Dash Lights
March 5th, 2007, 04:13 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 61
Dash Lights
I have lost the dash lights on my 69 Olds 88 Convertible. The fuse is fine. Headlamps work, radio, idiot lights, interior lights, top motor switch all work. Only the dash lights are out. Could be a ground issue, but i do not know where to look. Any thoughts?
April 28th, 2012, 08:53 AM
#4
Dash lights inoperable
-Ltmonson
April 28th, 2012, 09:57 AM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,163
You're going to have to get behind the dash to get it out. You have to pull on the **** itself as if you were going to turn the headlights on while simultaneously pushing on a little button that is under the shaft on the switch behind the dash. The **** and the shaft it is on then pull completely out of the switch. Then you loosen the retaining nut on the switch and remove it from the dash.
You're right, I don't see a way to test the switch with a test light, voltmeter, or anything else without being able to get at the switch itself. I had a similar problem with the dash and dome lights in my '73 wagon, and it turned out that, yes, the rheostat wire in the switch had broken in two. A new headlight switch, $14.95 or something like that at the local auto parts store, fixed the problem. But you have to get behind the dash to do any of this, and, as you have probably realized, this might or not be a pain in the neck depending on the car in question.
You're right, I don't see a way to test the switch with a test light, voltmeter, or anything else without being able to get at the switch itself. I had a similar problem with the dash and dome lights in my '73 wagon, and it turned out that, yes, the rheostat wire in the switch had broken in two. A new headlight switch, $14.95 or something like that at the local auto parts store, fixed the problem. But you have to get behind the dash to do any of this, and, as you have probably realized, this might or not be a pain in the neck depending on the car in question.
April 28th, 2012, 10:40 AM
#6
Headlight Switch
You're going to have to get behind the dash to get it out. You have to pull on the **** itself as if you were going to turn the headlights on while simultaneously pushing on a little button that is under the shaft on the switch behind the dash. The **** and the shaft it is on then pull completely out of the switch. Then you loosen the retaining nut on the switch and remove it from the dash.
You're right, I don't see a way to test the switch with a test light, voltmeter, or anything else without being able to get at the switch itself. I had a similar problem with the dash and dome lights in my '73 wagon, and it turned out that, yes, the rheostat wire in the switch had broken in two. A new headlight switch, $14.95 or something like that at the local auto parts store, fixed the problem. But you have to get behind the dash to do any of this, and, as you have probably realized, this might or not be a pain in the neck depending on the car in question.
You're right, I don't see a way to test the switch with a test light, voltmeter, or anything else without being able to get at the switch itself. I had a similar problem with the dash and dome lights in my '73 wagon, and it turned out that, yes, the rheostat wire in the switch had broken in two. A new headlight switch, $14.95 or something like that at the local auto parts store, fixed the problem. But you have to get behind the dash to do any of this, and, as you have probably realized, this might or not be a pain in the neck depending on the car in question.
I ran up to the auto parts store and picked up a new switch and is installed, but I still don't have dash lights. I checked the fuses and replaced the headlight switch. I guess it's possible every dash light is burned out? Sounds like a stretch to me but not sure what else to try at this point. I'm really not too excited to pull the gauge cluster.
April 28th, 2012, 10:48 AM
#7
Just an Olds Guy
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
I ran up to the auto parts store and picked up a new switch and is installed, but I still don't have dash lights. I checked the fuses and replaced the headlight switch. I guess it's possible every dash light is burned out? Sounds like a stretch to me but not sure what else to try at this point. I'm really not too excited to pull the gauge cluster.
April 28th, 2012, 10:50 AM
#8
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,163
If you haven't tried replacing at least one of the dash lights, that is something to try, but you're right, it would seem unlikely that all of them would be out. But you never know on an old car.
The instrument lamps are all controlled by a small, typically 4-amp fuse that comes in the circuit after the headlight switch. If that fuse is ok, another thing to check is to see if 12 volts is getting to that fuse when the headlight switch is turned on. This would be something that you could check easily with either a 12 volt test light or a voltmeter.
