Pulled cluster - now dash lights don't work

-
E

ESP47

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
2,521
Reaction score
1,475
Location
Sacramento, CA
Working on a 71 Duster, decided to pull the cluster out to lube the speedo cable, swap circuit boards because of a broken pin and clean up the lenses that got pretty hazy.

I got the cluster back together and connected the alternator gauge, headlight switch and circular connector that goes onto the pins of the circuit board.

I wanted to just test the lights before I put the wiper switch and speedo cable back in and for some reason, I can't get the dash lights to work correctly. The headlights come on when I pull the switch. When I twist the switch to turn the dash lights on, it only turns the two turn signal lights on in the dash. They hold a solid green and none of the other dash lights work. The headlight hi beam light doesn't work either when I hit the floor switch. What does work is the dome light once I turn the switch all the way and I can get the gear indicator light in the column to work.

Everything looks to be connected up the correct way. Anyone have an idea of whats going on?
 
I think your cluster is not grounded. You should run an extra wire anyway, as this is a problem in the original design. Find a screw on the pc board to cluster housing that is a ground trace. You can easily do that just by tracing the copper foil up to one side of a lamp. Put about a 1 ft wire on there so you can get it in/ out of the dash, and hook to a screw/ nut hidden, such as in the column support yoke behind the cluster.
 
Don't forget to check all of your fuses. Just in case.
 
67Dart273 said:
I think your cluster is not grounded. You should run an extra wire anyway, as this is a problem in the original design. Find a screw on the pc board to cluster housing that is a ground trace. You can easily do that just by tracing the copper foil up to one side of a lamp. Put about a 1 ft wire on there so you can get it in/ out of the dash, and hook to a screw/ nut hidden, such as in the column support yoke behind the cluster.
Click to expand...

Turned out to be a grounding problem. Thanks a bunch!
 
I'm very interested in this post. I'm going to be pulling the dash and gauges on my 67 dart soon. Do you 67dart273 think even if my gauges all work I should hook up a good ground wire? I'm still a little unclear about where to connect wire on back of circuit board. Is there a screw or stud that is on the back for the purpose of grounding? I know that you said trace the copper foil to a illuminating bulb and you are saying use a tab or stud/screw that should be at the bulb? Sorry about all the questions but trying to learn more about electrical it is foreign to me. Thanks

Carl
 
Yes, you should add a ground wire. I swiped these photos from a "for sale" ad. In the top photo, the screw to the left of the far left lamp socket grounds ONLY that lamp. But the two mounting screws towards the right are part of a trace that grounds ALL THREE of the lamp sockets on the right. Just follow the "blue" which is a protective coating over the trace. You should "clean up" all those, and make sure the ground screws are tight.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=167964

attachment.php


In the bottom photo, the only PC board screw visible grounds only this one lamp to the cluster pan. The studs/ nuts below are for your temp/ fuel gauges. These should be cleaned (or maybe buy a repop board) and those "fake" nuts should be replaced by "Real" nuts. I don't remember, they are a common thread. I think 10-32

The board pins shown in this photo are a common problem. You can see the left one is missing, and the others may be corroded and or loose.

attachment.php
 
If there is a good bulb in the sockets it completes the circuit so all could grond at just one screw. Ablown bulb would interupt the path. Regardless, nothing is chassis grounded unless there is a chassis ground path.
The best path is an actual copper wire attached anywhere. If it is connedted at only one of those bulb screws, that bulb may burn a tad brighter or a lot brighter than all others.
To run a small wire from every screw is a lot of trouble.
 
Before you reinstall the cluster into the dash do a bench test on all your installed bulbs using any 12v source. It may save you some agony after it's installed.
 
I cleaned all the 12v sources on the circuit board and pins, cleaned the light bulb socket terminals, open up the copper wings on the bulb sockets, and finally, ran individual grounds to each grounded screw terminals on mine, 100% working order.
 
If you haven't put the cluster back in yet, consider installing LED bulbs like I did. They should last forever and generate less heat to discolor the plastic lenses. Also gives a nice bluish glow. Just search for the bulb# on ebay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top