Hai gebissen

Yesterday I decided to get into an issue I have known about since I got the car running a few weeks ago...the lack of warning indicators in the dash. While the gauges themselves seem to work (although I'm not sure about the fuel gauge yet, and the speedo wires are still disconnected back by the battery), I can only get four of the instrument cluster warnings/indicators to work: The amber Anti-Lock light (which goes out when the car starts), the red alternator light at the bottom of the voltmeter (also extinguishes when car starts), the green parking lights indicator, and the green turn signal indicator.

The central warning light does not work, along with the belt tension light, oil level light, parking brake light, stop lamp, brake fluid, coolant, blue high beam indicator, and every other light that should light up in test mode with the key turned on.

I first replaced all 20 bulbs with new correct bulb/socket units. ( I also replaced the three main instrument cluster illumination bulbs at the bottom and they work.) No new lights worked.

I noticed that the ignition switch appeared to be the original (200K+ miles) so I replaced that today. Absolutely no change.

My printed circuit board appears to be in very good shape given the age. We have similar circuits on older Saabs, and they often get torn and deteriorate. This one looks nice. I cleaned up the contacts for the three main black flat connectors that go into the circuit board. No change.

Any ideas when this many lights are affected at once? Ground at the steering column perhaps? I did have to repair several wires at the ignition switch where someone had long ago spliced in an Alpine alarm. I reinspected these repairs and jiggled the wiring at both the ignition switch and the three flat black harnesses at the back of the cluster. Not even a flicker of anything beyond those specific lights I mentioned.

lonnie77

There is a fuse for the instrument lights. I don't remember which one it is.

The Forgotten On

Print this out, it will help you a lot.
http://928intl.com/repair/Relay/earlyrelay2.htm

Hai gebissen

Yes, but I did not find any blown fuses, and I would think I would have absolutely zero lights working if that was the culprit.

Awesome avatar by the way. Great shot.

Hai gebissen

Not that this is causing my issue, but what is the empty socket at the top for? It did not have a bulb in it when I pulled the cluster, and when I shine a light through the hole from the back, there does not appear to be anything there.

Hai gebissen

Thanks to another post by Colin, I pulled my dead panel and opened up my central warning brain...

This is probably an issue...