Removed cluster...and now no power???
 

I removed my gauge cluster out of my 72 dart to put in after market gauges. Well now with the old cluster out the car it has no power any where. It does not turn over, no headlights, no radio. I'm stumped. The only wires I cut we're the one off of the gauge cluster plug for the turn signals.

Is the battery hooked up?

GOOD CHARGED battery?

What's the static voltage on it?

Start with basics.... Check for a parasitic draw.

Try jumping it at the starter relay

Simple as a blown fuse(s) when removing the old cluster with the battery still connected? What did you do with the old amp guage wires. If you did not physically tie them together then that will be your answer.

Should be able to remove the cluster without blowing fuses. And it'd have to be multiple fuses...

The wire that was hooked up to the old volt gauge has power. And yes the battery is good. I wasn't even getting power to the fuses. But there is power under the hood at the starter solenoid.

I did not tie anything together! Do you have a pic or diagram for this?

No power to the fuses, but power to the relay would show something between the battery and the fuse panel.

Start testing for voltage or resistance on the wiring. Look for corroded connectors, hacked wiring, accidently disconnected connectors, bulk head, ect.

Did you check with a meter for voltage at the fuse box? Did you get 12.5v or more?

Everything worked before I pulled the cluster. The radio doesn't even come on anymore. I hate wiring!!!

All you can do is start with basics.

Wiring is 4 issues:

Open, high resistance, short to ground, shorted to power.

Obviously, its not shorted to power. Nothing works.

If theres NOTHING working AT ALL, it's a 99% chance it's NOT high resistance.

Could be something shorting out, blowing a fuse or two.

Did you check the fuses?

HOW did you check for power to the fuse block??

I checked it with a test light grounded to the chassis.

Test lights are garbage. Get rid of that and get a decent multimeter.

A test light will only tell you if there is or is not voltage at that point not how much voltage there is.


Did you try bumping it over at the relay with a screw driver to see if the engine cranks / fires?

It's your amp guage wires then. Look for a thick black and thick red wire that had ring terminals on the the ends of the wires. They were bolted to studs on the the back of the cluster. If you find them take a 1/4" 20 bolt and nut and bolt them together, then tape the crap out of them with electrical tape.

Here's a crappo pic of how I bypassed mine on the back of my cluster. I bolted both wires to one stud.

Attachment 14660

Any updates?

No, they are not. I often use a test lamp, and in fact sometimes use one to CAUSE a load condition on a circuit. One of the handiest junker tools in my box is an old stop/ tail lamp socket, I can use either the tail filament, the stop filament, or both wired together.

Sometimes a bad switch, fuse holder or connector "needs a load" to show up a bad connection


So far as the OP's question, yup. You have to tie the two ammeter connectors together. BE CAREFUL. Other than the fuse link, there is no protection in that circuit, so unhook the battery until you get it bolted together / taped up.

I bolted those two wires together and it worked like a champ. What a simple fix!!!!! Thanks everyone!!!!