No Headlights or dash lights

picked up 72 duster that most of wiring under dash was chopped so I sourced a very nice harness froM here an redid whole dash but now I can’t seem to get any headlights or dash lights, this is what I know: cleaned all grounds where dash bolts , have steering column grounded an cluster , new head light switch , all new fuses , checked all wires before installing dash so no bare wires, I do have front running lights an indicator light on the shifter position that dims with switch. I don’t have hi/Low beam switch hooked up yet would that have something to do with this ?

If you have the shift indicator light working and dimming when you rotate the headlight knob, then you should have dash lights unless they’re all burnt out or you have a bad connection at the dash. Yes, you need to install the wiring to the dimmer switch to have high or low beams. Hope this helps

No dimmer switch is why you have no headlights. Has no effect on dash lights though. There have been a few cases where owner was working outdoors in daylight. Their dash lighting was working just so dim it couldn't be seen.

RedFish said:

No dimmer switch is why you have no headlights. Has no effect on dash lights though. There have been a few cases where owner was working outdoors in daylight. Their dash lighting was working just so dim it couldn't be seen.

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Found old high/low beam in trunk so now I have headlights!!! ...thanks for the help !!!...now I believe still have no dash lights ...any pointers where I might start?

The are two or three ground points on the back of the dash that ground through the screws that hold the circuit board down. I usually put star washers under them so they have a good “bite” on the circuit board copper. Run a wire from one of them to some metal on the car frame.

did you replace your dash lights with LEDs? if so they have a polarity

Lots of good dash light threads here. Just search

where the harness plugs into the board there are pins they have a tendency to brake or loose connection .

Thinking I should go leds but I haven’t so far ...will ground out circuit board an see what happens

Fix what is there before you go LED

Some general comments some of which has been covered

the light switch has TWO separate battery sources........one is unfused to the switch from the ammeter circuit and operates ONLY the headlights. The light switch has a built in breaker

The second source comes from the tail lamp circuit and provides power for the tail/ park, and instrument lights. The instrument lamps (dimmer controlled) have a small fuse in the panel AFTER the dimmer control

As mentioned, check or fix the cluster connector pins. Find a solid state gauge instrument regulator/ limiter. Tighten/ loosen the gauge stud nuts to clean them and tighten. Check and solder a jumper across the contacts to the IVR socket if necessary, they lose contact. Run a separate ground pigtail from the cluster common point to the upper column support

Check headlight ground which is a ground lug out on the rad support, usually. Both sets of headlamps ground to that one spot---at least on earlier cars

Look up threads on here about bulkhead connector problems. THEY ARE a problem

Do a search on here. There are scads of threads on lighting, cluster, and bulkhead connector problems. After all this wiring--and it's connectors and switches--is getting quite old

If the shift indicator lamp, radio lamp, etc,, are working, the fault has to be at the inst' panel.
The park brake lamp and oil pressure lamp ground at those switches so inst' panel ground not required or proven by tose. If high beam and turn indicators work the inst' panel is proven grounded.
Grounding panel to the steering column will work but... if you have to lower the column to service the panel, you'll disconnect your added ground. Better to ground inst' panel at a place that stays put. I routed my ground wire from inst' panel to behind left kick panel. I did add a male/female spade connection about 4 inches below inst' panel so this added wire will unplug like most others.