the mechanicals are now done on the 76 Dart Sport. Under chassis is spotless, all running gear renewed. Engine running spot on. With the interior out to get under the dash....now its time for the electricals!!!! (did I mention that I hate and suck at electrical stuff?) We tested every circuit (wipers, bulbs, fan....) made sure all fuses are good, here is what we found;

EVERYTHING works as it should except:

1) no back up lights (3 on the tree shifter)
2) no dash background lights.
3) Ammeter doesn't budge - no motion.
4) gas gauge doesn't move.
5) right signal indicator bulb not working.
6) no dome courtesy light.
7) Temp guage doesn't move.

on the gauge cluster: the seat belt light, oil light, brake light and left blinker work

side note: at ambient temps, VR charging at 14.7v. I didn't know that it was temp compensated. I"ll try the heat gun test trick noted in another thread on this board.

I have a shop manual (both books)....time to learn.

I looks like Ill be pulling the gauges.......

1) No backup lights= the switch at the back of the mainbody of the tranny is toast, or the wiring harness is missing (1976 reverse lights harness is almost the same as the wiper motor harness when looking at the engine compartment cavity), or the ground isn't being made...
2) Circuit board/bulbs/or the light switch(most likely)
3) That's a rewire being a shunt type ammeter, who knows where the break in the circuit is...luckily being that style of ammeter, the car still will run and drive if it doesn't work.
4) Check the tank sending unit, you most likely need to get a better ground for the unit to work right.
This is also similar to checking #7.
5) time to do a trace on the wiring, manual is your friend!
6) This sometimes is a bad one, the wiring for it goes down the driver's side rear sail panel then through the electrical chase next to the driver's door sill plate....sometimes this is just a door switch that is open or shorted...If it's like my '73, you pull the headliner and find the sire had shorted out and burned back 5" of insulation (thankfully these harnesses are the same so grab one out of a 1973-1976 A-body and make the swap).





Think I know ever nook and cranny in my '76's and the manual...it's a life saver.

-D.Idiot

DI: can I drop it off at your house for service??? lol OR is far from NJ!

I wish there was a shop in NJ that would chase down there faults....I'd happily pay not to have to do this. But like everything else, if you want it done right, gotta do it yourself.

Where in New Jersey are you?

_________________
63 Valiant Wagon
225 - 4 bbl

I think you head west, and turn south at Reed's place until you see the lumberjack installing that new spotted owl trim in his mopar...

LOL...

Too bad I can only do this remotely, but having gone through what you are doing with the manual I can say, get a pad of paper and go through the line diagrams and 'draw' out the circuit you are working on and the wire colors so you can identify it and after a few times look back and forth it will almost seem like you've been doing it for a while.

I also will give advice that if you see another '76 in a junkyard to grab the wiring harness and gauge cluster...being a 1 year only harness and cluster really doesn't help compatibility...

-D.Idiot

I'm in Trenton.

The nice part is the car is very stripped down, radio delete version. No power, anything. The harness has not been cut or hacked in any way, or even fried. so I'm lucky in that respect.

I have the FSM......