Dimmer not lighting up Gauge Clusters
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 20
Likes: 1
Dimmer not lighting up Gauge Clusters
My ZR-1 rolled in last night and the first thing I notice is the dimmer adjuster did not light up the gauge clusters at all.
If I moved the dimmer all the way up the house over lights come on and works, but nothing on the gauge clusters.
Any idea what it could be?
If I moved the dimmer all the way up the house over lights come on and works, but nothing on the gauge clusters.
Any idea what it could be?
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 20
Likes: 1
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
I would check the post where the fusible links get their power. If the connectors are dirty or corroded it could explain why so many things are not working. It is easy to identify, measure the battery voltage and then measure the voltage at the fuse panel. If there is any significant difference then it is likely a dirty post is the cause. On the 1988 C4 it is under the side cover behind the battery and mounted to a frame rail.
The headlight switch is likely the cause of the problem with the dash lighting but not always. The windings they use in the headlight switch get corroded and cause the dash lights not to get bright or change. Sometimes you can clean the contacts on the dimmer part of the headlight switch but you need to remove it.
Start by checking the fuses for full battery voltage and that they are not blown. The fact that there are a few electrical things not working makes this likely. My car had close to 2 volts lower at the fuse panel than what the battery was producing. I cleaned everything up on the post and my problems were resolved. The post on my C4 has a ~8 gauge RED wire that came from the battery itself so it is easy to trace.
The headlight switch is likely the cause of the problem with the dash lighting but not always. The windings they use in the headlight switch get corroded and cause the dash lights not to get bright or change. Sometimes you can clean the contacts on the dimmer part of the headlight switch but you need to remove it.
Start by checking the fuses for full battery voltage and that they are not blown. The fact that there are a few electrical things not working makes this likely. My car had close to 2 volts lower at the fuse panel than what the battery was producing. I cleaned everything up on the post and my problems were resolved. The post on my C4 has a ~8 gauge RED wire that came from the battery itself so it is easy to trace.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 119
Likes: 1
I had a similar problem with mine and there is a photocell in the DIC. You can check batee.com for the parts or you can send it in to them for repair. They did mine and it fixed problem. Easy to do they also have instruction on their site. I am happy with their service.
