Swapped Consoles - Lost Lights

[Bruzilla]

I swapped in a new Rallye dash into my 74 Roadrunner. My old one was still intact with the original AM radio and I didn't want to cut the bezel to install an aftermarket unit. I also removed the AM radio.

After mounting the replacement dash, I have no turn signals (either flashing on the dash or on the front/back), no dash lights, and the Temp guage isn't working. The heat/A/C controls, wipers, headlights, hazard lights, tail lights, brake lights, Amp, Fuel, and Oil guages are all still working.

Any ideas?

 

[dave5237]

for starters see if you have power going to the back/front turn signals that are not working now. Second. Does the dash take bulbs and are they good. I am not %100 sure on the 74 dash if bulbs push in like my 68. You are going to hear people say grounds ( that was my problem ). Check for power. Its a start.

 

[Bruzilla]

Forgot to mention the bulbs. All the bulbs were replaced when I swapped the consoles.

My first thought was no ground, which would account for the loss of the dash lights, but the turn signal lamps should still work even if the indicator lights on the dash aren't.

 

[tpodwdog]

id go with loss of ground. you also might have bumped or jarred the signal sender. anything can happen to these old cars when ya take something out and are in the dash wiggling and pulling on wires. check the fuses also. i hope you disconnected the battery before you did this ,, if ya didnt you might have short circuited the dash lights etc.

 

[Bruzilla]

Battery was disconnected, and I took the opportunity to replace all the fuses with new ones while I was under the dash. I'm thinking it's got to be a grounding problem.

 

[tpodwdog]

Battery was disconnected, and I took the opportunity to replace all the fuses with new ones while I was under the dash. I'm thinking it's got to be a grounding problem.

i would have to agree with you on the ground loss. i just wanted to make sure all your bases were covered !

 

[Bruzilla]

The plot thickens... I got under the dash last night, and tried running a direct ground to the back of the cluster. No joy. I even tried running a direct ground to one of the panel lights. No joy. So it looks like the issue isn't grounding.

I also started installing an aftermarket stereo, and found I have no juice going to the switched 12VDC+ lead that provides power to the old AM radio, and which is fed by the same fuse as the turn signals (but not the dash lights). The radio didn't seem to work before I removed it, so I don't know if the loss of power at the plug is a new thing or not. I've already changed that fuse, so I know that's not the issue.

So now I'm thinking that lowering the column broke a connection somewhere. I've already found one patch wire under the dash, so there's no telling how many bypass, patch, and work around wires folks have stuck in there over the past 40 years. Looks like another evening playing under the dash... thank goodness I held off installing the seats.

 

[Bruzilla]

After wasting two weeks chasing electrical gremlins, I opted for a non-standard fix. I cut all the dash light sockets off from the wiring harness, spliced them into a new wire assembly, and connected that assembly to the orange illuminator wire from the old AM radio.

The dash lights are again working like a champ.

 

[tpodwdog]

ya gotta dew what ya gotta dew. congrats on the fix !