Dash light issues

[ustang73]

1973 mustang, The PO had installed after market gauges on the floor for TACH, Temp. Oil Pressure and ALt. I decided to clean this up so I purchased rocketman's tach and intalled it and is working great in the dash.

Then decided to get a center console bezel and moved the PO's 2 inch gauges into the center console and it was looking pretty good. I cleaned up the wiring and the dimmer lights were working as well.

Problem start now... Decided to add LED lights to the speedometer and tach because they were so dim. I used a Scott Drake package with mainly Blue lights green for turn signals, red high beam.

Everything was going great and getting ready to complete the bulb swaps when the dash lights went out both tach speedo and feed to after market.

I was swapping old for LED bulbs on the circuit board when it happened and by the way i really had to mess with these to get them to light at all.

Troubleshooting included (I swapped out the 4a fuse which shows power,I changed to a new light switch but no luck. I can't figure out why these lights are dead??

Any help would be appreciated..

 

[digithead]

Led lights are DIODE (light emitting diode). So they only emit light when current flows in one direction, unlike a conventional bulb. So basically the have a + and - you need to observe. I think its easier to take a small 9V battery and test them ahead of time. Use a Shapie and make note of which side is + when they do light up. Then they have to be inserted correct way to make sure pos is going to the + you just marked. Someone here made a really nice print of the back of dash and which direction the + has to be on each bulb.

 

[ustang73]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. Good news is I got some of them working. I removed the fuse (which I had replaced as well earlier). I reseated it snug with some dialetic grease and the power to the dash lights came back on. Now I'll take you advice on the bulbs and see if I can get them all to light.

Led lights are DIODE (light emitting diode). So they only emit light when current flows in one direction, unlike a conventional bulb. So basically the have a + and - you need to observe. I think its easier to take a small 9V battery and test them ahead of time. Use a Shapie and make note of which side is + when they do light up. Then they have to be inserted correct way to make sure pos is going to the + you just marked. Someone here made a really nice print of the back of dash and which direction the + has to be on each bulb.

 

[Stanglover]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. Good news is I got some of them working. I removed the fuse (which I had replaced as well earlier). I reseated it snug with some dialetic grease and the power to the dash lights came back on. Now I'll take you advice on the bulbs and see if I can get them all to light.

Led lights are DIODE (light emitting diode). So they only emit light when current flows in one direction, unlike a conventional bulb. So basically the have a + and - you need to observe. I think its easier to take a small 9V battery and test them ahead of time. Use a Shapie and make note of which side is + when they do light up. Then they have to be inserted correct way to make sure pos is going to the + you just marked. Someone here made a really nice print of the back of dash and which direction the + has to be on each bulb.

Another heads up that I was not aware of, and that is NOT to use an LED on an ALTERNATOR socket. I bought Hi-Po Elite series LED's and I too installed Rocketman's tach with idiot lights, no gauges yet!! I was wondering why there was only 4 red bulbs in the kit, not 5. I called HiPo and was told absolutely NOT to put an LED in the socket for the Alt and to use an incandescent bulb. I'm no electrician!! I also used incandescent bulbs on my turn signal light even though I installed an electronic flasher, a must for LED's. For some reason, it blew my earlier set of LED's in the turn signal indicators.

Yes, LED's MUST have correct polarity or they don't work.

Hope you get it sorted, let us know eh!