Do Not Drive Your Car Without The Gauge Cluster Installed...
01-24-2008, 04:22 PM
#1
Do Not Drive Your Car Without The Gauge Cluster Installed... It doesn't allow the altenator to charge the battery if you do this!
Beats the hell out of me as to why (maybe the amp gauge is part of a closed loop) but I had my cluster out, got a rush call for work and headed out without reinstalling it.
Noticed my blinkers became slower through out the day and the radio cut on and off (just thought I had a short, never thought it was the battery dying).
Came home from work, went out to eat. Window motor was slow as hell, turn signals eventually stopped working, headlights were dim.
Got home, turned it off, turned it back on and not enough juice to crank it.
I reinstalled the cluster and tried to crank it. Dead. Then I jumped the car and it cranked.
I assumed as soon as I took the cables off the other battery the car would die (assuming the altenator was dead the battery would be too low to keep the car running) but it did not and I know the dead battery in my car could not have gotten charged off the jump start (was not even jumping it off of a running car, just a spare battery).
Go check my amp gauge and it is showing it is charged. I drive it around, all is well. Two days have now gone by and the car is perfectly fine.
The fact that I had driven around without the cluster installed I thought was just a coincidence and my altenator just chose then to crap out on me (it does have almost 160K on it). Turns out I was wrong.
It is interesting that the ONLY gauge that pegs itself in the negative if it is not plugged in is the amp gauge (the other needlles move and stay in place freely)...
Now I don't know if it is something GM did in case someone tried to steal the car (so the thief wouldn't get too far if this was tampered with) or if it has to do with the way the car is wired (like how if are third brake light goes out the ABS doesn't work) or if it is even just a flaw on 1998's but I promise you this, MY CAR WAS ONLY RUNNING OFF THE BATTERY WHEN THE CLUSTER WAS OUT, WHEN IT WAS BACK IN THE ALTENATOR CHARGED FINE...
The fact I was able to drive around all day is just a testament to using an OPTIMA battery
!
Anyone else have any input they can chime in?
Beats the hell out of me as to why (maybe the amp gauge is part of a closed loop) but I had my cluster out, got a rush call for work and headed out without reinstalling it.
Noticed my blinkers became slower through out the day and the radio cut on and off (just thought I had a short, never thought it was the battery dying).
Came home from work, went out to eat. Window motor was slow as hell, turn signals eventually stopped working, headlights were dim.
Got home, turned it off, turned it back on and not enough juice to crank it.
I reinstalled the cluster and tried to crank it. Dead. Then I jumped the car and it cranked.
I assumed as soon as I took the cables off the other battery the car would die (assuming the altenator was dead the battery would be too low to keep the car running) but it did not and I know the dead battery in my car could not have gotten charged off the jump start (was not even jumping it off of a running car, just a spare battery).
Go check my amp gauge and it is showing it is charged. I drive it around, all is well. Two days have now gone by and the car is perfectly fine.
The fact that I had driven around without the cluster installed I thought was just a coincidence and my altenator just chose then to crap out on me (it does have almost 160K on it). Turns out I was wrong.
It is interesting that the ONLY gauge that pegs itself in the negative if it is not plugged in is the amp gauge (the other needlles move and stay in place freely)...
Now I don't know if it is something GM did in case someone tried to steal the car (so the thief wouldn't get too far if this was tampered with) or if it has to do with the way the car is wired (like how if are third brake light goes out the ABS doesn't work) or if it is even just a flaw on 1998's but I promise you this, MY CAR WAS ONLY RUNNING OFF THE BATTERY WHEN THE CLUSTER WAS OUT, WHEN IT WAS BACK IN THE ALTENATOR CHARGED FINE...
The fact I was able to drive around all day is just a testament to using an OPTIMA battery
!Anyone else have any input they can chime in?
01-25-2008, 06:52 AM
#6
Maybe so...I don't have schematics for a 94. However, the third brake light is unrelated to the ABS in 98+ f-bodies. The circuit runs directly from the brake switch (just like the rest of the brake lights) and the ABS system has no way to know if the bulb burns out. The ABS does check for voltage through the brake switch and will shut off if the switch is faulty or ALL the brake lights are burned out.
01-25-2008, 07:58 AM
#7
There is still a way to drive without documenting the miles, and it is far easier than pulling the cluster, so that is not the reason. However the BCM will still register them (at least on 99+ cars)
I believe the alternator field is through the cluster for charging.
Ryan
I believe the alternator field is through the cluster for charging.
Ryan
Last edited by slow; 01-25-2008 at 11:01 AM.
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01-25-2008, 04:25 PM
#9
Maybe so...I don't have schematics for a 94. However, the third brake light is unrelated to the ABS in 98+ f-bodies. The circuit runs directly from the brake switch (just like the rest of the brake lights) and the ABS system has no way to know if the bulb burns out. The ABS does check for voltage through the brake switch and will shut off if the switch is faulty or ALL the brake lights are burned out.
01-25-2008, 08:12 PM
#10
it has to do with system seeing less resistance or something. I know when one bulb went out (i didnt realize this at the time) my cruise control would not work sometimes, then when 2nd light went out and the abs light started comin on i had no cruise at all. 2 new bulbs back to norma
01-28-2008, 05:07 PM
#11
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anyone know how to fix the alternator charging problem, i plan on putting in all after market gauges and really do not want to have any issues with this.
thanks
john
thanks
john
