Loose Ground
Short answer: Headlights-on making the indicators glow dim and the gas gauge drop is almost always a bad dash ground (sometimes a shorted instrument lamp). The dash gauges and lights ground through a thin metal strip sandwiched between the radio and the dash — if the radio’s been removed/changed or the connection is loose, the dash goes haywire.
Fix: add a ground jumper from the back of the gauge cluster to bare metal on the dash. If that doesn’t do it, look for a low-resistance shorted instrument lamp diverting current (it’ll run warm) — feel the back of the cluster for a hot spot, or pull the illumination lamps one at a time to isolate it.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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Hi All,
I have a 67 400HO –All four headlights don’t work. Front parking/turn signals work fine. Since I’m assuming that the headlights are on the same circuit as the front parking lights, could it be the switch? Pulling it out closes the circuit on the parking lights on the first “step” in the switch, and all the way out to the second step should be the headlights. But nothing happens. Thoughts?
BLK69JUDGE said:
try jumping your dimmer switch
From FGF Forums: https://firstgenfirebird.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=38713&Number=318909#Post318909
My tailgates weren’t working, but the brake lights were. Had the harness replaced. For years I’ve had an issue when I turn on my headlights the gas gauge goes down and my blinkers glow. When I press on the dash it goes away. I realized that I’ve been driving it for over a year with one screw holding up my rattling dash cover. I found the screws in my console and tightened them in. The problem went away, but the next night I couldn’t start it, and it kept dying. They seemed to have come a little loose and I’m afraid to mess with it. When I’m at a stop it seems close to dying again. There’s also a slight miss. I just had my car with my mechanic for a week and he says everything is flawless and it wouldn’t die for him. So tonight was my first drive and it’s idling low which I’ll just have set a little higher. This problem started after I put the screws in, but both my mechanics seem to think there’s no connection. Can anyone help please?
Is it possible some bad connection behind the dash can cause my car to die? I’ve been thinking something is going on with my ignition switch and/or the ignition lock cylinder too, Is there a connection?