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Sun Jul 20, 2003 11:11 am

I finally got most of my lights working on my 63 ragtop. The last ones are the dash lights. I can't figure out why the speedo and fuel guage light won't work. Any ideas on where to look to fix these?
Thanks

Sun Jul 20, 2003 1:06 pm

fuses?

Sun Jul 20, 2003 1:46 pm

That's the first place I checked. All fuses are fine, the connections look good, the bulbs look good. I'm stumped.

Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:09 pm

try replacing those bulbs . sometimes they get lose and the gasses can leak out then they wouldnt work make shure there hooked to the right place on the head light switch and make shure you dont have them dimed off ( turning the headlight switch)

Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:10 pm

If you are going to do any electrical work at all you really should invest in a VOM or Volt-0hm Meter. These devices will allow you to check for current test bulbs and do any number of continuity checks on wiring. You can get one at Radio Shack for around $15 and it will save you A LOT of time and guessing plus you get to learn to use a new tool. There are analog and digital versions and I much prefer the analog especialy for continuity tests there is no waiting around for the meter to give you a reading.

If the wire going to the speedo bulbs has current then your bulbs may be bad. If there is no current then you need to trace the wire to the fuse box and determine why there is no current. I think all the bulbs are on a single circuit. My expericence tells me that you probably need to improve the ground contacts in order for the bulbs to work. Remove the bulbs holders from the speddo and gauge. Shine the contacting surfaces with steel wool, this includes the bases where the bulb holders are held in the speedo and gauge and reinstall. Good luck!

Sun Jul 20, 2003 6:34 pm

Thanks for the replies. I have tried turning the headlight dimmer switch and nothing happened. I'll try cleaning the connections first and see if that does it. Is there a relay for that circuit that may be bad? I thought I saw one under the hood that had these lights hooked up to it.