Advice needed on getting the gauges to work

[dalvis]

I'm very new to working on my car so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I have an 83 Pininfarina and the gauges just stopped working. Nothing on fuse A works so I thought just blew a fuse. I cleaned the contacts with steel wool and used another fuse, but that didn't help. So a couple of questions:

1. Is everything on fuse A in series, meaning if the tach is out then everything else is out as well.

2. How do I go about fixing this?

One more thing. A week before the gauges stopped working, I started to pull the instrument cluster out to replace the light to the fuel gauge. I didn't get very far before I realized I didn't want to deal with it yet.

Thanks,

Dwayne

[mbouse]

Dwayne,

have you put a volt meter across both sides of your suspect fuse to determine for certain that it is not the fuse that is at fault?

my suggestion is that it is the connection behind the ignition switch that is dirty, corroded, and/or loose. pull that connector apart and clean/tighten those connections.

[mdrburchette]

Do you think it's possible you pulled something loose when you attempted to replace the fuel gauge bulb? What else is on the fuse that controls the gauges? Are these items working? The lights in each gauge is in a series but the gauges are not.

[pope]

Check the fuel gauge connection, that is the first in a series to supply power to the others.

[mdrburchette]

So the gauges are also in a series, Pope? I didn't see evidence of that in my wiring diagram. Of course, that's not saying much. Sorry for the misinformation.

[pope]

No Denise, your not wrong. The wires are is a series, but are piggybacked to the each successive gauge, so I think that it is a ground issue. Dont using steel wool around the fuses with the battery attached.

I think the clue is that you tried to remove the cluster at one time. Something came slightly dislodged. Get a meter that can tell if you have power at the gauge wires.