HELP Instrument Panel Lights?

-
1

1969GTS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Messages
752
Reaction score
1
So I'm weeks from being on the road pending the safety inspection. I need everything to be working and I can't get any instrument panel lights to work. I also have no power to the far left fuse even with the ignition on. I don't have the radio hooked up and following the diagram its in that loop some how but I wouldn't think it would be a power source. There is a lonely looking spade connecter on the back of that far left fuse but I can't find a loose wire? I need one of you wiring guru's to give me some suggestions.

Thanks a ton
 
So far all i've managed to figure out is that taking the drivers seat out makes this a lot less back breaking. I was starting to feel like a bat with all that hanging upside down. Man its no fun working under the dash, you cant see or reach anything and everything is sharp!.
 
There is one fuse marked inst that should contain 3 amp fuse. That one gets it power from the headlight switch and sends power to the dash illumination bulbs only.
 
RedFish said:
There is one fuse marked inst that should contain 3 amp fuse. That one gets it power from the headlight switch and sends power to the dash illumination bulbs only.
Click to expand...

So with all my head lights working could it be the switch not sending power to the dash lights?

Thanks
 
you might have a damaged cable.
measure the voltage at the switch then at the fuse. and do a continuity test on the cable, fuse seperately and then the cable with the fuse in it, as ive had a few holders in mine have a poor connection internally....
 
FAT-245 said:
you might have a damaged cable.
measure the voltage at the switch then at the fuse. and do a continuity test on the cable, fuse seperately and then the cable with the fuse in it, as ive had a few holders in mine have a poor connection internally....
Click to expand...

I'm not even getting power to the back of the fuse box on that fuse. You may be right as far as a bad wire go. More Mopar yoga positions under the dash today.
 
you wont get power there until you pull the headlight switch atleast 1st click
 
im having the same no dash lights issue with my 71 dart.I thought i was having a ground problem,but putting an extra ground didnt make a difference.Do the switches go bad on just the instrument light output?
 
tobysoldblue said:
im having the same no dash lights issue with my 71 dart.I thought i was having a ground problem,but putting an extra ground didnt make a difference.Do the switches go bad on just the instrument light output?
Click to expand...
At the front of the headlight switch is a resistor coiled in a ceramic housing. The 3 amp fuse limits the current to protect the resistor. They often go bad anyway and often the only fault in the entire switch.
Two options... buy a new switch appox. 15.00 or
Take yours out and I'll show you a very simple way to bypass that resisitor resulting in bright as possible dash lights regardless where the knob is turned.
This jumper install has no effect on dome light or any thing else related.
 
Redfish, I'm not sure what the wiring luddites like me would do without you. So even with the light switch pulled I'm getting no power to the first fuse. I do get power to the female spade connecter you can see hanging beside the kick panel when I pull the switch. It has two black wire into one and doesn't reach the fuse box or anything else. When I jump it to the back of the number one fuse I get instrument lights however my turn signals light up and my temp and fuel gauge both go past far left? Im guessing thats not where it goes. I'll try your trick with the switch bypass and see where that goes.

Thanks everyone who has responded

IMG_2436.jpg
 
So that connecter is park lamp circuit relayed. Not sure what its for. Aditons interior lamps like map light maybe. To remove the park lamp fuse would prove thats what it is. I'm not gonna study how that connecter pegged out the gauges until I have to LOL
 
%$#@%@ OK I pulled the switch, cleaned the connectors again and put a lite cote of conductive grease on the spade connectors. The beige wire on the back of the switch now has power and so does the first fuse. However my temp and fuel gauge still max out and my directional arrows come on in the dash. The tester light gets dim or bright depending on which way I'm turning the knob so it seems to work right. I have no idea how this is effecting my gauges? I HATE WIRING! pheeeeeew
 
You must have a problem on the printed circuit board or its main harness connecter. Thats about the only places where all the circuits get close together. Lets pull the instrument panel.
Remove the negitive battery cable before you start. Amp gauge wires are always hot.
 
