[HWYSTR455]

Darn GEN (alt) light gave up on me, and checked the bulb, it's good. I was thinking of checking the printed circuit, but now I'm brain-farting, thought they came out the front of the dash by removing the dash bezel? Or am I way off here?

Should I be looking at the ignition switch?


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[HWYSTR455]

Ok, wasn't the ignition switch, swapped it, same thing, no light. Anyone?

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[tiacguy]

internal regulator in the alternator.

[HWYSTR455]

Yes, internal regulator.

Tried a new, know-good CS-130, didn't excite, which lead me to the light.

With the plug on the alt unplugged, it should light in the key-on position, right?

If I ground the #1 (brown) terminal on the alt, with the key on, it should light, right?

Both those scenarios, the light doesn't light. And the bulb is good. Any thoughts?


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[HWYSTR455]

Ok, with the battery disconnected, key off, I did a resistance check from the alt brown wire, disconnected from alt, to the wire in the plug that plugs into the back of the gauges for the appropriate GEN light bulb and it shows 0, meaning it's good the whole way. And it should be, right? The other 'common' lead for all the other bulbs on the gauge cluster is positive, right? Because the GEN light goes + on both leads when the key is on?


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[george kujanski]

With the key on and the brown unplugged from the alt, ground the brown and the light should come on.

If the light does not come on, either the circuit from the alt side to the bulb is open or the bulb is not getting power from the gauge side, or of course, the bulb is bad.

Taking the alt out of the scene, you should be able to get a light with the wire grounded and the key on.

Since you say the wire from the alt to the bulb contact is good, and the bulb is good, I'd say the bulb is not getting power from the gauge side.

George

[HWYSTR455]

I got it. The bulb for the odometer is close and right below the plug that goes into the back of the gauge cluster/printed circuit, and when that bulb was twisted into the socket, it 'turned' the tab of that circuit on the printed circuit towards the GEN light connection tab, shorting it. All the little circuit 'tabs' that go into the area where the connector goes into the back of the gauge cluster are 'lifted' from the plastic circuit board, if you can imagine that. I had to get them all straight and flat, and push the connector into the back of the gauge cluster straight, flat, and evenly as to not move the suckahs around. Stupid thing. With the plug in the back of the gauges I couldn't tell it was shorted, especially with the bulb in the odometer. Dash work, lovely. Yes, I sacraficed to the Pontiac god! Hands are all cut up!

Thanks George, that did answer the question, and I was close. I was checking the brown with it plugged into the alt when I grounded it. Either way it wouldn't have lit with that short, so it made me look at the printed circuit.

Hopefully others on a search will find this info useful! Would hate to think all that blood was for nothing! My hands and wrists are chewed up!

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