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$200 K5 (454 K5 now) *too much junk in the trunk

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I got a set of Dakota digital gauges with the Edelbrock interface and GPS module. Just starting to work on the install.

When I unplug the stock gauge cluster ( electronic 1990) the alternator starts humming. If I plug the gauges back in it's silent. I assume it's something to do with the charge warning light. The new cluster has no charging light. What do I need to do here?
Also anyone know which colors the fuel sender wires are in the dash harness? I can find indicators, tail light, high beam easy with a test light.
 
HankScorpio said:
Discovered an overfilled t-case and underfilled transmission.
Any thoughts before I pull the case and do a seal?
SM465 NP205, both rebuilt. Not a ton of miles on this stuff, could have just got a bad seal or bad luck.
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Nope, you know the correct answer already. I have the same thing going on but they are both atf, I just keep putting trans fluid in. :doah:Luckily I haven't put many miles on the truck.
 
Still charges with the cluster unplugged, 12.5v at the battery jumps to 14.6v while running.
 
Steady slow electrical drain with the cluster unplugged.
 
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Plug the cluster back in and drain stops, battery actually recovers a bit. 12.20v jumped to 12.31v after plugging cluster back in.
 
Grounding either of the pink with black stripe wires or the yellow wire in the cluster connector through a test light helps the situation.

The yellow wire will light the test light for a few seconds and then shut off when the truck is started.
The pink and black will light the test light constantly with the truck running.
 
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I am using the original pink coil wire as the switched power signal for the proflo4. Edelbrock recommends this as a good option in the proflo4 manual. Grounding the connector wires triggers the proflo4 main power relay. That's not going to be a good way to quiet the alternator.
 
I have been going over the wiring diagram and still can't figure this out. The yellow wire is for the seat belt warning light. No idea where the 5 second timing on the light comes from. This truck has no ECM, its running totally on the ProFlo4. I only left enough wiring to charge and run the lights. I got it running and then stripped out the wires I wasn't using. Everything works fine until I unplug the gauge cluster. Pink with black stripe probably voltmeter circuit. I don't understand why unplugging the gauges causes problems with the rest of the charging system. I should be done with the Dakota digital install by now but I have wasted the entire weekend trying to follow wires I don't even want to use.
 
Polymath said:
I'd call Dakota Digital and ask them about it before you get any deeper. They may have heard of this issue before.
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I think so too. Its an oddball unfortunately, only '90 and '91 have the all electric gauges although the mechanical speedo ones should have the same electronics in the rest of the cluster.
 
I have an '89 a '90 and 2 '91's so I would like to know what is going on here. Part of going to Dakota on the Blazer was to get the cool GPS features and it gives me a spare cluster for one of the other trucks. I feel like these '90 and '91 clusters are going to be unobtanium soon. The Dakota is complex but its actually a really straight forward install. Just weird that unplugging the stock cluster would affect the charging system.
 
Thats got to be what is going on when I can use a test light to trick things into working. The wiring diagram is hard to follow but the bulbs are all connected which is I think why I can use 3 different pins to stop the humming. I don't understand why it will charge with the cluster removed though.
 
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