dash lights

so on my '63 fairlane, I've been trying to figure out why my dash lights are not working. Fuse looks line. bulbs all seem fine. I put my multimeter on the gauge light voltage regulator. On the one side with the light switch in the "on' position I have a constant 12v. the other side I have no voltage going out.Is it possible that the regulator is fried and that is why my lights are not coming on?

 

Dash lights should be controlled by the reostat inside the headlight switch. Are you testing some sort of gauge voltage regulator?

If you are testing the H/L switch reostat output, and it is dead, then it could be the resistor windings are broken, or the rubbing block is not touching inside, or worn out.

 

Turn the reostat on the light switch back and forth a few times or run some emery cloth between the coil and contacts.. Has worked for me in the past....

 

yes i am testing the gauge voltage regulator. i have 12v on one side and zero on the other side of the regulator. which if I am reading the wire diagram correct is after the light switch.

 

The gauage voltage regulator is for the gauges not the lights in the gauges. Listen to the advice already given to you,look at the rheostat on the h/l switch. Normal Norman

 

The gauge voltage regulator is not what controls the dash lights on any car I have worked on.

You need to test the H/L switch. The dash dimmer wire terminal is most times, at the part of the switch that's closest to the dashboard. That's because the reostat is usually close to the dash.

 

If the rheostat is burned out, you can often just jump out the resistor buy connecting the leaving wire of the the resistor to the light bulbs to the terminal where the voltage enters the resistor or just cut the wires and connect them together for the full voltage (brightest setting) I always have mine turned all the way up anyway. As long as the rest of the H/L switch is fine I don't worry about the brightness of the dash lights I just jump the resistor out and they work fine at the brightest adjustment. How often do you adjust the dash lights anyway?

 

Follow the dash light wire to the headlight switch. Now turn the lights on and check for voltage at the end of the wire for the dash lights.

Do everything else that has been mentioned. Sometimes you can clean up the reostat wiith contact cleaner but sometimes it is just shot. If it is shot your only option is to replace the headlight switch. Or do like Tommy says and just wire them up hot so that they come all the way one when the headlights are on.