so i was driving home last night and the gauges all dropped out, along with the radio for a bit. this morning i checked the fuse and saw that it was severed(blown). i repleced said fuse and in about 3 min, going down my block, the gauges dropped out again. the one post i did find relevent didn't have enough info on what i wanted.

i'm thinking that the ground for it or something else in the wire is bad, and that i need to go under the dash to check the wiring for any breaks.

has anyone else had a similar problem? any info will be greatly appreciated

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1981 280zx 2+2, got for free with a blown engine
1974 260z, my first car I paid for

A ground won't blow a fuse unless there is something positive shorting to it. the fuses are on the positive side of the circuit. I would be inclined to suspect one of the qauges shorted out to ground or possibly a wire. You do have the correct size fuse in place correct?

its the same kind of fuse that was in there before, which lasted me a year and some change, so i'm sure its the right one

Look for crossed wires at connections, it's happened to me before. Find what circuit the gauges are on using the wiring diagram and check all connections in that circuit.

Alright I'm in the process of removing the dash(instrument panel) and so far the passanger side is free, but the driver side seems to be attached by 2 bolts that hold the steering column up. The FSM says nothing of these bolts.

Hope your talking about a Z. Year, make and model is key information when post questions.

Look at the top of the inside of the gauge, you will see one screw on each gauge. Then look under the dash and you will see one screw on each side of the column remove them also. Now pull the gauges out from the front unlike the others that come out from the back side of the dash. Remember the speedo has a cable attached.

This would a good time to replace all your dark tented bulbs out... Good luck.

Here is an old post that you can read my answer that might give you some good ideals...

[www.zcar.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:07:03:15:36:47.

Year, make, model in the title...

Thanks for the link though that will help a lot. the idea of putting in better lights never crossed my mind



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was 2009:07:03:23:14:18.

You have a short and will want to be specific on exactly what circuit is affected. (Only gauges) Google will help with technique. The FSM has all wires connectors and loads. It also has the correct method of removing the dash. More research may be beneficial. Cars are easier to take apart than put back together.

the dash has been removed, and the wiring harness is now exposed. apperently the aftermarket head unit was installed in a not-so-pretty way. the wiring for that looked like spaghetti, so we took that out and it cleared a lot of the mess up, and one of my friends (auto-mechanic) helped me test some of the connections.

the circuit that it out is only the gauges, but all of them. the FSM has a seperate diagram for each gauge, mostly, so we still dont know where exactly to pinpoint the short. we're just going to be tesing for quite a while.