Oh what have I done NOW?!

[Alan & Evi]

Can anyone help please?

I have just finished putting all my instruments back together after replacing a load of blown instrument bulbs. Whilst doing so, I had a good root around inside to see what goes on inside the binnacle.

I now find that the volt meter is completely dead. I've checked the dial itself using a 12V supply, and it still works fine, so it would seem that there is no electricity being fed to the gauge. The low charge warning light does not come on when the engine is running, and the alternator appears to be keeping the battery charged - I've run the car with all the electrics switched on, and it keeps running ok, without the battery going dead.

It would therefore seem to be a problem with the electric supply to the gauge itself.

Is there another fuse that I'm not aware of (apart from the 8 in the glovebox)?

Could there be a problem with the voltage stabiliser? All the other gauges appear to function and read correctly, so I think that would rule that out.

I really don't know what I could have done to make it suddenly stop working.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks folks, Al.

[andydclements]

It's not going to be the stabiliser as that gauge works of the battery supply unlike the charge light which works off the charging circuit, so yes rule that out. It means a wire is off somewhere or (and I don't think there is) a fuse has blown between the gauge and the battery, check for a wire connector pulled apart in the binnacle area. Trace it back to the +12v post if you have to, using a multimeter at each stage..

[Alan & Evi]

Thanks Andy, I'll have another scrummage around in there when I next get a chance.

[Choppa]

My guess would be that when you were replacing the panel bulbs you may have disturbed the earth wire on the back of the guage or at some point where it connects together with the others. Use your meter to check you have 12v in on the green (?) wire in to the battery guage using a known good earth point , check the battery guage earth wire for continuity if thats OK clean the contacts as you trace the earth path back to the main earth point

[Alan & Evi]

Thanks for your help guys.

I'll be getting my meter out and in there to see what's going on.

I really wanted to make sure there wasn't a simple fuse I didn't know about which I might have tripped whilst rummaging about in all the wires.

[molemot]

As ever, most electrical problems turn out to be duff earths....and the earth feed is wired very strangely in some places; the diagrams don't show this, either, you just have to root about with brain fully engaged. The oddest symptoms can result from a detached earth wire.....power then feeds in all sorts of strange directions and everything goes mad!!

[Alan & Evi]

The oddest symptoms can result from a detached earth wire.....power then feeds in all sorts of strange directions and everything goes mad!!

Yeah, ME!

Thanks again guys, working some horrid shifts right now, so probably won't be able to have a play until next Wednesday, but can't wait.

Sorting out problems with the interior, even electrical ones, is SO much more civilised than crawling head first on your back under the ar** end!

The tips on checking the earth and live feeds separately to verify where the fault lies was brilliant - all I had tried was to put my tester across both wires to get a dead reading, and then scratched my head.

I'm sure I'll be able to sort it now.

Hope to be seeing some of you either at Gaydon or Donnington.

Cheers, Al.