press the brake and dash/gauge lights come on

[hunter01762]

Okay now I got my motor back in the truck and today went to work on installng gauges. All the gauges work, all the illumination works except that when I press my brakes my dash and gauge lights come on. I also took out the original trailer brake and I am thinking that this might have something to do with it. When I was installing the gauges I took the headlight switch out so I could find the dimmer wire installed a hot wire and and a new connector so the gauges would dim with the dash every thing works great except that when I press the brake the gauges and dash light up even with the headlights off and the ignition switch off any info on this problem will be helpful.

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

You're talking about adding auxiliary gauges and having those lights hooked up to dim along with your instument panel lights, right? Did you trace the wiring to the instrument lights and splice into that? That should work. The condition where you're having the brakes effect your instrument lights is a feedback loop. I've seen a few cases where someone installed the wrong type of lamp in the brake light socket which caused a feedback loop. I'd at least start there by checking the lamps.

[Jake11]

Or a shorted filament. Sometimes they break inside the bulb and short
to the park light circuit. Look at those tailight 1157's

[hunter01762]

fixed that problem i had to disconnect some rigged up wiring to some trailer lights and now the dimmer works like it should only now when i turn my headlights on my brakelights and parking lights go out any info will be useful

[Jake11]

CK. the rear sockets for losing ground. Use a testlight hooked to a good
gound on the frame and ck. for power in the bulb sockets. If you got
power, put the bulb back in and ck the ground by hooking up a extra
ground. Just a wire temporaily hooked to the tailight housing will do.
If they light up now, it's a bad ground.

[r-remmer]

Somebody stole my ground! Give it back! In the mean time I'll use theirs! Ron

[oldfordnut]

i have the exact say prob with my 79 and every thing i have tried seems to not work