so i started my car up for about a minute just to make sure it started up and i got out opened the hood went back inside the car i smelt something burning and noticed that it was coming from the cluster i immediately turned the car off its dark now so ill have to wait till tomorrow to check it, my guages werent working properly the gas guage was inop, temp guage marked hot although the car didnt get hot, it seemed to be charging ok, but the oil pressure guage marked a little high sometimes. would it be that faulty voltage regulator that caused this?

Disconnect the battery if you haven't already. You'll need to do a thorough examination and probably some testing to find the cause.

_________________
Joshua

ill go disconnect the batt, right now. its dark now so ill have to wait till tomorrow to check it

It seems your wiring has a leak. Mopar, like Lucas Electric, packs their wires with smoke from the factory. It seems you've let the smoke out. Factory smoke is no longer available.

Seriously, it sounds like you have old, corroded wiring in the cluster, which can be found on nearly every old car regardless of manufacturer. It can be a pain to track down sometimes, but IME, start at the ammeter connection. If the wiring looks burnt or feels brittle, it's suspect and should be replaced. If it's just a corroded connection, use a 5% acid solution to carefully clean it and try again.

Tip: don't tighten the negative battery clamp down. If something goes wrong, it's easier to yank it off to avoid a fire. Don't ask me how I learned this.

_________________
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

A few years ago, while driving my 68 Barracuda I saw smoke coming out of the dash. I shut the car off and found the wires leading to the ammeter were roasted. The posts on the ammeter were the culprit. Solved the immediate problem by disconnecting the two wires from the back of meter, then crimping them to each other forming a splice. Of course I no longer had a functioning ammeter. Suggestion: when it gets daylight, and with the aid of a flashlight, examine the rear of the ammeter carefully and the rest of the gauges also.

alright well thanks for the info, i had a question as to how you remove the light and wipers switches btw my car is a 67 barracuda(notch)

See this post for instrument cluster removal including wiper and headlamp switch.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

this might solve your problem. click here



regards,Rod

I roasted 2 wiring harnesses before I found that where the amp meter posts come through the back of the instament cluster there are supposed to be insulating "washers" that keep the post from grounding to the back of the "cluster" After replacing the amp meter with new inulation washers and another new harness, I never had that problem again. Time seems to break down a lot of these parts from their original duties.

_________________
64 barracuda
64 valiant convertable
65 valiant sedan
65 signet
74 vw beetle convertable
79 E-250 4WD van
94 dodge dakota

ROFL!!

_________________
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

Well, you have had a warning from the Fire Gods. Purchase and install a battery cut-off switch ASAP. Wal-Mart has the little green knob neg. battery post switch for about 7 bucks. This will also make life so much easer for you during this project.

As previously stated, you will need to trace out all the under dash wiring replacing all crispy brittle conductors, and corroded connectors including the engine side of the bulkhead connector. Do not use acid to clean any electrical connections, it will wick up under the insulation along the stranded conductors rotting them into a green festering mess, and you will soon be going through the this drill once again. Just clip off the offending brass connector, strip back (about 3/16thâ€￾) to clean wire, or if needed, replace with new wire of correct color & gage, and crimp on the proper new connector.

I had to do this when I purchased my Dart winter of ’08. It takes time, a [url=http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=24]wiring diagram[/url], and methodical tracing & recording of which branch circuits have been inspected. Repair one wire at a time so as not to mix up anything, and soon you will have a dependable smoke free ride once again.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

I did not know this, and wish I did because 2 weeks ago I did this. Drat!

_________________
If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

coconuteater64: Oh, oh!…

Well, now you know where to look when the gremlins return. That is why rosin is used as a flux for electrical work, and not acid as used on sheet metal, and other solid chunks to be soldered together.

Acid is very corrosive to most metals, and hard to neutralize once it has wicked up under the wire insulation. Unlike large surfaces that can be easily washed down with a base to neutralize the acid.

_________________
67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

whats the factory smoke used for??

It is highly ionized and carries the electricity faster along the outer surfaces of the wires. Very important stuff.



regards,Rod