I'm new here and first off I want to say HI to everyone.
I have a 1986 ford ranger 2.9L, good little truck.
My problem is that my wipers, radio and gauges all stopped working. Are they tied in to eachother? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

Do you by any chance have the owners manual?
In it would be a description of the fuses, layout, and what circuits they control.
This information would be extremely helpful in directing to the possible problem area.
Did you check all the fuses?

 

I don't have a manual, but I have checked all the fuses and circuit breakers and all are good.
My wife said that the radio would go off when she hit a bump and then come back on, so I expect a loose connection. Then the gauges stopped working then the wipers all within three days.

 

Normally those three circuits don't share the same voltage supply, therefore, I would suspect something they do share and that is the ground connection.
It would be a good idea to check every ground connection starting with the ground from the battery negative cable, then every ground wire that connects the sheet metal of the vehicle to the engine and there are usually several (more than 3 or 4 ). There is usually a ground wire that connects to the inside dash and the accessories like radio, gauges, etc. So there is no doubt what check means here--- loosen the bolt clean and tighten it. Let us know which connection it was OK ? Thanks.