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              MAN 650314:D 

29 

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE 

 

 

This is a list of some problems and their solutions which may be encountered when installing your 
instrumentation system.  If you cannot determine what the problem is or how to solve it, please call our 
technical assistance line (605) 332-6513 or email [email protected]

* A note on vehicle grounding * 

 

The most common cause of problems with electric gauges and other sensitive vehicle electronics 

is poor ground connections.  The engine block has the highest ground currents of any point in the vehicle.  
The ignition system, electric gauge senders, starter, alternator, etc. all use the engine block for a ground 
point.  Since the alternator is grounded directly to the engine block, all ground currents in the entire vehicle 
must pass through the engine block while the engine is running.  A weak or loose connection can cause 
many unexpected problems that may be difficult to track down.  The engine block should have heavy 
ground straps to both the chassis and the body.  The main negative cable from the battery should be 
connected directly to the engine block
.   
 
Symptom 

 

 

Possible Problem 

 

 

Solution 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
System does not turn on  

Control box may not be getting 

Check if the control box always has  

 and status LED is off.  

  power. 

 

 

 

  12 volts connected to it’s constant 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  power terminal and 12v to ACC power  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  terminal when the key is on. 

 

 

 

 

Control box may not be getting 

Check if the control box has 

 

 

 

 

  a ground. 

 

 

 

  a proper ground connection. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not use a battery charger to 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  power the system. 

 

 

 

 

The control box may have  

 

Contact Dakota Digital’s service 

 

 

 

 

  an internal problem   

 

  department with a description of  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  the problem. 

 
System does not turn on 

Constant power connected but 

Check connection at ACC power  

  and LED flashes once  

  no ignition signal at ACC power 

  terminal. There should be 12v when 

  every 4 seconds. 

 

  terminal. 

 

 

 

  key is on, and 0v when key is off. 

 
System does not turn on 

Control box may be getting too 

Check if power to control box is 

  and LED is on steady. 

  low of a voltage. 

 

 

  at least 11 volts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not use a battery charger to 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  power the system. 

 
System does not turn on 

The display system may not be 

Check the patch cable between

 

the  

 and LED is flashing.   

  getting power. 

 

 

  display system and control box. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure the connectors are plugged in  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  control box and display securely. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check the display system wiring 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  harness for broken or cut wires. 

 
The tachometer will not 

The control box is not connected 

Make sure the control box is 

  show a reading. 

 

  to the engine properly 

 

  connected to your particular 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  ignition system properly. 

 

 

 

 

The tachometer signal wire is  

Check the connections at both 

 

 

 

 

  loose or broken. 

 

 

  ends of the wire. 

 

 

 

 

The engine cylinder setting is  

Refer to the tach setup section 

 

 

 

 

  incorrect. 

 

 

 

  of the installation manual. 

 

 

 

 

The tach signal setting is  

 

Refer to the tach setup section 

 

 

 

 

  incorrect. 

 

 

 

  of the installation manual. 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Contents for VHX-66C-NOV

Page 1: ...it includes Installation Control Box x7 6 20x1 25 Screws x5 8 18x 375 Screws x7 6 Washers 36 CAT5 Cable Universal Sender Pack Installation Manuals VHX Display 1 Remove the stock gauges from the dash D...

Page 2: ...used is the original front bezel and hardware Now is a good time to clean the bezel and remove any dirt or old lens gasket material 3 If using a reproduction bezel be sure to keep the top four 4 mount...

Page 3: ...d washers secure the gauges to the bezel Pay special attention to align all visible surfaces before tightening the provided hardware Some bezels may be bowed and not perfectly straight requiring sligh...

Page 4: ...strument system to the dash using the four 4 factory flat head screws at the top of the bezel black arrows above Again use caution when tightening Refer to the main manual for wiring instructions to c...

Page 5: ...OPERATION MANUAL Please read this before beginning installation or wiring IMPORTANT NOTE This system has an odometer preset option that is only available for the first 100 miles of operation See odome...

Page 6: ...e displayed here as well as additional functions listed below Features are available on either display L or R Mileage readings Million mile odometer Two A B re settable trip odometer 0 9999 9 Re setta...

Page 7: ...VHX DISPLAY LAYOUTS Tach LCD2 Message Center Speed LCD1 Message Center Tach LCD2 Message Center Tach LCD2 Message Center Tach LCD2 Message Center Speed LCD1 Message Center Speed LCD1 Message Center Sp...

Page 8: ...place mount the control box within reach of the supplied networking cable approximately three 3 feet If a longer cable is required replacement CAT5 cables are available online as well as your local el...

Page 9: ...M Connect to tail light circuit LED backlights will turn on when termianl has 12V Light or Buzzer 4 Watts or more Tail Light Light or Buzzer 4 Watts or less Relay EXISTING FUEL LEVEL SENSOR RED WHITE...

Page 10: ...This LED is located at the corner of the control box next to the GROUND terminal The LED is used for diagnostics and for a quick visual check if power is present A steady flash on and off about twice...

