Rallye Instrument Panel

[bob7four]

Reinstalling the instrument panel and dash in my 69 Barracuda. Reconnected everything but the dash lights do not come on. They didn't before I removed everything so I replaced the 8 bulbs and connectors purchased from Classic. Any ideas?

 

[Super-Cuda]

Reinstalling the instrument panel and dash in my 69 Barracuda. Reconnected everything but the dash lights do not come on. They didn't before I removed everything so I replaced the 8 bulbs and connectors purchased from Classic. Any ideas

Without actually seeing the back of the cluster, my guess is a bad headlight switch or connection or a bad connection on the round harness that connects to the circuit board.

Pics of the circuit boards would help.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

On a rally dash there are 2 connectors for the instrument lights. The round one, Right side lights. And a flat one with three wires, Left light. . If neither light up I would say its a ground or the headlight switch. Orange wire is the dash lights in the harness. Check for power on the radio light. If that lights up its not the headlight switch.

 

[mvh]

The headlight switch is a notorious source of problems. But you might check that all the connections are tight.

 

[bob7four]

Is the headlight switch supposed to have a ground? I see a tab on the back that looks like a wire with a connector might connect. There was none present when I dismantled it.

 

[Mike69cuda]

The ground on the headlight switch is not needed. The only use it would have would be for the dome light.

 

[Murray]

Is the cluster grounded?

 

[moparmat2000]

Grounding tab is only when used in plastic bezels in later models, because the switch housing is the ground. It grounds through the housing to mounting nut, into the dash frame sheetmetal normally. This switch and ones similar to it were used on the full size ram vans up through 2002, as well as other trucks.

 

[bob7four]

Cluster is only grounded by the mounting screws through the dash frame. Can an additional ground be added?

 

[67Dart273]

Yes and a grounding pigtail SHOULD be added.

Here is how the dash lighting, controlled by the light switch dimmer, works

The light switch has TWO power sources

1, B1, comes direct from the "welded splice" in the ammeter circuit to supply ONLY the headlights, which has a breaker built in/ on the light switch

2, B2, comes from a fuse, and powers the park/ tail lamps AND the dash lamps. That power goes through the dimmer control, OUT the switch on TAN, back down to the fuse panel to the INST fuse on one end of the panel, and out to all dimmer controlled lighting on ORANGE wiring.

So the tail/ park circuit fuse must be good and supplying power, the tail lights must be getting power, and the switch either in "park" or "head," with the dash dimmer twisted to left. Vigorously twist it back and forth to clean the rheostat, and wiggle it to see if there is a "sweet" spot where it makes contact. Measure for voltage there at that INST fuse to see if it is getting power