Hello,
in the 1972 Cutlass chassis service manual the electrical schematic shows a "Hyd Dial Lamp" on the console harness. There is a console courtesy lamp and a glove box lamp also.
I'm getting power at the glove box lamp all the time and it appears I should only get power when the hyd dial lamp is switched on. ???
Anybody know what and where the hyd dial lamp is?

thanks.

 

I think the "Hyd Dial Lamp" is the back light indicator for the automatic shifter that comes on with the instrument lighting when the headlights are turned on; i.e. Hyd=Hydramatic.

 

Aha, we may have a winner. The plate at the shifter IS translucent. I was just in there but didn't see a bulb but that's no surprise as this car has had a hard life.

So I think I've figured this out. My wire is cut and I'm betting there is supposed to be a switch. Open the glovebox and light goes on which explains why it always has power.

Thanks cdrod!

 

^^^THIS, exactly. This is the bulb under the PNRDSL lens. Obviously N/A for a manual trans.

 

How are you getting that from the schematic? The diagram clearly shows that the two bulbs are powered completely separately.

The orange wire feeds the glove box lamp and is powered on all the time (FYI, the orange wire feeds ALL the courtesy lights like the dome light, footwell lights, etc). The grey wire feeds the shift indicator light (and grey is typically the dash illumination circuit). The only place the two circuits touch is the black ground wire. Note that the switch for the glove box light is in the ground wire, not the power wire.