1974 Duster Ammeter Bypass

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Dustin Mitchell

Dustin Mitchell

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OK. I searched previous forums and was unable to find any threads addressing this. Perhaps I missed one and if I did, my apologies.

So I'm wiring up the Painless Mopar wiring harness #10127. I am needing to know how to bypass the ammeter. The Mopar Painless guide was apparently written by folks who don't have a clue either. It has been quite an ordeal filling in the blanks between Painless wiring instructions and MyMopar 1974 Valiant shop manual wiring diagrams.

How is the instrument cluster getting battery positive power? The ammeter is a separate circuit altogether correct? Thanks for the help FABO members.
 
OK the Painless deal should "almost" automatically eliminate the problem IF

1....You eliminate the bulkhead connector and simply use a grommet to feed the harness through the bulkhead. If you can use a file and hacksaw, you can use the old firewall connector from the "dash" side as a pattern and cut a simple metal plate that will clip in place using the original type gasket and spring clips. Just put a hole and grommmet (which should have come with the painless kit

2...I dearly hope this is a "complete" Painless harness and therefore you can leave out the seat belt interlock stuff which interrupts the yellow start wire

3...The Painless instructions (if not changed) are poor at detailing the Mopar ballast resistor. If you are NOT using a ballast, you must at some point jumper the IGN1 and IGN2 connections together either right at the ignition switch, or out in the "bay" I would recommend "out in the engine bay" IF you think you will ever use an ignition system which requires a ballast

EDIT I see figure 7-2A does address the brown "IGN2" wire 931

And table 7-1 does show the ignition switch colors although they use somewhat different terminology than does the Mopar factory diagrams
Ylw¹ Ignition Start 919 Ylw
Brn Ignition Coil 931 Brn
Blk Accessory Fuse Panel 932 Blk
Blu Ignition Switched Fuse Panel 933 Blu
Red Battery B+ 934 Red

Can you post a link to the Painless destructions?

EDIT never mind I found them

https://www.painlessperformance.com/Manuals/10127.pdf

7.2.1 Connect ENGINE SECTION (single) 10-gauge red wire #916 (with or without ammeter) to the
MAXI fuse. Use remaining 10 ga. to connect to Starter Relay Battery Terminal. Retain excess wire.

SEE FIGURE 7-1B


Also do you have a 74 factory wiring diagram as well as the "MyMopar" two page aftermarket ones?
 
Last edited:
67Dart273 said:
OK the Painless deal should "almost" automatically eliminate the problem IF

1....You eliminate the bulkhead connector and simply use a grommet to feed the harness through the bulkhead. If you can use a file and hacksaw, you can use the old firewall connector from the "dash" side as a pattern and cut a simple metal plate that will clip in place using the original type gasket and spring clips. Just put a hole and grommmet (which should have come with the painless kit

2...I dearly hope this is a "complete" Painless harness and therefore you can leave out the seat belt interlock stuff which interrupts the yellow start wire

3...The Painless instructions (if not changed) are poor at detailing the Mopar ballast resistor. If you are NOT using a ballast, you must at some point jumper the IGN1 and IGN2 connections together either right at the ignition switch, or out in the "bay" I would recommend "out in the engine bay" IF you think you will ever use an ignition system which requires a ballast

EDIT I see figure 7-2A does address the brown "IGN2" wire 931

And table 7-1 does show the ignition switch colors although they use somewhat different terminology than does the Mopar factory diagrams
Ylw¹ Ignition Start 919 Ylw
Brn Ignition Coil 931 Brn
Blk Accessory Fuse Panel 932 Blk
Blu Ignition Switched Fuse Panel 933 Blu
Red Battery B+ 934 Red

Can you post a link to the Painless destructions?

EDIT never mind I found them

https://www.painlessperformance.com/Manuals/10127.pdf

7.2.1 Connect ENGINE SECTION (single) 10-gauge red wire #916 (with or without ammeter) to the
MAXI fuse. Use remaining 10 ga. to connect to Starter Relay Battery Terminal. Retain excess wire.

SEE FIGURE 7-1B


Also do you have a 74 factory wiring diagram as well as the "MyMopar" two page aftermarket ones?
Click to expand...
1. Yes, the wiring harness eliminated the bulkhead connector so we're good there.

I do believe I have starting/charging system wired correctly. At this point its just a matter of writing up the instrument cluster and headlight switch. Painless instructions get much more vague after the ignition system part. Or perhaps I'm just missing things.

Now I understand how the Painless harness eliminated the need for the ammeter. That was the big question. Now all that remains is some confusion on wiring up the cluster and headlight switch.
 
Well ask away LOL. One thing you can do when you power things up is get a large wattage bulb such as headlight or stop/ tail lamp, wire both filaments in parallel and put that in series with the ground lead of the battery. If anything is shorted, the bulb will light, but it won't burn up any wireing.
 
67Dart273 said:
Well ask away LOL. One thing you can do when you power things up is get a large wattage bulb such as headlight or stop/ tail lamp, wire both filaments in parallel and put that in series with the ground lead of the battery. If anything is shorted, the bulb will light, but it won't burn up any wireing.
Click to expand...
That's definitely something I had in mind. I'm fairly confident everything is good, but I definitely want to test first.

I don't even know what to ask at this point. Haha. If I had a diagram of the Painless harness, or some table that tells you what wire goes where from th Painless harness to stock harness wiring, it would simplify things so much. Perhaps they had to make it the way they did to fit a wide range of Mopars. I don't know. One thing is certain, a lot of the info in that Painless guide is of no use. And I'm seeing that sentiment echoed everywhere I read.
 
