I recently had the odometer quit working in my rabbit pickup. Thanks to a good online ‘How to’, it is now repaired and ready to be tested. But in doing the “How To’, I had to disassemble the instrument cluster, and am now having other problems; namely with the illumination circuitry.
Over the recent months I have taken the cluster’s circuit Mylar sheet off to install a tachometer; to get the illumination lites to function; and to lately repair the odometer. As a result, and due to the many times of it being removed, I am suspecting that the circuit sheet has ‘given up the ghost’ so to speak.
I have some spare clusters with sheets, but unfortunately for me none are the same as the one that is there now. So I’ve studied the spare versions I have, and have some questions.
First, the sheet installed now has, along the top row of the cluster warning lites, has as it’s first 4 lites (left to right) the common ones as reflected in the 81 owners manual for the diesel; 1) alternator warning; 2) turn signal indicator; 3) high beam indicator; and 4) oil pressure warning. In addition, the 5th position, water temp. warning lite, also had a bulb installed.
None of the spares I have has the 5th light option ‘plug’ terminals in their circuitry. In addition, the cluster harness plug has missing the #2 spot empty … which is for the ‘low coolant level control’. This was ascertained by my review of the 83 pickup schematic I have. My truck appears to have never had this, based on the presence of a non-wired overflow reservoir … which I’ve seen on later models.
Comparing the present circuitry sheet to the spares, it also does not have the #2 harness circuit line embedded; whereas the spares do, even including the gasser version that supplied the tachometer I installed. The #2 line on the spares lead into the area of the mylar sheet where one sees the up-shift lite region … which my pickup also does not have installed.
My question is … am I jeopardizing anything if I replace the lite in the #5 spot with a dummy, and simply use one of my spare sheets that have no connection to that bulb. Being that it appears to be is only for ‘low coolant level control’, I am under the impression that having the temperature gauge present is sufficient … especially since my 81 does not have the electric equipped overflow reservoir.
Apologize for being long winded, but wanted to try and be precise.
TIA
Over the recent months I have taken the cluster’s circuit Mylar sheet off to install a tachometer; to get the illumination lites to function; and to lately repair the odometer. As a result, and due to the many times of it being removed, I am suspecting that the circuit sheet has ‘given up the ghost’ so to speak.
I have some spare clusters with sheets, but unfortunately for me none are the same as the one that is there now. So I’ve studied the spare versions I have, and have some questions.
First, the sheet installed now has, along the top row of the cluster warning lites, has as it’s first 4 lites (left to right) the common ones as reflected in the 81 owners manual for the diesel; 1) alternator warning; 2) turn signal indicator; 3) high beam indicator; and 4) oil pressure warning. In addition, the 5th position, water temp. warning lite, also had a bulb installed.
None of the spares I have has the 5th light option ‘plug’ terminals in their circuitry. In addition, the cluster harness plug has missing the #2 spot empty … which is for the ‘low coolant level control’. This was ascertained by my review of the 83 pickup schematic I have. My truck appears to have never had this, based on the presence of a non-wired overflow reservoir … which I’ve seen on later models.
Comparing the present circuitry sheet to the spares, it also does not have the #2 harness circuit line embedded; whereas the spares do, even including the gasser version that supplied the tachometer I installed. The #2 line on the spares lead into the area of the mylar sheet where one sees the up-shift lite region … which my pickup also does not have installed.
My question is … am I jeopardizing anything if I replace the lite in the #5 spot with a dummy, and simply use one of my spare sheets that have no connection to that bulb. Being that it appears to be is only for ‘low coolant level control’, I am under the impression that having the temperature gauge present is sufficient … especially since my 81 does not have the electric equipped overflow reservoir.
Apologize for being long winded, but wanted to try and be precise.
TIA