RedFish said:
You must have a problem on the printed circuit board or its main harness connecter. Thats about the only places where all the circuits get close together. Lets pull the instrument panel.
Remove the negitive battery cable before you start. Amp gauge wires are always hot.
Click to expand...


I think your right. It all seems to work as far as wires go but I'm getting power to the whole aluminium casting for the gauges. I changed the circuit board yesterday and wonder if there isn't supposed to be some sort of insulation between it and the casting?
 
Ok here it is! I did notice a little flux residue between the far right and the next pin. I had to solder the far right pin as it was broken off. I've cleaned that off but it shouldn't have powered up the whole casting?

IMG_2438.jpg
 
I'm not familiar with the pinouts on that board, but depending on what that pin goes to - it may have powered a bunch of stuff up through one of the gauges that pegged. It may be a time-saver to probe the illumination pins with appropriate voltage while checking for weirdness before stuffing it back into the dash.
 
No all the copper caontacts are on the outer side of the board. The grounds are made by the boards mounting screws to the housing.
If you should have copper or solder, contacting the housing insulater would be needed
 
Wires check out OK. The only two that power up with the light switch are the orange ones on either side of the panel. Some how the circuit board is jumping circuits but it looks fine? The bald spot on my head grows with every scratch?
 
This keeps getting worse! I don't think the circuit board is the problem. Its all good until I turn the ignition to the on position, then my gauges spike. I also get power to the black wires in the plugs on either side of the gauge cluster when the ignition is in the on position. I thought Black was always a ground? My brain hurts. My ignition feels wonky I wonder if thats where the problem is? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr The only thing I have modified it bypassed the amp meter by soldering the red and black wires together as per the Mad wiring link.
 
^#$^&#&^ GREAT! Now I have two circuit panels that look like this! I'm so F'n sick of this issue. I can't understand why my gauges peg and I keep frying panels. All I want is some gauges! Can this panel be fixed or am I searching for a new one. It took me forever to find this and I've been through three reducers ..................%^$#^%$# I'm ready to say to hell with the factory cluster and put a set of four auto meter gauges under the dash. WIRING SUCKS.

IMG_2439.jpg
 
You can fix it with some copper foil and solder, BUT the foil is hard to find nowadays...........I've repaired them with wire too, but you have to find that dead short........You're probably looking at a short inside the feeder harness that goes to the gauges..........Wow..........

Sorry for your trouble there.........been there. Real pain. Check that harness completely......unwrap the entire thing and check every wire carefully. I had a problem with turns and such, and these shorts can be well hidden.
 
1969GTS said:
^#$^&#&^ GREAT! Now I have two circuit panels that look like this! I'm so F'n sick of this issue. I can't understand why my gauges peg and I keep frying panels. All I want is some gauges! Can this panel be fixed or am I searching for a new one. It took me forever to find this and I've been through three reducers ..................%^$#^%$# I'm ready to say to hell with the factory cluster and put a set of four auto meter gauges under the dash. WIRING SUCKS.
Click to expand...
It's fixable. You could patch that with a strip of copper sheet and some solder followed by a coat of shellac to keep the elements out. Before that, the cause of something pulling so hard on that terminal needs to be run down. Have you swapped the gauge voltage regulator for a known good one? Something looks very wrong there... almost like there's a dead short inside it. What parts are common between the fried panels?

Wiring does suck. Hang in there. This place is running over with knowledgeable guys and gals that have been in similar situations.
 
I'm contemplating replacing the entire under dash harness with a new one. My back and sanity have to be worth more than what ever it would cost me. I may take both panels to a TV repair guy and see if he can fix them.
 
i'm gonna jump in here with something else to check. on the main pin out connector on the harness. make sure that the wires are in the correct location for the circuit board. i've noticed in several cases where, because the wires come out of the connector fairly easily, that they get put back in the wrong holes.just something else to check. the layout is in the haynes manual by the way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top