67Dart273 said:
Well ask away LOL. One thing you can do when you power things up is get a large wattage bulb such as headlight or stop/ tail lamp, wire both filaments in parallel and put that in series with the ground lead of the battery. If anything is shorted, the bulb will light, but it won't burn up any wireing.
Click to expand...
I'm bo no means a wiring guru. I've been turning wrenches professionally for 15 years. But this is confounding. And chiefly because the information provided by Painless is weak at best. But you guys are the brains here! So here I am. I'll figure out what wire goes where and I'll be back if I run into any snags. Thanks 67Dart!
 
Dustin Mitchell said:
That's definitely something I had in mind. I'm fairly confident everything is good, but I definitely want to test first.

I don't even know what to ask at this point. Haha. If I had a diagram of the Painless harness, or some table that tells you what wire goes where from th Painless harness to stock harness wiring, it would simplify things so much. Perhaps they had to make it the way they did to fit a wide range of Mopars. I don't know. One thing is certain, a lot of the info in that Painless guide is of no use. And I'm seeing that sentiment echoed everywhere I read.
Click to expand...
You do have the Painless destructions that I posted? They seem more "towards Mopar" than I remember, it's been awhile. There is no actual line drawing. If you really want to know, you need to sit down before you install it, with the instructions, and "ohm out" everything to see where it goes.
 
67Dart273 said:
You do have the Painless destructions that I posted? They seem more "towards Mopar" than I remember, it's been awhile. There is no actual line drawing. If you really want to know, you need to sit down before you install it, with the instructions, and "ohm out" everything to see where it goes.
Click to expand...
PO installed the bulk of the harness. I'm buttoning up what was left. So here's to hoping PO got front and rear light sections correct.
 
OK. So what I have pictured is the factory wiring coming from the barrel connector for the circuit board on back of instrument cluster. Bottom image.

The other is the Painless harness. The two red wires go into one connector in the barrel as does the two black wires. Wiring diagram does NOT show these wires. I am not seeing where these would logically hook up to. All help is appreciated.

20210929_102703.jpg


20210929_102655.jpg
 
What you need to do is actually look at the cluster. If you can post a clear photo (or split and do overlapping 2 photos) of the back of the cluster you can follow where the traces go.

Also if you look at the factory diagrams, there are charts behind the diagrams showing the connectors..

If you do not have a copy of the 74 factory manual I made a pdf of the wiring section that you can download........

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/74vlwirings-pdf.1715779008/

EDIT that page somehow got AFU

here

harnessconnector.jpg


From here you have to get back into the factory diagrams and figure out what the wires do OR trace the traces on the cluster directly.

G2, violet, and G6, grey, for example are sender wires, one is temp one is oil that MIGHT be in the Painless manual

E2, Orange--Orange is almost always dimmer controlled dash lighting

See table 9-1 on page 21 of the Painless manual
 
Last edited:
67Dart273 said:
What you need to do is actually look at the cluster. If you can post a clear photo (or split and do overlapping 2 photos) of the back of the cluster you can follow where the traces go.

Also if you look at the factory diagrams, there are charts behind the diagrams showing the connectors..

If you do not have a copy of the 74 factory manual I made a pdf of the wiring section that you can download........

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/74vlwirings-pdf.1715779008/

EDIT that page somehow got AFU

here

View attachment 1715798182

From here you have to get back into the factory diagrams and figure out what the wires do OR trace the traces on the cluster directly.

G2, violet, and G6, grey, for example are sender wires, one is temp one is oil that MIGHT be in the Painless manual

E2, Orange--Orange is almost always dimmer controlled dash lighting

See table 9-1 on page 21 of the Painless manual
Click to expand...
Yes, I have been able to deduce most of the wiring. The ones pictured are what's left and what's throwing me is that I have double wires coming out of the round connector. I have more wires coming out of the connector than I have left to hook up. Lol. The diagram you posted is showing the red and orange ones so that's a good start.
 
67Dart273 said:
What you need to do is actually look at the cluster. If you can post a clear photo (or split and do overlapping 2 photos) of the back of the cluster you can follow where the traces go.

Also if you look at the factory diagrams, there are charts behind the diagrams showing the connectors..

If you do not have a copy of the 74 factory manual I made a pdf of the wiring section that you can download........

https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/74vlwirings-pdf.1715779008/

EDIT that page somehow got AFU

here

View attachment 1715798182

From here you have to get back into the factory diagrams and figure out what the wires do OR trace the traces on the cluster directly.

G2, violet, and G6, grey, for example are sender wires, one is temp one is oil that MIGHT be in the Painless manual

E2, Orange--Orange is almost always dimmer controlled dash lighting

See table 9-1 on page 21 of the Painless manual
Click to expand...
And yes, the Orange wire I've got figured out too. Again, just a matter of figuring out where those double wires are going. I mean I must be overlooking something very simple.
 
Factory often used terminals to create branches on a circuit, usually to save wire length. So for example... if you know the black wire goes from the brake lamp in the instrument panel to the switch on the hand brake mechanism, There is a second switch at fluid distribution that can turn that light on. The other black wire would go through bulkhead connector and on to that second switch.
Keep in mind that I don't have complete diagrams in front of me. Above is just general explanation of 2 wires in one terminal.
 
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