64 vert panel lights shorted

[Ed P.]

Working on a 64 vert that has had a new wire harness installed. When the panel lights are turned on they do not work but the fuel gauge and the temp gauge peg out. Also the turn signal indicators turn on and the brake light comes on. If I pull the inst. light fuse all is ok except no panel lights work. I have tried another headlight switch with same results. I have the steering column out right now and there is no change. The wiring to the headlight switch appears correct. Thanks Ed

[Timothy B.]

Re: 64 vert panel lights shorted

If it's like 67, the stop light circuit powers the rear lights and dash lights through the headlight switch. Power then goes to the dash light 4 amp fuse then to a grey bundle (union) for all the dash lights. These lights ground through the socket to the cluster..

I would start be disconnecting the connector to the rear harness to isolate the problem and see if the dash lights will work like they are supposed to.

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 vert panel lights shorted

Ed, check to see if the gray wire has power w/the lights on, if you do you may be missing a ground to the instrutment cluster, sometimes missing grounds will find a source or path to sometime else like the gages, pegging them out.

[Ed P.]

Re: 64 vert panel lights shorted

Ok I disconnected the rear wiring with no change. The problem is the ground for the panel. When I removed the steering column there was a groung wire from column mount bolt to the mount bolt for the cig lighter. Not installed very well justed twisted wire ends. I thought for sure I had run a ground jumper before to check this but maybe my jumper had a bad connection. Should there be another ground connection someware. Thanks Ed

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 vert panel lights shorted

Ed, there must be a ground somewhere for the instrutment cluster, if you can not find one try making a temporary one to see if this will light the dash lamps, use a screw on the metal part of the cluster and a good ground source.

[John H.]

Re: 64 vert panel lights shorted

Ed -

There's a 14-ga. black ground wire in the harness with a female black plastic single connector on it that plugs onto a male blade terminal that's screwed to the back side of the cluster, just above the tachometer; that's the ground for the cluster.

There's also a 14-ga. brown wire in the harness with the same kind of connector on it that plugs onto the wire on the radio capacitor mounted adjacent to the ignition switch; that wire is HOT whenever the key is on. If the black and brown wires are reversed, the cluster will be HOT instead of grounded, and all manner of excitement will ensue.