1981 tachometer lights won't come on
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 178
Likes: 34
From: Calgary Alberta
1981 tachometer lights won't come on
I got my first corvette, an '81, about a month ago and have spent the intervening time ignoring my family and sleep and pouring over all of the great (and sometimes overwhelming) info on this forum. I have a decent mechanical aptitude, but no great skill or experience with cars so I have a lot of catching up to do.
I thought I'd start with a hopefully simple question that I haven't been able to find answered elsewhere.
When I turn on my headlights, my speedometer lights up but my tach doesn't. The indicator lights in the dash work as does the high beam indicator. I pulled the gauge lens and tach out tonight and see that all four bulbs are in place. I swapped a tach bulb with the high beam bulb and it worked so I know the problem is not the bulbs (well not all of them anyway). I presume there must be a wiring problem.
Any ideas about what might cause this and where to go next? I have ordered an AIM also that I am waiting on but it has not arrived in the Maple Leaf State yet
.
Thanks in advance for your help and patience - I'm sure I'll be following this up with additional stupid questions in future.
I thought I'd start with a hopefully simple question that I haven't been able to find answered elsewhere.
When I turn on my headlights, my speedometer lights up but my tach doesn't. The indicator lights in the dash work as does the high beam indicator. I pulled the gauge lens and tach out tonight and see that all four bulbs are in place. I swapped a tach bulb with the high beam bulb and it worked so I know the problem is not the bulbs (well not all of them anyway). I presume there must be a wiring problem.
Any ideas about what might cause this and where to go next? I have ordered an AIM also that I am waiting on but it has not arrived in the Maple Leaf State yet
.Thanks in advance for your help and patience - I'm sure I'll be following this up with additional stupid questions in future.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,365
Likes: 428
From: Cape Girardeau Missouri
All of the lights in the cluster are connected in parallel so if one works all should work. VERY carefully examine the printed circuit sheet looking for broken and or shorted leads. Sometimes they begin to delaminate which can lead to a short which in turn may melt a copper trace after which any bulbs beyond the break will not operate even if it no longer blows fuses.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 374
Likes: 42
From: Coldwater Mi
My left turn signal light on the dash wasn't working, but the left turn signal WAS working....so...upon taking the console out to fix the tach itself, I found that there was just a SLIGHT bit of corrosion on the elect. strip...so I took EACH bulb out, cleaned all the corrosion, and it NOW works....and I got not only the tach working, but ALSO the clock as well....well worth the time & $$ spent..did it all myself!
