Instrument Lights Not Working

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Glow Worm

"Not Your Grandmaw's 318"
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I searched previous threads for an answer, and didn't see anything so, here goes......

I just recently rebuilt my instrument panel using parts from two different panels. All of the gauges work, the high beam indicator works, the headlights work, the wipers work......but NONE of the instrument lights are working. The bulbs are all new, and the plugs have all of their contact points.

Before I rebuilt the panel I had at least one instrument light working, but now I have none.

I re-checked all of the fuses, and connections, but still nothing.

Any ideas?

Could the circuit boards be junk?

Does anyone re-build the circuit boards?

(I apologize if yoou've already read this somewhere else......)
 
At this point...I would think it is your circuit board. As you said..if your pins are fine when checked and you have 12 volts at your light "connector" pin "I" would say sorry, that I think you will have to pull it out again. Do a continuity check between your board light pin and follow the runs to all (+) bulbs. Also check the (-) side to ground. You may have a small open short in the run. I had this problem once and just got some gold circuit thread. I used finger nail polish to hold itin place. There's also a pencil of circuit board correction that will work.
 
I don't mean to sound stupid, but have you played with the light switch? Ok, so I sound stupid(worst part is...I forgot to turn it up once myself) but I had to ask.
 
get a test light. do you have power at both sides of the fuse when the lights should be on? check power in to the main dash cluster plug, i believe the wire is orange?? check the sockets to make sure that they ground at the circuit board. stab a small wire into the socket on the side of the bulb(to ground it) and put the bulb in place in the circuit board and take the other end and go to ground. this will ground the bulb and see if it is a ground issue or a power issue.
 
Thanks. I'm getting a "grocery list" of things to try.

I'm never insulted when people ask if I have tried this, or that. It never hurts to ask.

ONE MORE THING.... I have heard/read about INSTRUMENT VOLTAGE REGULATORS. I don't recall the 1966 Barracuda having one. Am I wrong?

If my car had one, it must have fallen off before I bought it. IF it is supposed to have one, where does it plug in? I don't see anything that would suggest having one.
 
It certainly sounds like a feed since none of the lights work. I`m not familiar with your instrument panel but I would guess it does (like most all other Mopars of the vintage) have a voltage limiter on the instrument panel. 2nd generation Barracudas have them located in the fuel gauge, I don`t know if yours does or not. Does it have 2 or 3 terminals on the gauge. If 3 it may be in the gauge. When you locate it you should have 12 volts going in it and about 5 volts coming out. The voltage will be intermittent because there`s a bi-metal switch inside the limiter that heats and cools causing a strip of metal to bend and break the circuit and cool to complete it. The result is a 5 volt average (pulse) that feeds your gauges and maybe your lights. See if you can find a schematic of your panel and trace the incoming 12 volt feed from the fuse box. I wish I could help more, I just don`t know your cars dash that well. Let us know what you find.
 
I have a color wiring diagram. I'll see if I can locate anything. It will be the weekend before I get to do any testing. The weather also plays a part in my ability to work on my car....due to limited garage space.....or is that NO garage space..... :)
 
The insturment voltage regulator is just for the guage power. I would think that either the petintiometer (sp) in the headlight switch might be bad as everything else is working I am posting a link to a diagram and it has number 930 with a line going to a terminal. Check to see if you get power out of that terminal. If so then look at the wire feeding to the cluster. If you get power to the cluster then You have either a bad ground or the circuit board is bad.

mopar-lite-sw2.jpg
 
I have used a headlight switch that didn't last 10 seconds. Just because its new or newer doesn't mean its good. Test the lead. You may be surprised. Electical components aren't built to the same standards that they were back in the day.
 
I have in the past had the pin on the circuit board not make good contact with the circuit strip. I put a dab of solder at the pin to circuit strip joint to make a good connection.


Chuck
 
I think Glow Worm said he had at least "one" bulb working.....which means power "is" getting to the board pin, however "only" that one bulb circuit is fine. There must be a open on a common run. Check "all" your board cluster light runs from your 12v light pin out to the bulbs.
 
BJS racing said:
I think its a power to the board problem.
Click to expand...

Before I rebuilt the panel I had at least one instrument light working, but now I have none.

