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ZUKIWORLD Model Specific Suzuki Forum => Suzuki Samurai (All SJ Platform) 1981-1998 => Topic started by: Ew_blair on May 26, 2011, 08:03:35 AM

Title: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on May 26, 2011, 08:03:35 AM
I have a 1990 suzuki samurai that i have been restoring. I tried hooking up a stereo to what I thought was the existing stereo plug and all worked great until I turned my lights on. Then the stereo power was gone and the lights on my instrument cluster went out except for my brights indicator is now on until I turn my brights on and then it turns off. I un-hooked my battery over night to see if I confused the ECM (which I just had rebuilt) but it is still having the same problem... All the fuses are good. Everything worked great until I tried to install a stereo...
All the start indicators work like the check engine, brake light in the center of the cluster, they all work including my turn indicators...
I hope someone has experienced this same problem and has a suggestion.

Thanks,
Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on May 26, 2011, 01:57:17 PM
If you unplug the stereo does everything start to work again?
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on May 27, 2011, 12:43:16 PM
The first time it did... But then I tried plugging the stereo back in to see if was just a fluke but that's when it happened. And what else is weird is now the stereo will stay powered with the lights on where before it wouldn't.... But I have no cluster lights and the brights indicater is on...
Thanks,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on May 27, 2011, 08:39:13 PM
It sounds like you have a ground wire setup incorrectly.   I would need to go over the wiring diagram to see where though.
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on May 29, 2011, 08:28:55 AM
I haven't touched any ground wires or spliced any wires. I was plugging the wires from the stereo straight into the plug of what I thought was the female end of the radio plug. I didn't mess up my ECM did I?

Thanks for your help,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on May 30, 2011, 04:10:20 PM
Almost everything is mechanical on the Samurai, so you should be ok.  I would first try disconnecting the wires on the Stereo then test them on eat a time, see what is causing your lights to go out.
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: mbruce on June 01, 2011, 10:11:24 AM
My brights indicator stays on also... and my cluster lighting does not work....  guess we're in the same boat.  I have a radio with speakers you can't hear....
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 03, 2011, 03:07:19 PM
The stereo has been unplugged since this all happened. I wonder if I some how shorted out my switch... The problem with that is that the switch isn't cheap and it is all combined with the wiper switch...
Thanks again and mbruce, stay tuned and let's see if we can both benefit from this post...
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on June 03, 2011, 08:31:31 PM
The Samurai is a ground based system, everything is usually hot and is turned on by attaching the circuit to ground.  So it sounds like you have a ground wire spliced in somewhere where it isn't supposed to be.

Sadly this means going over all of the wires under your dash looking for something crossed where it shouldn't be, or something not connected when it should be.  If you go to Acks Faq you can look up a Samurai Wiring Diagram, he might even have the FSM.  If not try SuzukiInfo.com or h http://suzukipitstopplus.com/ (http://suzukipitstopplus.com/) where you can get official FSM's in PDF format.  Or even print version but it's pretty steep, I would check with Hawk Suzuki or E-Bay first.
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 04, 2011, 10:56:53 PM
Ok so I did some research on the wiring schematic and this is what I found...

I plugged the constant from the radio into the white and green, the power into the white and black and the ground into the red yellow...

Here is what all the wires connect to...

White / Green; From the battery to the fuse box, then to the Comb SW, then to the clock (there is no clock its just the female side plug)

White / Black; From the ignition switch to the Fuse Block, to the radio (I had no radio), to the Clock (see above) to the cigarette lighter...

Red / Yellow; Originates at the clock, splits, (1)one to the ILLUM LTS RHEOSTAT (dead end) and the illum coupler where it dies with a red / green. The red green originates at the illum lts coupler and splits between the two leading to the inst cluster (red / green)

Red / Yellow; Originates at the clock, splits, (2) goes to Radio, then to Inst Cluster then to illum lt where it meets up with red / green again, then on to the rear defog sw (ends)

Any ideas where it is faulting? Is my illum lts rheostat bad? Is it the comb sw?

Thanks again,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 04, 2011, 11:02:17 PM
I forgot to mention that the Clock Plug wires are as follows, Wht Blk, Wht Grn, Red Ylw, Blk... Now the plug that I plugged the radio into had only three wires and they were the same as the clock minus the Blk... I ohm'd them out and found that they are the same wires...

Not sure if that helps at all...

Thanks again,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on June 06, 2011, 11:37:28 AM
I'll try to take a look at the wiring tonight and see what I can track down.
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 06, 2011, 12:39:40 PM
Thanks, I wonder if I fried the bulb and that is a pass thru bulb and that's why it's shorted out or acting like a bad ground...
But then again, I'm not and electrical engineer so I could way off...
I can scan in the wiring diagram and post it later today so you can see what I'm seeing.

Thanks,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 07, 2011, 07:53:22 AM
Here is the Wiring Diagram...
Thanks

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: tipover on June 07, 2011, 11:03:14 PM
red and yellow is not ground, it is constant hot.  go to chassis ground.
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 07, 2011, 11:32:26 PM
red and yellow is not ground, it is constant hot.  go to chassis ground.

Ya, I figured that part out already... It was weird because it ohm'd out when I first tested it.... But the wht/grn is a constant hot also...
Thanks,

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on June 08, 2011, 01:41:56 PM
White/Black - Should be 12v when the key is in the ACC, On and Start mode.  What is it at currently?  This should be your Radio's power.

White/Green - Always on.  Use this for the memory on your Stereo.

Red/Yellow - If this is a 12v on then Red/Green is the ground, which would make sense with the rheostat wiring.  Is most likely being fed by the White wire from Fuse 3.  I can't tell because the Instrument Panel is not in the circuit diagram.  Grounding out Red Green should turn your various dash lights on.

If the rheostat is bad you will usually just loose your ability to adjust the brightness of the dash lights.

Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 08, 2011, 10:49:20 PM
Thanks, I will look at grounding the red green out. I will also attach the cluster wiring schematic tomorrow.
Thanks Drone637!!!!

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 15, 2011, 11:18:34 PM
Ok, so this is what I've learned. Un aware to me but I have no driving lights or tail lights at night. But I do have directionals, brake lights and head lights. The common factor is this. Everything with RED/YELLOW is out. I am attatching more diagrams to see if this helps anyone figure out what I might try to get these components working again.

Thanks,
Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Ew_blair on June 15, 2011, 11:37:54 PM
I'm and Idiot.... It was fuse #3 all this time. My tester showed it was good back when this all started so I never pulled it. But after learning of my other lights I did some research and everything pointed to a fuse. It tested good again so I pulled it to make sure and WTF!!! I replaced it and all is working... I feel like an ...

Thanks for your help Drone637... Sorry if I wasted your time.

Eric-
Title: Re: Instrument cluster lighting quit working
Post by: Drone637 on June 17, 2011, 12:56:31 PM
I'm just glad you got it fixed.  :)