HELP-My Dash gauges aren't working - 87 Subaru GL

[jroosa030]

Help!! I have an 87 Subaru GL Station Wagon on its last legs, now my dash gauges don't work and my engine always stalls unless I keep giving it gas. Nothing unusual happened when all this stopped working. The only gauge that works is the spedometer. Is there a fuse or cable or something I can check to get the gauges working again. I only need this car to last a few more weeks then this happened. Any help would be appreciated.

Jay

[Cougar]

Check the fuses and make sure they are all good. If they are good then you might try pulling the cluster panel and reconnect the connectors to the panel.

[jroosa030]

Thanks for the quick response. I checked most of the fuses, I'll try that again. Where is the cluster panel? I know nothing of car repair, so any info is helpful.

[Turbone]

Right below your left knee is a little panel with a door. Pull down on it and the fuses will be there. Check all of them and only replace with the correct rating if any are bad.

[jroosa030]

Well I found the blown fuse thats causing the problem. However, every time I replace the fuse it blows out again. I put in a 20 fuse and it blew too. Maybe there is a short somewhere. Any ideas?

[McDave]

Well I found the blown fuse thats causing the problem. However, every time I replace the fuse it blows out again. I put in a 20 fuse and it blew too. Maybe there is a short somewhere. Any ideas?

 

Finding shorts 101: Go to the parts store and get a circuit breaker (CB) in the same size as the fuse the dash lights are supposed to use (not the 20amp one). Also get a couple feet of wire and some wire terminals so you can attach the wires to the CB and plug the other ends of the wires into where the fuse belongs.

 

Before plugging in the CB, make a note of everything that doesn't work besides just the dash lights. Don't forget to check the cigarette lighter too.

 

Now plug in the CB and when you turn the key and lights on, the CB will start tripping off and on instead of burning up fuses. Start disconnecting everything that wasn't working before with the blown fuse. Once you unplug the offending item or circuit, the CB will stop tripping and you have now isolated the culprit.

 

For instance, if the cigarette lighter was one of the items that didn't work with the blown fuse, start with it since they often short out. Or, if you unplug the dash and it quits tripping the CB, the problem is with the dash cluster. Continue unplugging stuff that didn't work until the CB stops tripping.

 

Once the CB stops tripping, repair the short or replace the offending item. After repairs are made and the CB stays on, you can go ahead and plug everything else back in. As long as the CB doesn't trip again, you can go ahead and put a new fuse in. Done!