I'm working on a car that doesn't have any of the dash lights lit. The headlight switch works, but the dimmer doesn't. How can I test the dash lights by bypassing the headling switch? I checked that the bundle of brown ground wires, from the fuse panel are well grounded. I also checked the fuses and they appear fine.

Any other recommendations for tracking down this problem?

-- Rob

I assume you have checked the bulbs by taking them out one by one and checking them with a spare battery. You can also get a test light and clip one end on the hot lead and ground the bulb. Another opition is to use the bulb holder with the battery and some leads. Check the fuse block with ohm meter across each to check continuity.

How are the fuses? POS body shop miswired the license plate lights on my car (in addition to "a few" other little surprises!) which kept popping the fuse that powers the dash lights and other stuff.

--DD

i also had no dash lights until i turned the knob that should adjust the brightness of the dash lights. i figured i "cleaned" the rheostat by wiping across it. still not bright but enough to see the tach and that other gauge to the right of it, whatever that's for.

Be careful some of the brown wires are power, atleast the ones that go to my interior light between the seats.

I think the actual wires for the gauge lights are black with a blue strip (for a '75)

Do ALL of the other lights work (licence plate, rear trunk, interior light, heater control assembly light)?

OK, I did some more work/analysis on this problem. I removed the headlight switch from a '74, noted all of the wires and their attachment points. Then, went to the '76 and began removing the wires. After getting about half of them off, I noticed that there is one less terminal on the '76 then on the '74, so I stopped. Then I noticed that the '76 had two of the wires mixed up. I put them back, according to my '74 diagram and I got the light in the fan console (the light on the top right side that looks like a 4-lug fuch) to dim and brighten. I got the multi-meter out and found current across several of the blue/black wires at the connection of the bulbs. I dimmed them and got less voltage. I still wasn't getting any of the instrument cluster lights to light up, so I took one of the bulbs/wires and ground it out at the steering column, which lit up the bulb, then immediately blew the fuse. Well, at least I now know the bulb works.

So based on the above, I'm assuming that the lights aren't getting to ground. The instrument cluster was not bolted in. So, if I reattach the instrument cluster, will that complete the ground/circuit?

BTW, the instrument cluster holder is PLASTIC..... I have a spare metal one, should I replace the plastic?

-- Rob

SUCCESS.... I now have dash lights.... I can now see in the dark...

It turns out that the headlight switch had been changed previously and someone hooked up the wires wrong....

BTW, if anyone is going to work on the instrument cluster I would recommend removing the steering wheel, then placing painter's tape, at least 2 strips, on the top of the steering column before removing the instrument cluster. The cluster has a tendency to scratch the top of the column...

-- Rob