Winston's New Cluster: The Good, the Bad, and the Blinkey

[msinabottle]

The trouble with using the old printed circuit is that the Tach I've got also includes the fuel and coolant gauges, in a very different location from where they were on the original cluster.

All right--I had to move Winston this evening after dark, they're trimming our trees in the morning. When I did this, I noticed that this time the central instrument bulb and the clock bulb--if not the clock--WERE working when I turned on the lights, but only when I turned up the 'brightness' on the headlights switch to max.

The obvious conclusion is that my new cluster is voltage-starved. That would explain the tach dropping when I turned on my headlights, that would perhaps even explain my modern radio--a Pioneer DEH-350--not having enough juice to kick on. It might also explain why fixing my grounds didn't help any. To my knowledge, I've done nothing that would starve my dash for current but install the new cluster!

I think the new cluster is from an '85 or not too much later--digital clock, but otherwise very, very similar to Winston's original '84. The T1 on the new cluster is oriented horziontally, the T1 on the old cluster went vertically off to the right side. As I've said, I did check that little voltage stabilizer/regulator on the back of the printed circuit, it read 'high' (11v.) by my multi-tester as did my old one from the original cluster. It could just be my analog multi-tester or it could be a symptom.

I did check the power connectors on the radio--there was power to both of them, and I checked the radio's ground--it was good. I checked for loosened wires under the bed-seat, thinking I might have dislodged something from the amp mounted there when I replaced Winston's rear heater core. It all looked normal.

Coolant light continued to flash at me today, but I didn't run him very long. Tomorrow I'm going to check my wiring--yet again--clean the batery leads, and trace circuits in the printed circuit. My seller on E-Bay also has responded that he's eager to help me solve this, as I thought he'd be.

Further bulletins...

[Michael J]

The arrangement of wires on the instrument cluster connector does vary by year.

You need to know exactly what model year the new cluster came from, and get the Bentley Manual's wiring diagrams for both your new cluster and the old one and compare.

The solution may be as simple as changing position of 2 of the wires in the connector.

For some years, the Canadian models are different from the US versions.

Michael

[msinabottle]

All right, so today...

I went out to Winston, removed the cluster (yet again!) and checked the wires yet again, using buspor63's list. I did not make any mistakes. The wire colors changed between the '84 pre-tach and the '85 Tach and Digital Clock, but I had 'em all in the right place, and, again, everything works except the two outer instrument lights--and, oh yes, the center one and the clock one, they're not working any longer. They were yesterday.

I did find out that the clock had been installed upside down--not sure that I did that, but probably I did, so I turned it right side up. What DO you know, the clock works! It didn't change anything ELSE, but, the clock worked. Seemed to keep good time, too.

So, I spent a happy hour and a half--except for the happy part--with Q-Tips, the Dremel, contact cleaner, and an ink eraser cleaning all the nuts and terminals on the blue printed circuit, and the contacts for the bulbs themselves. Nothing. I did manage to test the brown 'ground' wire on the T14 connector. Ground, I got.

I did check the instrument wiring in the Bentley on '85 and later. As far as I can tell, every wire is where it ought to be. I did clean the wires and the connector. No change. And the radio still don't work. I might go out tomorrow and try the one wire I didn't hook up to the new cluster in the two empty slots, and hope I don't burn anything. I could also try the additional ground wire. If the alternator brushes are easy to replace, as they were in the Dart, I might do that. I still think the whole cluster's horribly starved for voltage. But, I'm at wit's end.

Winston's running pretty well, though, and the red light does quit flashing.

[Back Porch Picker]