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-   -   Brake light? (http://chevelleforum.net/showthread.php?t=4695)

Chris69Chevell 10-26-2016 07:18 PM

Brake light?
 
My brake light in the gauge cluster comes on when I turn on the headlight switch on, could this be a ground problem?
I thought about adding a extra ground wire to my cluster.
What gauge should I use?
Thanks!

chevymaher 10-26-2016 07:28 PM

Probably a ground issue. Clean the grounds on the core support. Make sure the core support to frame is clean. Basically just follow the yellow brick road back to the battery.

My gauge cluster is grounded with a ground strap.

Chris69Chevell 10-26-2016 07:43 PM

A ground strap like from valve cover to firewall?

chevymaher 10-27-2016 07:19 AM

Yes just a smaller version. I bought a trashed El Camino for the A/C dash parts. Mine was apart for over 10 years. I used the el as a assembly manual to get the dash factory looking assembled. I had several gauge sections. All of them were like that.

On one of the lower corners the bolt where the metal of the gauges bolts to the plastic bezel. Between the bolt and the metal of the gauges. Just use a heavy wire with a eyelet. Like this one from my spare wiring harness junk. I imagine the original straps are hard to find. All of mine but one were rotted and fell apart cleaning them on the wire wheel except the one I used. Turned green.

I got my car in boxes basically guy has been stripping them for years to build one. He had the stripping them down to a science. The putting together not so much. Mine was a parts car and he sold off the A/C years before.

Anyhow things like your experiencing are generally bad corroded grounds. And the wiring is searching another ground anywhere it can find one. Back feeding.

http://s5.postimg.org/i0a871713/wire.jpg

Ken Hayes 10-27-2016 04:19 PM

Just for the heck of it.....manually pull up on the emergency brake pedal and see if it goes out. If it does, just turn the switch mounting adjustment nut a tad.

Chris69Chevell 10-27-2016 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Hayes (Post 61418)
Just for the heck of it.....manually pull up on the emergency brake pedal and see if it goes out. If it does, just turn the switch mounting adjustment nut a tad.

I tried that, still on.
I also added a extra ground to the back of cluster, light still on.
If the ground straps from valve covers to firewall needed cleaned up would that cause dash problems?

chevymaher 10-28-2016 07:03 AM

I think clean all the grounds. Battery to block. Block to core support. All of them. Check the sockets the tail lights go into. Are they gummy fouled with the original grease. On my van site I have seen many many strange problems from that. Including put the brake on and a turn signal indicator lights up. This isn't a far shot form that one. Take tail light bulbs out one at a time.

After all that pull a fuse at a time and see if it goes out. It is a snipe hunt with electrical issues. Then on to checking turn signal relay and turn signal switch.

Hank70SS 10-28-2016 07:15 AM

Not sure about a 69 but on a 70 the main chassis ground is from a pigtail off the negative cable at the battery to the passenger side front fender. There are also several grounds from the gauge cluster to the metal frame inside the dash and one to the emergency brake bracket.

As you know the headlights are grounded to the core support. Not sure about the tail lights on a 69. You can disconnect one headlight or tail light at a time to see if it's one that has an issue.

Chris69Chevell 10-28-2016 04:38 PM

Thanks guys, I will check all the grounds this weekend!

shadowgray396 11-05-2016 08:11 AM

It could be just a bad switch at the emergency brake pedal. I had to replace mine when the light stayed on.


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