Has anybody been down this road before.

[Fastmax32168]

I just reinstalled my dash in my 80 monza which included hooking up some new gauges and installing a radio. Everything works as it should with one exception. I notice when I step on the brake it lights up my dashboard in addition to the brake lights. I can keep it from lighting up the dash by turning the dash lights on the headlight switch completely off, so I know it is feeding through the switch somehow.
Thanks
Roy

[spencerforhire]

This problem is usually found in the back of the car, not under the dash. Sounds like the brake lights are feeding back into the park lights not directly into the dash lights; sometimes a tail light ground is off, sometimes it's a bulb in crooked or the wrong type of bulb. Unlikely for it to be caused by wiring gauges; if you somehow got the gauge lighting circuit tied into the white brake light wire instead of the gray dimmer wire, you wouldn't be able to stop it by turning the knob.

[my79monza]

Also check tailights for a good ground, funny things happen when they are looking for a ground, things light up that shouldn't be lit at that time.

Merle

[Fastmax32168]

I will check those things as the car has also been painted during this re-do and all of the lights and grounds have been out and reinstalled.
Thanks
Roy

[my79monza]

pictures, I need pictures.

Merle

[spencerforhire]

I was scratching my head trying to figure out how you developed a tail light ground problem by installing a couple of gauges, but now you've revealed that the car was also just painted; NOW it all makes sense.

[cammerjeff]

I agree with checking the grounds on the tail lights, I had a 69 GTO that with the bad ground I had front and rear brake lights, the front blinkers would light up when I applied the brakes. So I know strange things happen when the tail light grounds are bad.

[barebonesracecars]

ANYTIME you get a head-scratching, cussin', wonder-why-the-heck-it's-doing-that? electrical problem, check the grounds. Bad grounds do all sorts of weird things.