I have my speedo light not working . I took out the instrument cluster and swapped some bulbs around to check ,but it still didnt work. I noticed the round plug that goes in the cluster does not really clip on , you just put it in the slot and it just rests against it . I pushed the wires to expose the connectors alittle more, and if i wiggle it around some I can tell the lights get a little brighter ,but when I let go it goes back to how it was.
My question is ,how can I make the plug fit flushed with the panel ,and is it suppose to clip on to it , and can I clean the back with something to make it better (like alcohol
Thanks for any replies

Dave

It is a 81 D150 , sorry
the left turn signal light and seat belt light are on when lights are on , but when i play with the plug and get the gauge lights to come on , the other two lights go off

could be a short someplace on the board if I remember right.....the '78 d150 I had had a leaky windsheild so whenever it rained the gauges went nuts.

you might want to PM slantsixdan, he has a excellent knowledge of electrical, lighting especially.

Thanks for your reply .I dont think there is a short , Im trying to figure out about the round plug . this is the first time I have looked at the cluster , so Im not sure how it is attached to it . It would seem that it would plug in ,but when I line mine up with the slot , it just sits there by the pressure of the wires to the back of the cluster. If I hold it down with my hand and move it a little to make good contact it works.

does the end of the coupler look like it has a busted tab? its been awhile since I looked at one (like ten years) but I think I remember a tab locking into the back of the dash on that coupler.

The best I can say right now is that it is round with the wires going around the edges of it with a little connector on the end of the wires to make connection with the board , and a little plastic piece at the bottom(kind of like a key)that fits in a small hole in the back of dash..
It doesnt look broke , but I will have to check in the morning closer.
I know I suck at describing it . It fits flush with the board with the little plastic piece fitting in the hole.
I hope I described It good enough for you . If I can Ill try to get a pic up tomorrow
Thanks

I know what you mean, its sort of a "snap" fit. you should be able to just line up the slot and press it in untill it stops.

does it seem like the board your pressing it into has too much give? there may be a busted screw (around the outside edges of the board) that is supposed to be holding it firm so you can apply pressure to it. if the whole thing wiggles it won't have enough support to press hard enough.

Hi
there is really nothing there to snap in to , there is just a kind of a keyhole shape opening where the middle of the plug goes into. the board is real sturdy . I noticed tonight that it only comes on when either I press down on the wires some or I have to press a little harder on the plug at the bottom to get it to come on.
I also noticed that the metal contacts on the plug can be pulled out of the connectors to the wires, I guess to adjust them .
I checked the plug with the lights on , with a test light and there was no current to any of them , but Im not sure if it is suppose to with it unplugged from the cluster
I took a picture of the plug and the back of the cluster. Now I have to figure out how to put it up on the page
Thanks for your help!
Dave

The only way I can get the dash lights to come on is to push down on the wires. I am going to try to take out a wire at a time from the plug , and make sure it is securely crimped, my question is how do I get the wire out from the plug? Is there a trick .

Not sure of the connector you're talking about, but I usually use the small screwdrivers for jewelery or eyeglasses....

Sometime the wire breaks internally near the connector.

Might want to solder it while you're at it.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

ya, i swapped instu clusters and a few of the pegs came out... damn... so im gonna hafta solder them back in, even though they pop back in im still gettin fuel gauge issues

I was searching for a picture of the plug online and all the ones I saw of the back of the cluster was different , and then it dawned on me .
I think I figured it out. All of the prongs that the plug plugs into came off of the circuitboard .So can I just solder them back on?
Boy do I feel stupid ,but the way they came off you cant tell they were suppose to be on there. that is why it didnt plug into the board because what it plugs into is in the plug.

The plug is round and the wires are through the holes around the outside and fit in there snug at the connector I tried to push and pull the wire out but can not. I pulled the one wire out so my connector is still in the plug. I will try the small screw driver tommorrow but the connector seems pretty much stuck in there , any more suggestion will be appreciated.
Thanks for all of your help
Dave

I was lucky to have an old school biker/truck mechanic to get everything working on the dash. I was almost at the point of getting rid of the round thing and just plugging in individual connectors to all the leads. Mix ups would likely have occurred.

Check out a posting from MiDi on "Dash Repair".Covers pert much what you're going through.Mouse to second page,last posting was in Nov.Good luck

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed

Thanks Ill check out that post tonight.
Although it is still not working right, Im half way home , by atleast finally figuring out the problem