in, just want to get it running as is, turns out i missed the power connector which had been rigged hidden behind some other wires, plugged it in, replaced all the burned out bulbs, voila, it all works! I'm down to verifying sensors work and putting in an exhaust gasket and i'm driving!

[mdrburchette]

Awesome!