Sunpro gauges short

[josehf34]

I have a sunpro gauges panel in my 74 fury, this one:

Today I had a short in the battery alternator wire and something started smoking under dash. Fixed the short but when I connected the battery again but the thermostat steel wire that goes to the intake port smokes and turns red, I unplugged the thermostat and everything worked right, the car started right, every accesory works right but the back light of the sunpro gauges are always ON except when I turn the headlights on.

I already checked under dash and engine bay wiring harness and didn't see any melted wire, fuselink is right and every fuse is ok

The temp gauge has never worked but the oil pressure and alternator amp are working right. The unique problem is the gauges backlight and the fact the thermostat wire produces a short every time is in touch with a ground. Maybe the gauges are fried?

 

[65Fury440]

Sounds like a wire melted and may be back feeding? Trace the back light wire, it's red, see if maybe the wires that feed the voltage gauge melted at the rear of the panel.

 

[Big_John]

You still have some sort of short. I assume that these are mechanical gauges and what I believe you are calling a "thermostat steel wire" is a capillary tube. It doesn't have any electrical connection.

I'd look for a wire touching the tube somewhere. Then I would look at the light connections on the gauge, including pulling the light bulb from the gauge.

 

[josehf34]

I think the short is fixed, one of the wires for the ammeter gauge was making contact with the silver face so I think it was acting as ground