Factory guage problems!!

[elkhntr]

Ok, sorry in advance for the long post, but I'm venting a bit and need some sound advice! Last fall I purchased my '83 J20, PW, PdL, cruise, air, tilt, etc. - even a lighted vanity mirror! All the good stuff. I have just finished the lift, tires, and other stuff on my to-do list and started working on the guages, with the exception of the speedo and amp guage, the fuel, oil pressure and water temp didn't work. I tried the ground trick for the fuel, water, and oil, no guage movement.

A local Jeep guy suggested that my problem might be the 'mother board' - the printed curcuit board, so I purchased a working donar guage assembly and swapped my guages, speedo etc to the donar board, hooked it back up, no luck!

OK, so, next I duduced that the orig. guages might be the problem, back to swapping in the donar guages, and they worked - for about 2 minutes, then back to dead! I assume they fried...

Ideas on what night be causing this. I assume a short or ground somewhere, but if this is it, where to look? I do not want to keep smoking donar guages. Thoughts or help from those with experience? Thanks in advance!

[elkhntr]

Any suggestions? No one else has had a similar problem?

[Am4wag]

First I'd make sure all the guages are properly grounded.Then check for a faulty hot wire that feeds the mother board.Many times that "old" wire will be dried out-cracked-broken-brittle.

[james1414d]

I'm kinda guessing cause I don't have a newer SJ, but I have in the past. maybe try to bypass your ammeter and try again. the few newer wags I had, had probs with the ammeter overheating. of corse if this does work, you have some sort of charging issue that bypassing the ammeter alone will not fix. just a guess though since nobodys responding to your prob. good luck!

[FSJ-Earl]

MY 83 J10 had a similar problem and it was the temp sender that was fried. Apparently, there is some kind of diode, resistor, or some electrical dohickey that controls the instruments.