Page 11: ...TACH terminal to the secondary or high voltage side of the ignition coil To avoid having to locate a compatible connection a Dakota Digital BIM 01 1 may also be used with most 1996 or newer OBDII comp...

Page 12: ...driven pulse generator the polarity of the wires does not matter Connect one wire to the SPD Ground and the other to the SPD SND terminal The speed sensor ground wire should be brought back to the con...

Page 13: ...back lights will be on in demo mode and the needles will sweep back and forth on the gauges SW1 or Speed switch The SW1 terminal is used for selecting the various speed distance and warning displays...

Page 14: ...he sensor and should not be connected to anything else Connect the RED wire from the SEN 03 8 to this terminal DO NOT use this terminal to power any other devices it is a low current 5V output OIL SND...

Page 15: ...ehicle for the fuel sender then it may be used If using a wire from an existing harness make sure that the wire does not have power The fuel sender gets power from the control box only Fuel senders re...

Page 16: ...stem will automatically change to the gear display for a few seconds whenever the gear position changes even if viewing a different message display 4x4 The 4x4 terminal can be used on four wheel drive...

Page 17: ...on when the check engine wire is active DIM The backlights and needles in the VHX systems are designed to illuminate when the headlights are turned on Connect the DIM terminal to the taillight or park...

Page 18: ...Select RPM signal voltage level DONE Exit setup menu VOLT WARNING LOW 10 0 13 1 Set low volt warning point DONE Exit setup menu WATER SENDER DD F DD C BUS F BUS C Select sensor type WARNING 150 300F...

Page 19: ...he Adjust mode Press and hold SW1 then turn the key on and start the engine Once the engine is running release SW1 SEt SPEED should be displayed Press and hold the switch until SPEED SENDER is display...

Page 20: ...to avoid stopping during Auto Cal When completed you do not need to stop you may but you can also just press and release SW1 as you pass the one mile mark The message display cannot be used to determi...

Page 21: ...d setting is displayed press and hold SW1 until DONE is displayed to save the value Speed Output OUTPUT If a speed signal is needed for an ECM or cruise control the SPD OUT terminal can be used This t...

Page 22: ...y averaging The value can be changed from slow mid or fast When UPDATE is displayed press and hold SW1 to enter the UPDATE setup menu Release SW1 and the current update rate will be displayed Press an...

Page 23: ...switch to go onto VOLT DONE Press and hold SW1 to exit VOLT setup menu WATER TEMP SETUP The Water Temp setup allows you to select the units the temperature is displayed in Fahrenheit or Celsius It als...

Page 24: ...ess and hold SW1 until DONE is displayed Release the switch to go on to the next sub menu item Temp sensor test test This menu will allow you to check the resistance the control box is reading from th...

Page 25: ...n changes Release SW1 and the current warning point will be displayed as oil warn low xx where xx is the current warning point Press and release SW1 to change the value from LOw 05 low 36 When the des...

Page 26: ...The table above shows the seven options and resistance ranges as well as the custom option When fuel sender is displayed press and hold SW1 until you get sender xx xx where xx xx is the current sensor...

Page 27: ...FUEL test is displayed press and hold SW1 until the message screen changes Release SW1 and the current resistance from the fuel level sensor will be displayed as test fuel xxx ohms where xxx is the re...

Page 28: ...tting to 32 will only enable the LCD message backlights Next press and release SW2 to save setting Yes you have to use SW2 to save Exit lighting setup done This will allow you to exit the lighting set...

Page 29: ...any attached BIM modules Once scanning is complete the LCD message screens should be lit with the messages LCD1 and LCD2 on the screens This is to provide a reference of which LCD is which screen Once...

Page 30: ...ce the odometer has more than 100 miles this menu option will no longer be displayed Make sure you have correctly calibrated your speedometer so you don t have to worry about racking up too many extra...

Page 31: ...ply press and hold SW2 to access the menu again from any one of the main setup menu screens NORMAL OPERATION AND FUNCTION Here we will describe the common functions and normal operation of the VHX sys...

Page 32: ...current reading if it can be reset Also press and hold of the switch while the clock is displayed will enter clock set mode If you have the system powered up in normal mode you can scroll through the...

Page 33: ...l and 12v to ACC power terminal when the key is on Control box may not be getting Check if the control box has a ground a proper ground connection Do not use a battery charger to power the system The...

Page 34: ...ed signal wire wire away from the speed wire speedometer reads higher There is a ground problem between Make certain the ground wire for than zero the speed sensor and the control the speed sensor is...

Page 35: ...he sending unit wire from up noise from nearby wires motor and ignition wires The sending unit is not Use the sending unit provided with compatible with the control box the display system The gear shi...

Page 36: ...t to ground The display system starts SW2 terminal is constantly Disconnect or replace the up in the demonstration connected to ground SW2 switch mode and remains in it The clock doesn t keep Constant...

Page 37: ...the dated sales receipt from your place of purchase Send no money We will bill you after repair Dakota Digital Limited Lifetime Warranty DAKOTA DIGITAL warrants to the ORIGINAL PURCHASER of this prod...

Page 38: ...MAN 650314 D 34...

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