Just thinking, that perhaps his circuit board with only one bulb working prior to his rebuild was degraded...then ended up completely tearing the run.

Basiclly, he would not of had any bulbs work if the problem was before the board??

No I'm not going there :pain10: I'm just tring to help.
Jim :thumbup:
 
Glow Worm said:
I'm praying for a loose ground wire.... :thumbup:
Click to expand...

They can be even harder to diagnos. (sp) Grounds can cause some of the most unexplained phenominon you have ever seen. I would pray that it is a power problem.
 
do the easiest first, put a test light to both sides of the fuse and see if power is there with the lights on. if so, go forward from there. if not, go backward from there.
 
MtNemoMopar is the winner! Well......sort of....

I went back in to the dash, and checked everything over REAL WELL....
I found a pin that was loose so I replaced the circuit board panel with the one out of the other dash. I went back in and checked all of the gauge fasteners, checked all of the wires, and then I tried the lights, and nothing happened.

I decided to see if maybe a fuse had blown, but all of the fuses were good.

I was replacing the fuse panel, and VIOLA! the dash lights came on. I was turning the dimmer back and forth and I could see THEY WERE WORKING!!!! AND THEN WENT BACK OFF. I thought maybe I was seeing things so I had my wife shut the garage door, and I SAW NOTHING (no dash lights) That's when I realized there HAD to be a loose wire somewhere.

So I kept fiddling/fooling around, and I saw the dash lighs come on, and then go off. I traced the problem back to the headlight switch, but it wasn't the switch, it was the switch PLUG. It had partially melted when the previous headlight switch overheated, and burnt out. Some of the clips inside the plug weren't sliding ove the blades on the switch....the were just barely touching, and creating a lot of heat. When I would wiggle the switch they would go on and off....

I repaired the plug, and now ALL of the dash lights are working!

I think repairing the entire dash was the key to getting ALL of the lights working, but without finding that melted plug, I would never have fixed the really bad problem.

NOW IT'S TIME TO FIX THE BACK UP LIGHTS!!!!
 
Boy...I'm sure glad you got that out of the way. I guess when you had only one light working before your rebuild, something as you stated shorted agian giving you nothing. Isn't electrical fun :thumbup:
 
Good job Glow Worm, I`m glad you reported what you found. It may help somebody, someday. Oh ,and congrats Bill!
 
I think the original "hardly any dash lights" condition was corrected by the re-build, but I would not have had ANY lights because of the condition of the plug.

The help from all of you (your suggestions, testing your tests, trying your suggestions, and re-testing) helps a helluva a lot, and persistance is what keeps us ALL in the game.

The best thing of all is...... "The smoke is STILL inside the wires."

The worst thing of all is.......WORKING UNDER THE DASH.....My wrists and arms are sore from last week, and I just added insult to injury today..........

BUT.....the satisfaction of the repair, and a few Bud Lights makes it all worth while.... :thumbup:
 
UPDATE.

It's been a while, but I finally went "Dash Diving" again, and I've got (just about) all of my electrical problems solved. The biggest help was purchasing a used harness from another 66 Barracuda on ebay (best $35 I ever spent), and a wiring diagram.

I traced and re-traced all of the wires on the diagram, and then yanked out the dash and went to work. I scavenged the "new" harness and replaced 3 or 4 of the plugs on my harness. The main culprit was the "melted" headlight switch harness which had about 1 pound of electrical tape on it. I was able to re-wire the connection to the switch on the steering colum, and after attaching a loose wire to the WIPER SWITCH, and and adjusting the switch position on the column, I HAVE BACK UP LIGHTS!!!!. While I was screwing around, I re-wired all of the connections to the factory tach, and found that it STILL does not work, but I have since installed another tach sooooo..... The only electrical things NOT working right now are the radio and the factory tach. I don't know if the radio would even work if I hooked it up, but I do know there is no speaker for it. I'm thinking about installing an aftermarket radio, and speakers under the seats. That's just in case I get tired of listening to the dual exhausts..... Previously I re-wired the license plate light, it it is now working.

NOW I gotta figger out what's wrong with the neutral safety switch. Maybe I'll tackle that on Saturday.......Dang! I shoulda traced the switch wiring while I had the dash out.......Oh Well!
 
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