What am I missing? Can't get dash power...

westie47

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67 Coronet r/t. Thanks for asking. I added it to the post.
One of the issues I found was that the wires were in the wrong plugs on the engine wiring harness. The fusible link and violet wire had to be switched. It caused the main power wire on the dash harness to melt back about an inch! I also didn't have the alternator ground properly.
 

1carlover

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Ok have you checked the round pins on the circuit board to be sure they are tight? They are notorious for working loose and causing intermittent connection. The fix is to get the appropriate size copper wire and insert it into the back of the hollow pin and then solder the pin and copper to the circuit board.
The pins seem to be tight when the dash light thing happens but the car isn't running either. Testing has been done with the key in the on or acc position only and engine is off.
 

1carlover

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One of the issues I found was that the wires were in the wrong plugs on the engine wiring harness. The fusible link and violet wire had to be switched. It caused the main power wire on the dash harness to melt back about an inch! I also didn't have the alternator ground properly.
My fusible link is in the correct spot according to the service manual but my issue started before I changed out the dash harness. Imagine my surprise after spending that money on an m&have replacement and the dash lights still didn’t work.
 

westie47

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My fusible link is in the correct spot according to the service manual but my issue started before I changed out the dash harness. Imagine my surprise after spending that money on an m&have replacement and the dash lights still didn’t work.
I totally get it. That's why I found an auto electrical shop that is going to go through my system and make sure everything is working as it should be. It'll prob cost me 5-7 hours of labour, including prewiring for the retrosound radio.
 

1carlover

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Good luck with all that.
I totally get it. That's why I found an auto electrical shop that is going to go through my system and make sure everything is working as it should be. It'll prob cost me 5-7 hours of labour, including prewiring for the retrosound radio.
I installed a retrosound redondo system in my car last year. Not too difficult to do and it fits without cutting the dash. The auto electric shop in my area won't work on my car and I've had 2 experienced mechanics give up on my car after hours of trying to diagnose my dash light issue.
 

James Hogan

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Good luck with all that.

I installed a retrosound redondo system in my car last year. Not too difficult to do and it fits without cutting the dash. The auto electric shop in my area won't work on my car and I've had 2 experienced mechanics give up on my car after hours of trying to diagnose my dash light issue.
In regards to the dashboard lights, when I replace my dashboard harness with an m&h stuff 14 years ago we found that many of the lights did not work because the new little clips weren't touching the board. Might want to give that a look. Best of luck
 

1carlover

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In regards to the dashboard lights, when I replace my dashboard harness with an m&h stuff 14 years ago we found that many of the lights did not work because the new little clips weren't touching the board. Might want to give that a look. Best of luck
Thats a very good point but the pin connections look ok even though not as beefy as originals, and probably wouldn't blow the instrument fuse if it came loose.
 
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