MikeD
Well-Known Member
Been sorting electrics on Duster but still haven't got the dash lights working, all fuses are now good, any ideas ?
Dash lights not working on 73 Duster
- Thread starter MikeD
- Start date
-
MikeD
Well-Known Member
With the light switch pulled the orange or tan wires aren't showing any voltage on fuse 7 which is 3 amp, top of picture.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
Do your tail/ parking lights work? Power "in the switch" for the tan comes FROM the tail circuit. If that works, Red is right ---bad switch or at least bad dimmer
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Tail, horn and side lights didn't work, replaced fuse and faulty bulb in rear lights already, cured everything but the dash lights, i've taken the switch out and it looks fairly old but i managed to find another one that looks a lot better so i will try that, wiring looks ok to the switch, fingers crossed.
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
It should be fairly straight forward to jumper power from the main power lead on the switch to the dash light terminal for testing.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Just tried the other switch and still not working, lights are fine still but one of the rear lights is slightly brighter than the other, looking at the rear wiring on the drivers side, green twisted to a black and other wires going to a block connector on the other side which i can't find in the trunk and it's hard to see what colour they are.
The increased brightness of one light could be a wattage thing, as there are a couple different ones to choose from...replace them both. This problem you're having sounds a lot like what I'm going through: I check the orange wire coming up to the dash and there's 12 volts when it's un-plugged, but as soon as I plug it into the circuit board, it goes down to 2volts. Not sure why it doesn't blow the fuse...I've ordered a new circuit board set out of desperation. The fuel gage is wacky also, there's a voltage limiter built into the fuel gage on my 66 Cuda. Since the gage get the current from the circuit board, there could be some connection.....but I'm guessing
I don't quite understand your comments. The factory wiring routes along the left side of the car and across the rear to the right fixture(s). Going to a block connector on right side? I don't think so. The only connector of the rear lamp harness I can recall is behind the left kick panel.
I can only guess the green wire is left turn. Factory wiring diagrams are free downloads. You shouldn't have any wires twisted together. Anyway...
If a rear bulb socket has only 2 wires, those are 1 for park and one for brake/turn. Park is same color wire at both left and right while turn is 2 different colors. The socket gets chassis ground though a metal fixture and the fixture is bolted to the car body and weak ground paths do happen.
I'll imagine green is left turn and black is park. These twisted together operates both elements in the bulb making it brighter than the right park. That's just edumacated guess.
None of this is relative to the lack of power on tan wire going from turn signal switch to fuse box.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Please understand i've only just bought the car and i'm trying to put someone elses problems right. I read another thread where a guy had a faulty back light and it knocked his dash lights out, as regards the connector block, it appears on the other side on the wiring diagram. I've sorted the rear lights, cleaned the earth, put connectors on and connected the correct wires together, still no dash lights, i'm going to pull the cluster right out and investigate.
Last edited:
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
Your "main point" of interest here is the inst. fuse. The tan wire is feeding power FROM the light switch dash dimmer control TO that fuse. If you cannot get power there to start with, then there's no need (yet) to pull the cluster. Again, that power is provided internally in the switch from the tail circuit
That was my first thought too. Then I thought, easier access the wring harness maybe? You'll need to lower the column to remove the inst' panel and if you have column shift automatic, you risk loosing neutral safety switch setting.
The light switch will pretty much fall from under the dash. Look at the top front of it for a link that has a hole in it before turns straight down to become a scrubber on the dimmer rheostat. That gets 12 volts at switch in park lamp position. Straight below that hole near the center of the rheostat is its inner connector. A nail, instrument screw driver, whatever will fit straight down through the hole to the contact below becomes a jumper, bypasses the rheostat. If the rest of the switch is good, pulling the switch to first or park lamp position should produce full on 12 volts to the tan wire that routes out of the switch and to the fuse box.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
MikeD
Well-Known Member
The first switch showed no voltage at the tan side of the fuse with the lights on, i will test the other tomorrow, i had to pull the column in gear to get the bezel even partly out because the column didn't drop very far and i knew there was something i needed to remember which you pointed out.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Took a reading both sides of the fuse ( tan and orange ) on the new switch, now getting 10 volts but dash lights still off, the light switch and the fuse box are both hanging down though, do they need to be grounded to the body to work ? i can't see a ground on the wiring diagram.
Fuse box is not chassis grounded. The headlight switch isn't chassis grounded. A new headlight switch will have another male spade on the back of it for a ground wire that is req'd in some models.
The inst' panel does require chassis ground, so if you have removed mounting screws around its perimeter, the dash light would not work.
Voltage at the orange wire will vary with dimmer rheostat but... You should have closer to battery voltage on that tan wire. Check the terminals marked BATT 1 and BATT 2 on the headlight switch connector. If BATT 2 is low, the voltage drop may be in the ignition switch connector. If BATT 1 is low the voltage drop may be at/in amp gauge, or bulkhead terminal connections, or fusible link connections.
Get full 12 volts inside the cabin and everything will work better from wipers to spark ignition to license plate light.
The inst' panel does require chassis ground, so if you have removed mounting screws around its perimeter, the dash light would not work.
Voltage at the orange wire will vary with dimmer rheostat but... You should have closer to battery voltage on that tan wire. Check the terminals marked BATT 1 and BATT 2 on the headlight switch connector. If BATT 2 is low, the voltage drop may be in the ignition switch connector. If BATT 1 is low the voltage drop may be at/in amp gauge, or bulkhead terminal connections, or fusible link connections.
Get full 12 volts inside the cabin and everything will work better from wipers to spark ignition to license plate light.
Last edited:
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Thank you, i wasn't aware of that. It is also 10 volts at the light switch.
Last edited:
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Screwed the bezel back in, bolted the steering back up, noticed from underneath nearly every bulb and holder was missing out of the back of the dash, put new ones in, everything works but the dash lights. Car won't turn over, the battery is really low as i've had all the lights on, amongst other things, so i've put it on charge for tomorrow, 9 volts at the fuse now.
In that case a voltage drop may not be present. Lets get close to 12 volts going on the orange wire. We're looking to have dash lamps, plus glove box lamp, shift indicator lamp, radio dial lamp... What am I forgetting? There are only 3 or 4 illumination bulbs in a inst' housing and they are behind blue tint diffusors. Then there are the 2 to 4 additional bulbs on that same circuit...
At 9 to 10 volts, questionable rheostat? , crusty fuse clips?, I can imagine the inst' lamps did come on, so dim you couldn't see it. When the 2 to 4 scattered illumination bulbs burn brightly yet inst' panel lamps remain dim, then we go back and look at the ground path of those lamp sockets.
At 9 to 10 volts, questionable rheostat? , crusty fuse clips?, I can imagine the inst' lamps did come on, so dim you couldn't see it. When the 2 to 4 scattered illumination bulbs burn brightly yet inst' panel lamps remain dim, then we go back and look at the ground path of those lamp sockets.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
The bezel the switch came out of looks like brand new but it's slightly different, there's a bit of rust on one of the fuses but it's not the tan or orange.
MikeD
Well-Known Member
Just to conclude, i put the fully charged battery back on today and the dash lights now work, thanks to all the people that advised me on this thread.
Mike
Mike
-
