Dash woes... Hardwired to self destruct

An alchemy of sparks, copper wire and earth

Moderators: User administrators, Moderators

Post Reply
crazyhorse
Registered user
Posts: 857
Joined: 21 Aug 2013, 15:01
80-90 Mem No: 15202
Location: Llantwit Major, Bro Morganwg, South wales

Dash woes... Hardwired to self destruct

Post by crazyhorse »

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well, I am having some problems with my hardwired dashboard.

Its like the one on the wiki made by midlifecrisis a few years ago..(he made one for me). 

The regulator pins snapped a few years ago so I had to botch it, but it works (fuel gauge doesnt) but thats the sender I believe (If i ground the fuel gauge wire by the dash it goes to max). Coolant gauge works fine. All of a sudden the oil, battery, indicator lights dont work (they still work, but the gauge doesnt blink), main beam led still lights though.

Any ideas where to begin? its not fused is it?

Taking the dashboard out is a right ballache..anyone recomend a suggestion
87 Transporter 1.9 WBX DG and LPG. In Maroon

http://www.guestwho.biz

User avatar
Robsey
Registered user
Posts: 1171
Joined: 19 May 2012, 20:45
80-90 Mem No: 11137
Location: East Manchester

Re: Dash woes... Hardwired to self destruct

Post by Robsey »

crazyhorse wrote: 28 Nov 2022, 21:10 Coolant gauge works fine.

All of a sudden the oil, battery, indicator lights dont work (they still work, but the gauge doesnt blink),
main beam led still lights though.


You have me slightly confused there....
... "lights don't work"... "they still work".

So the coolant light does not flash on first ignition.
I am sure there are several threads on testing the coolant shortage relay. (No 42 or 43).

If the (other) LEDs don't work, then I would query the ignition live feed to the cluster.

The coolant LED is triggered by the coolant shortage relay.
1983 Tin Top with a poorly DF and 4 speed DT box.
1987 Electrics and a DJ engine.
Maybe one day I might get it finished

MidLifeCrisis
Registered user
Posts: 566
Joined: 20 Nov 2011, 19:07
80-90 Mem No: 10519
Location: Bagshot, Surrey

Re: Dash woes... Hardwired to self destruct

Post by MidLifeCrisis »

Hi - I feel slightly responsible for this one !!

Sounds like all of the items driven by the 12V line have stopped working but not the items driven by the 10V regulator i.e. the coolant guage (which itself is powered by the 12V line)  - so a little strange;

If the coolant guage works then there must be 12V arriving at the dash circuit board; so it must be broken internally somehow which is unlikely - what was your 'botch' to get the regulator working? Any chance that might have screwed things up?
Any chance that you hot-wired 12V into the regulator and that might have become dislodged from the rest of the circuit board?

Can you get a pic of the board without it being too much of a pain? 
1987 Westfalia Van, Petrol 2.0 AGG

crazyhorse
Registered user
Posts: 857
Joined: 21 Aug 2013, 15:01
80-90 Mem No: 15202
Location: Llantwit Major, Bro Morganwg, South wales

Re: Dash woes... Hardwired to self destruct

Post by crazyhorse »

MidLifeCrisis wrote: 30 Nov 2022, 00:51 Hi - I feel slightly responsible for this one !!

Sounds like all of the items driven by the 12V line have stopped working but not the items driven by the 10V regulator i.e. the coolant guage (which itself is powered by the 12V line)  - so a little strange;

If the coolant guage works then there must be 12V arriving at the dash circuit board; so it must be broken internally somehow which is unlikely - what was your 'botch' to get the regulator working? Any chance that might have screwed things up?
Any chance that you hot-wired 12V into the regulator and that might have become dislodged from the rest of the circuit board?

Can you get a pic of the board without it being too much of a pain? 

hell no,

not your responsibilty at all...you saved me.. and has served me well over the years..

Its working now, but obvs there is a loose conncetion sometimes.
 

I have taken the regulator off the board completley, as the legs snapped in it, and by trying to re solder new one i got messy tracks. So with the new reg, I screwed it to the back of the cluster, like the original one was.. and spliced a 12v switched into the regulator. The 10v output into wago two way to power the fuel gauge and  coolant gaue. The coolant and fuel wites from the 12 pin were taken out and wired into the two wires at the back of each gauge. Its messy in there but works... kind of.. these work fine (apart from fuel gauge, but this a problem with the sender or earth by the tank)
87 Transporter 1.9 WBX DG and LPG. In Maroon

http://www.guestwho.biz

Post Reply