'69 Dart Control Cluster...

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walkintree

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Well i've got an issue, and no amount of tissues will solve it. My right turn indicator will light up when i turn up the backround light for the control cluster, with the headlights on, it will brighten and dim, just like the left side, as it clicks. it will work as normal when the headlights are off. The right side backround lights will not work at all. and the four-way flashers are really touchy, sometimes they will work when the headlights are on, sometimes they will not at all, although the right signal will stay lit up when flashers and headlights are on. Its got me baffled. A wire grounding out somewhere perhaps? I've got the service manual, and i've looked the wiring over, and thats all i can come to. any ideas? would a grounded wire cause this?
 
Check the plugs on the back of your instument cluster,loose pins and spread open female plug connections will cause all kinds of grief. My signal indicators in the dash and backlight were doing the same tricks#-o until I got all the cluster connections fixed up.
 
Usually but not always, when the indicator on the dash stays lit, it means that either the front or rear bulb on that side has one side of the element broken. 1157 bulbs are known to do that. I had the same issue with my 69 Dart. Headlights and talights worked but when I used the turn signal the dash light wouldn't blink on a particular side but rather just stay on. Turned out to be a bad bulb on that side of the car. As far as the rest of your issues go, like was said earlier, check out your dash connections at the circuit board.
 
Now for the correct answer. 1157 bulbs have 2 circuits or should I say 2 hots that share a chassis ground. So when that ground is lost and the park lamp circuit is hot the current uses the turn circuit for a ground . Result is park lamp current feeding back through the turn circuit thus lighting the indicater on the dash.
Your problem is a loose fixture etc.. at right front. Can't be the rear fixture since that turn circuit is interupted at the turn signal switch so it can be brake lights instead.
 
ReFish is "right" I guess I didn't fully understand your problem. I was speaking from my own personal experience though.
 
I aint always right and dont want to be. I'd just rather suggest someone look at everything easy to see before going into the dash panel. From my experience these sort of problems are most often a bad bulb, wrong bulb, or socket/fixture related.
 
Thanks guys. I never really thought it'd be an exterior fixture, so i did actually go through my dash already, which i needed to do, as the last owner butchered some of the wiring. So its in a lil better shape now. I will be sure to check all my bulbs and fixtures, and let ya'll know. Thanx!
 
RedFish said:
Now for the correct answer. 1157 bulbs have 2 circuits or should I say 2 hots that share a chassis ground. So when that ground is lost and the park lamp circuit is hot the current uses the turn circuit for a ground . Result is park lamp current feeding back through the turn circuit thus lighting the indicater on the dash.
Your problem is a loose fixture etc.. at right front. Can't be the rear fixture since that turn circuit is interupted at the turn signal switch so it can be brake lights instead.
Click to expand...

Hmm. would this connection be a ground? I've replaced the bulb in the back (it was broken). Where would i be looking? or is it going to be a random slice somewhere, and my best bet is a service manual and a lot of poking with a test light? Electrical is normally pretty easy for me... but this has me hooped.

And my license plate light refuses to light up. but the brand new bulb in, and no light. hit the side of the bulb with my test light, still no light, but my test light says its live!...grr.
 
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