Cluster ground wire ?

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mbaird

mbaird
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I am working on my 78 Dodge motorhome gauge cluster . Should there be a ground wire to the stud labeled "ground" on the circuit board ?
Would it be wise to install one if factory did not ?
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sure looks like something was there at one time. Might be press on connector in the harness. you will know if you need a dedicated ground if the guages don't work when it is all back in.

extra grounds cant hurt! ( typically)
 
I would add one. Not familiar with those "rigs" but the A bodies are "famous" for poor grounding, which originally was through the cluster mounting screws. Just add a piece of wire and bolt it to the dash frame or column mount
 
My Amp meter wasnt working and the lights were dim .. partially due to the amount of dust inside the lenses.
So I decided to add LED dash lights and clean the cluster . The circuit board had a break in the Amp meter circuit so I soldered that .
 
A ground wire will allow you to power it up and test it before fully attaching to the dash.
When I add a ground wire with ring terminal, toothed washer, at a screw, I add male and female spade terminals a few inches away from the panel so my ground wire will plug in and unplug like everything else does ( except for my amp gauge wires of course ).
 
WOW ! What a difference that made .
Its like driving a modern car . I can easily read the gauges now.
 
I would add one. Not familiar with those "rigs" but the A bodies are "famous" for poor grounding, which originally was through the cluster mounting screws. Just add a piece of wire and bolt it to the dash frame or column mount
Could you run a wire to the negative on the amp gauge to the dash frame to ground the cluster better? Would i would like to ground mine better but I don't see anywhere to put a ground in the cluster. Other than the negative side of the amp gauge
 
NONONO!!! LOL. The ammeter is NOT grounded!!! That great big huge gigantic black wire on the ammeter runs to the alternator.

What you need is simply look at the cluster. Look at stuff like the illumination lamps, and the board traces. These are all connected together. One trace is the ground side, and works around at some point to mounting screws on the cluster. Any one of those is a ground point and you can use one of the screws.

Since there are several cluster designs this is difficult to show. This is out of a Dart, the black arrows are the mounting/ grounding screws. Any one of them will work for a ground point. Not all cluster housings are metal but these are still the ground for the lighting and cluster.

Instrument Panel.jpeg
 
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NONONO!!! LOL. The ammeter is NOT grounded!!! That great big huge gigantic black wire on the ammeter runs to the alternator.

What you need is simply look at the cluster. Look at stuff like the illumination lamps, and the board traces. These are all connected together. One trace is the ground side, and works around at some point to mounting screws on the cluster. Any one of those is a ground point and you can use one of the screws.

Since there are several cluster designs this is difficult to show. This is out of a Dart, the black arrows are the mounting/ grounding screws. Any one of them will work for a ground point. Not all cluster housings are metal but these are still the ground for the lighting and cluster.

View attachment 1715675723
Yet again you teach me something new. Thanks del. By the time we're done I will know something about automotive electronics!
 
I believe Chrysler had changed the wiring by 78 . There is no heavy wire running to the gauge cluster on this .
 
I believe Chrysler had changed the wiring by 78 . There is no heavy wire running to the gauge cluster on this .
In your case that's correct as your ammeter (if it has one?) is an external shunt deal. Maybe it doesn't. But DartFreak hijaced the thread LOL.
 
Its not possible to hijack one of my threads. They have no direction to them ...lol
 
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