possible bad guage cluster?

[Nitrider73]

hey guys, I've been working on my 88 2.9 Auto Ranger for a while and I noticed there's a few like that don't light up in the gauge cluster, I have replace these with new balls and they still will not illuminate before I start the engine up. the emergency brake light will not come on at all yes the switch and plugged in. the rear antilock light will not illuminate either, is there a possible ABS control module that would go bad? If so where is it located because it is not on the master cylinder like in the full-size pickup. also my oil pressure and alternator light will not come on underneath the tachometer. once again I have replaced the bulb with a brand new bulbs. I took out the cluster yesterday and noticed there is a cut black wire in the harness closest to the speed cable. Can you guys plz help me?

 

[Spott]

Your truck does not have ABS, that's only in the B2's, so that bulb should never illuminate in your cluster.

A plain black wire to the cluster is the main ground wire. If it's truly cut or unhooked, you should have no instrument lights when you turn the marker or headlights on. If that's the case, find the other cut end and hook them back together. Soldering them and putting heat-shrink tubing around the joint is best, but a crimp-on butt-splice is OK too. Fix this first.

Just a shot in the dark...does it have an aftermarket stereo? If it does, look behind the stereo...does the wiring look nice and clean and organized, or does it look like a ratty mess? If it's messy, the PO may have butchered some of the wiring when they installed the stereo badly.

Next, check Fuse 18. It's for the brake and oil warning lamps. Replace it if blown.

If you touch the pink/wht (or possibly pur/wht) wire to ground (the end is hooked to the switch behind the parking brake arm) when you have the key in "Run", then the brake lamp should come on. If it does, then your parking brake switch is probably damaged.

Does the alternator warning lamp come on while the engine is running?

Let me know the results after you repair and check all of these things. They will let me know what to suggest next for tests and repairs.

 

[Nitrider73]

OK an update I was able to get the oil pressure, alternator light working again apparently they did not have very good connection on the cluster. As for the ground wire behind the cluster that's cut I just remove a cluster from a Bronco 2 yesterday and noticed the exact same wire is cut. my only guess for that would be if it had the optional gauge package back then. (Oil pressure, volt, fuel, temp, no tach) I'm thinking the exact same thing though that's the switch to the emergency brake is bad. as far as the AVS those these trucks never came with rear antilock brakes? maybe that's why I can never find anything on abs for an 88 lol

 

[Spott]

So. You never told me whether your cluster illumination lights work, nor what happens when you touch the parking brake wire to ground.

Yes, the rear ABS system was only installed on the Bronco 2's. If you really want it, I'm sure you could transplant it in, but it's not nearly as useful as something that includes front ABS, so it's probably not worth worrying about.

 

[Nitrider73]

Oh sorry yes My illumination lights do work. I haven't tried grounding the wire to the brake switch but something tells me it's probable bad.

 

[Spott]

If you have illumination, then you have a good ground somewhere, so don't worry about that black wire.

The parking brake switches are known to crack, flex, and go bad, so it's quite likely that's what happened. I'd still make sure the brake warning light works; that same lamp if used to indicate if you're low on brake fluid. Or have someone push the float down in the brake fluid reservoir and see if it comes on.