no dash lights...but everything else works!!
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From: Duncan, OK
no dash lights...but everything else works!!
Spent the evening chasing 47 year old wires in my '60 F100. Good news is that everything works now except the dash lights( cluster lights). Prior to this, the cluster lights, the dome, and the horn did not work due to previous owner. I have chased them down per the maps in my shop manual and they appear to be correct to the guide. I have checked them with the ign on and off and no luck. My only concern is that there is a stray black wire with a sleeve as if something is to plug into it. This wire leads into the firewall and that is where I lose it...I cant find it under the hood. Anybody got anything?? Thanks!
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From: Duncan, OK
Sounds interesting....is the rheostat the same as what you mention as a resistor...if so, would the dome light still kick on when turned to the left? The rheostat does sound kinda crunchy...even the one extra I picked up at salvage...I have tried both to no avail. Should I check into a new rheostat?
Ryan
Ryan
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If the rhostat feels crunchy,, It probably is defective. All power comes through the headlight switch to the headlights and also to the dash lights. There are really 3 devices in the headlight switch. The dome light could work because the switch is the 3rd switch at the end of rheostat but not part of the rheostat circuit. I had a problem on my 58 ford and this was the issue. There is also 1 wire from the rheostat (variable resistor) to the instrument lights. If this is the "black" wire it might just be disconnected.
Hope this helps. Jim
Hope this helps. Jim
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dash lights inop
had the same problem and on my 76 f100 all bulbs had to be good for the rest to work. I changed the light switch first and then took dash apart and changed burned out bulbs. that fixed the problem
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From: Duncan, OK
Sorry it took so long getting back...I pulled the light switch and the rheostat and lightly polished the contacts on the switch and rheostat with a brasswire wheel on the lowest dremel speed. Then applied a liberal coating of dielectric grease. You would think I had installed a brand new switch! This was the first time I had ever seen what the dash looks like at night!!! Looks like it has some old vacuum tubes behind the guages!!!! So, yes I fixed the problem!!! It only took 2 years :-)!!!
Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions, I think I used them all!!!!
Ryan
Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions, I think I used them all!!!!
Ryan
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