On a 68 442 I have pulled the fuse box apart to find the back side of the gauge lights fuse. There a green and light grey wire. The green wire goes to the switch, the grey to the back of the gauges. ? Is......does the green wire get its power from the switch and then run through the fuse to the gauges? I have no power on either side of the fuse at the box. I have continuity in the green wire from the switch to the fuse....continuity in the grey one from gauge plug to the fuse....but no live power at any time at the fuse, either side, therefore no gauge lights.

 

The grey wire is the gauge lights. Have you looked at the wiring diagram? The green wire I think you're talking about comes off the headlight switch through the fuse block to power the instruments when the tail lights are on. Do you have power to the green wire? If you don't, do you have tail lights? If so I'd say you headlight switch is bad. I've got a high resolution scan of the wiring diagram below in PDF and JPG I can e-mail you if you give me your email address

 

Behind the fuse for the inst panel is a green wire on one side, grey on the other. The green runs to the headlight switch, the grey runs to the gauge harness's. I jumped the green one and it does send power to the grey one. I am assuming that the headlight switch itself is bad.

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Would you mind sending me a copy? The one I have is kind of blurry.Squadfighter25@yahoo.com

Thank you,
Dave

 

The grey wire is the gauge lights. Have you looked at the wiring diagram? The green wire I think you're talking about comes off the headlight switch through the fuse block to power the instruments when the tail lights are on. Do you have power to the green wire? If you don't, do you have tail lights? If so I'd say you headlight switch is bad. I've got a high resolution scan of the wiring diagram below in PDF and JPG I can e-mail you if you give me your email address

It looks like that green wire should get power when the switch is on, it doesn't so I too think the switch is bad.

mandjsigns@hotmail.com

Thanks

 

Unless the taillight fuse is bad. That's easier to check first.

If you have a really good scan of that diagram, why not send it to Kurt (wmachine) and see if it's possible for him to insert it into the file at WildAboutCars?

- Eric

 

The instrument lights go through a rheostat on the light switch, make sure the **** is rotated all the way to the right just before the courtesy light indentation.

 

When I removed my light switch to install the bullet bulb holder, I must have rotated the rheostat all the way down. It drove me nuts for awhile why my dash light didn't work after I put everything back together. Then I realized my mistake and rotated the ****, problem solved.

 

After hours of work, disassembling the light switch, chasing wires.......NEVER under estimate the power of a good fuse connection! Power was going through the fuse but not out in the connector in the back. Who'd a thought?!?!! Thanks for all the input. Mike, I would still take a copy of that wire diagram, still have a few strays running around behind that dash.

Mike

 

Taillight fuse or PNL LPS fuse?

- Eric

 

Pnl lips fuse.

 

Yeah, they can look clean and still be rusty.

It's worth the time to pull all the fuses and hit the clips with a tiny wire wheel on a Dremel, then clip them back in.

Also, every now and then you get a fuse that looks good but doesn't conduct.

- Eric

 

Dave

I just sent them.

Eric,

I know the 68 scanned diagram in WAC is unreadable. If you have Kurt's email shoot it to me in a PM.