68 dash lights intermittent

[pcf_mark]

Fellas - I am daily driving my truck now so the small stuff is starting to annoy me. The dash lights will all work then randomly none will work. Currently they are all not working. I have played with the switch (turn, click, turn) and nothing makes a difference. I think power goes into the headlight switch then out the switch to the fuse panel then out of the fuse panel to the cluster lights. I have power on both sides of the fuse in the fuse box so I think power is making it that far. Where does it go after the fuse box and is there a union or something I should be looking for that would take them all out?

Thanks

 

[Viperwolf1]

There is a single splice in that blue-red wire near the steering column but I doubt that is the problem. Clean the fusebox clips. Your power flow says the rheostat is working and the fuse is good but you don't know if its getting out of the fusebox to the blue-red wire.

 

[DirtDonk]

And while you're messing about with the fuse panel, I usually remove every fuse and then put them back in after cleaning the contact points a little bit. Typically every couple of years when I'm driving them.

Paul

 

[SHX669]

When I bought my '68 none of the dash lights worked until I grounded the dash/cluster .
Mine had a ground strap attached to the firewall but hanging loose in the engine compartment . I attached the loose end to the motor and - viola - let there be light . LOL

 

[pcf_mark]

When I probe the fuse box I checked for voltage on the clips. The heater fuse faked me out with the corrosion last winter and I cleaned them all. I'll go back and sand them clean again but I think it is further down stream since I have power on the clips in and out.

I'll try to find the other plug by the column - my column has been out a few dozen times!

Ground test is easy I did not think of that.

Thanks!

 

[DirtDonk]

Even though it's metal screws to a metal dash, I would also add an additional ground like SHX did. Sometimes the dash itself loses a good connection to the body.
And if you don't still have a good body ground anyway, it's even worse.

Lots of the original body grounds get left behind when people change the main ground cable. If you don't have an additional body ground from the battery I would add one. And also one from the engine to the firewall. This gives your dash the best chance it can have.

Of course, it's not unheard of for it to be caused by a tired old headlight switch. The rheostats go wonky fairly consistently over time.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[pcf_mark]

Closing out this thread. Defying logic it was the fuse box clamps. I had power on both sides of the fuse with switch on so I assumed it was getting power. Nope. I cleaned these a year or so ago but all I did was scrape them a bit with some sandpaper on a screw driver and voila I have dash lights.

Thanks!

 

[DirtDonk]

Thanks for the follow-up. Glad it was that simple. There's another one for clean fuse clips then.
I remember my heater hardly blew and something else was acting up (maybe it was the dash lights too) when I first bought my '71. Did the clean thing and everything worked great!

With my first car I remember removing the bulkhead connector to check it out and clean around it. Then put it back together without touching the contacts in any other way. Holy cow, my headlights just got brighter! So that was my first lesson on tired old contacts.
And those were only six years old at the time.
The Bronco's were only five years old.

Paul