If the fuse is getting 12 volts, the wiring from the fuse box to the dash lights could also be an issue, but it seems unlikely unless the wiring harness has been messed with at some point in the past. Once the current passes through the bulbs, it goes straight to ground. You might check where each bulb attaches to the printed circuit.
I presume you're talking about the lights that fit into the sockets that then are twist-mounted to the dash. The terminals on those sockets that rub up against the back of the dash on the printed circuit can get dusty and/or corroded over the years. I've not infrequently found it helpful to sand off the corrosion that's on those little sockets. You have to reach up behind the dash to get at them.
The instrument lamps are all controlled by a small, typically 4-amp fuse that comes in the circuit after the headlight switch. If that fuse is ok, another thing to check is to see if 12 volts is getting to that fuse when the headlight switch is turned on. This would be something that you could check easily with either a 12 volt test light or a voltmeter.
If the fuse is getting 12 volts, the wiring from the fuse box to the dash lights could also be an issue, but it seems unlikely unless the wiring harness has been messed with at some point in the past. Once the current passes through the bulbs, it goes straight to ground. You might check where each bulb attaches to the printed circuit.
I presume you're talking about the lights that fit into the sockets that then are twist-mounted to the dash. The terminals on those sockets that rub up against the back of the dash on the printed circuit can get dusty and/or corroded over the years. I've not infrequently found it helpful to sand off the corrosion that's on those little sockets. You have to reach up behind the dash to get at them.
April 28th, 2012, 10:50 AM
#9
I hope this works for you. It's highly unlikely that EVERY bulb burns out at the same time. Did you check the rheostatic function of the headlight switch? If you turn it all the way to the right(I think) it will provide full illumination. On the other hand if you turn it all the way to the left it will also clik and turn off all the lights. Something to consider.
April 28th, 2012, 10:57 AM
#10
If you haven't tried replacing at least one of the dash lights, that is something to try, but you're right, it would seem unlikely that all of them would be out. But you never know on an old car.
The instrument lamps are all controlled by a small, typically 4-amp fuse that comes in the circuit after the headlight switch. If that fuse is ok, another thing to check is to see if 12 volts is getting to that fuse when the headlight switch is turned on. This would be something that you could check easily with either a 12 volt test light or a voltmeter.
If the fuse is getting 12 volts, the wiring from the fuse box to the dash lights could also be an issue, but it seems unlikely unless the wiring harness has been messed with at some point in the past. Once the current passes through the bulbs, it goes straight to ground. You might check where each bulb attaches to the printed circuit.
I presume you're talking about the lights that fit into the sockets that then are twist-mounted to the dash. The terminals on those sockets that rub up against the back of the dash on the printed circuit can get dusty and/or corroded over the years. I've not infrequently found it helpful to sand off the corrosion that's on those little sockets. You have to reach up behind the dash to get at them.
The instrument lamps are all controlled by a small, typically 4-amp fuse that comes in the circuit after the headlight switch. If that fuse is ok, another thing to check is to see if 12 volts is getting to that fuse when the headlight switch is turned on. This would be something that you could check easily with either a 12 volt test light or a voltmeter.
If the fuse is getting 12 volts, the wiring from the fuse box to the dash lights could also be an issue, but it seems unlikely unless the wiring harness has been messed with at some point in the past. Once the current passes through the bulbs, it goes straight to ground. You might check where each bulb attaches to the printed circuit.
I presume you're talking about the lights that fit into the sockets that then are twist-mounted to the dash. The terminals on those sockets that rub up against the back of the dash on the printed circuit can get dusty and/or corroded over the years. I've not infrequently found it helpful to sand off the corrosion that's on those little sockets. You have to reach up behind the dash to get at them.
Okay, thanks. I'll check those things. My gut tells me it's corrosion on the contacts. The four amp fuse you're referring to is in the fuse block correct? Is it the same size (in dimension) as the 10's and 20's that are in the block? Reason I say that is because there aren't any smaller ones.
April 28th, 2012, 11:02 AM
#11
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,163
While you're at it, check the contacts for the fuse itself. Those can get rusty over the years, too. That fact that none of the lights go on suggests something systemic, like a bad fuse or a rusty fuse socket.
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