Hi Gary,
You scared the heck out of me with the " I had my temp gauge
actually destroyed" part of your message. The ground was loose. The DPO
(damned present owner) didn't get it tight enough on re-install. (I
cleaned up the clips at the same time.) The gauges do still work (Phew!)
Thanks,
Robert
'65 Sprite
Message text written by INTERNET:Thecarguru@aol.com
>Hello.
It would sound to me like the ground for the body or the dash is not
connected, and that the current is passing through the gauge sender tube.
If
the temp gauge is of the mechanical bourdon tube type, the end is grounded
to
the block and the gauge is grounded to the dashboard. I had my temp gauge
actually destroyed because of a short, and the gauge acted as a path to
ground. So quite possibly the dash lights are getting their ground through
the
temp gauge back to the block.The body may also not be grounded if the
sparks
come off the bolt when the tube touches it. Turning off the lights may
eliminate the spark, and possibly the connection where the tube goes at
that
bolt is not a good one. When you pulled the motor, was there a body ground
strap on it that might be hidden now? Some vehicles use a common ground
wire
for all the dash electricals. Your headlights may not be grounded if the
body
isnt grounded to the engine. Grab a jumper cable and clamp one end to the
engine and the other end to part of the body as a test. Electrical stuff is
so
fun to diagnose:)
Gary
75 midget <
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