Heres the story, i just bought a 1990 Firebird Trans-Am and got it insured and registered today. Now theres a problem with the high-beam switch, it doesn't click in all the way by using the signal switch on the steering wheel. So how i had to turn them on and off is reaching under the steering wheel and finding the switch down there.

Anyway, while i was looking for that switch, I'm not sure what i did, but now theres no power to my dash. None of the guages move, none of the warning lights come on when i turn turn on the power to just before ignition. The singal indicators on the dash still work, and the highbeam indicator works, but nothing else does.

I'm guessing its a problem with the wiring, i looked around for a loose wire or something, but to no avail. I'm wondering if any of you pros can help me.

 

Did you check the fuse for the gauges? I know its a diff car, but something like that happened in my old plymouth acclaim, and i blew a fuse for the gauges. everything else worked except them.

 

there is a big connector on the right side of the steering column under the dash, check make sure that is snug, i bumped mine loose once (old brittle plastic) and caused funky stuff to happen with my gauges

 

Which fuse is for the guages? I'm totally new to firebirds but willing to learn everything i can.

I took a few pictures of the wiring.
You can see the wires (pink and black) that i think is the culprit in this picture, but i have no clue where it goes, i looked and looked for a place to plug it in:


Heres a few other pictures:

 

I had a problem with my high beams i could adjust the switch a little higher but that wasent doing anythin once checking every thing i found the metal shaft running from the steering wheel did move it as much to click, on the steering shaft where the indicator stawk, adjustment stick is there should be a plastic cover. Unscrew the adjustment stick and just put out the indicator stawk (being careful).
Now this is the really tw@tin bit (use a thin flat screw driver) a carefully take that cover off.. careful as there is a plastic bit in there which converts the movement of the indicator stawk when you want the main beams on lift it up and that pushes the metal rod down (this may be broke and was the fault on mine) or its not on correctly. This took me about 10 min to put it back in not easy.

for the fuse ive had a look in my owners manual and it says the fuse for the guages is number 9 which is a 10amp fuse looking at your pics (1st) its the third one down closest to the drivers door but best to check al fuses safest way i found was disconnecting the battery (so when you pull them out nothin gets damaged best to be safe than sorry) and pulling each one out and checkin it and compareing it to the owners manual i have there are some fuses that are higher than they should be my car being a 1983 5.0 v8 305engine trans am, if u want ill scan the pages and put them on for what each one does?
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also i think that pink and black wire might be for the footwell light? might not be just a guess

 

Thanks, i found the fuse, it didn't look like anything was wrong with it, but when i replaced it, everything worked. Thanks for telling me how to fix the highbeams thing. I'll be sure to fix that right away.