No dash lights working

[bruno]

want to check fuses not sure were

 

[grjammer]

under left side of dash

 

[RedFish]

There's one fuse usually marked "inst" that doesn't have power at either end before the headlight switch is pulled to at least park lamp position. With headlight switch on the inst fuse should show power at both ends. If power at one end and not the other, its blown.
This dash light circuit includes ash tray lamp, shift indicator lamp, radio dial lamp, etc... All are orange wires. Blown fuse takes out all. Failed dimer rheostat in headlight switch also takes out all. That is the most common fault. If no lighting at gauge panel only, the fault is there. 3 or 4 bulbs in inst panel all burned out, some bulbs good but those bulb sockets broken, or broken pin at circuit board connector. That's not every detail but should be enough for now.

 

[67Dart273]

^^The above^^ Dash power starts in the tail circuit that is what supplies the dimmer control in the light switch. From the switch dimmer controlled power goes TO the INST fuse, then out to all dimmer controlled lighting on orange lighting from the fuse panel.

So the tail circuit has to work, and the light switch has to be in "park" or "head"..........and the dimmer control must work and be "twisted to the left".............and only then will the INST fuse show power

And twist/ wiggle the livin' you-know-what out of the dimmer to scrub it clean

 

[bruno]

thanks for your help

 

[jedrattle]

thanks for your help

I just did this. Mine was a combo of a bad headlight switch, bad bulbs and bad connections. I had to lightly sand the circuit board and the bulb socket contacts.

Now to figure out why my gauges work when they want.

 

[RedFish]

Now to figure out why my gauges work when they want.

If fuel, temp, and oil gauges go off and on together... There is a gauge voltage limiter somwhere. If you don't find it plugged into the back of the inst' panel, it is inside a 3 post fuel gauge.
The one that plugs in can have loose connections at those strange springy female contacts in the circuit board. The center one of three contacts has additional male terminal poked in with the limiter. It comes from a noise suppression cap'. To leave it out could cause a poor connection.
The limiter inside a fuel gauge depends on a slither of metal on the back of the gauge to ground it to the inst' housing. You would need to take the panel apart and remove the fuel gauge to service this poor connection.

 

[jedrattle]

Thanks for the info. I’m assuming this is what you’re talking about.

Now to get it apart without breaking it. Lol

 

[67Dart273]

^^Generally^^ about gauges................

Read and heed this excellent thread:

Printed circuit pins repair

In no particular order:

1...Check and repair the harness connector pins for looseness and corrosion

2....On clusters with a plug -in instrument limiter, solder bridges across the terminal connections as shown in the thread

3...Replace the instrument regulator--I realize in your case you have the gas gauge mounted IVR but there are ways to bypass that if necessary

4...Consider replacing the gauge stud nuts with "real" nuts, and tighten/ loosen/ tighten them several times to scrub the board clean

5...Clean around the lighting sockets with eraser, etc

6...Install a pigtail grounding wire to a ground point on the cluster and bolt it to something like the column support under the dash

 

[jedrattle]

^^Generally^^ about gauges................

Read and heed this excellent thread:

Printed circuit pins repair

In no particular order:

1...Check and repair the harness connector pins for looseness and corrosion

2....On clusters with a plug -in instrument limiter, solder bridges across the terminal connections as shown in the thread

3...Replace the instrument regulator--I realize in your case you have the gas gauge mounted IVR but there are ways to bypass that if necessary

4...Consider replacing the gauge stud nuts with "real" nuts, and tighten/ loosen/ tighten them several times to scrub the board clean

5...Clean around the lighting sockets with eraser, etc

6...Install a pigtail grounding wire to a ground point on the cluster and bolt it to something like the column support under the dash

I’ll check that out. I got it apart and sanded/cleaned all the connections on it. The gas gauge works now! I need a new temp sender so I can’t tell if that’s working. I now have working front turn signals and turn indicator, dash lights and gas gauge! I’m not going to know how to act! Lol

Thanks again for the help/info.

 

[RedFish]

Thanks for the info. I’m assuming this is what you’re talking about.
View attachment 1715305985
Now to get it apart without breaking it. Lol

No sir. Lift the gauge and look at its backside.
That piece over one fuel gauge stud could be tossed in the trash. You need a real nut there, with or without the shield. You may need to clean a bit of rust off that stud before trying to screw a nut onto it. These studs a simply swedged into a fiber board and that board get warped and brittle with age. Don't what to break something more trying to fix first thing. To use one of the speedy nuts on this stud and add standard hex nut at different stud might be the better plan. They didn't hold much of a tolerance in manufacturing these studs. I've ran across a couple that a hex nut would not go onto. Running a thread die over them is nail biting experience know how easy the board can crack. Anyway...
What you have pictured there was replaced with a speedy nut in later models. In those, the nut and stud has a baklite cap over it that looked much like a household wire nut.