Help me educate myself, Please!

[Kansan]

I want to start by stating this is my first E body and the first vintage Mopar I've owned in 40 year. Back in high school, the old cars weren't so old.....My '73 'Cuda dash lights do not work. I apologize if the questions seem elementary, but sometimes people give very detailed information skipping over basic information that is assumed to be known to all. Anywho, my dash lights don't work. All the fuses are good and there is one single bulb (far left side of the dash as looking at it) that lights up when the door is open. I have since learned about the "light bar", but my question is, is that all? Do the gauges not have back lighting? I also assume the dash dimmer switch does not work. The dome light in the car works when the doors are open, but the dimmer switch when turned to full value does not turn the dome light on. In the threads I see here, many talk about the "light bar" to illuminate the dash instruments, but are there not any back lighting? I did consult the owner's manual (yes, I have an original 1973 Barracuda owner's manual) but it didn't give any useful information about this subject. Winter is coming, which is the perfect time to dig into some of these annoying problems as the car will probably not leave the garage for the next few months.

Thanks for any productive and useful information.

Kansan

 

[gran coupe john]

I got the same issue, no light bar, no instrument lights. Took light barracuda off today with no results

 

[Chryco Psycho]

no back lighting , just the light bar in front , which is often very dim , you can switch to LED but then you can't dim them, start by tracing the power to the light switch & then too the dimmer

 

[540HemiCuda]

Lots of issues with the light bars not working at all or not putting out enough light. Very common issue.

I have seen a lot of issues with the dimmer switch itself especially when it just doesn't let enough through to light the bulbs satisfactorily. First, as suggested, trace the power to and from the headlight switch and the dimmer switch. All this can be a pain, but at least you can remove the light bar for easier diagnosis.

Back in the old days, we use to bypass the dimmer and put power directly to the bar which really helped a lot......IF it was culprit. Of course, doing that eliminates the ability to dim the instrument lights. But, I have yet to see a light bar that was too bright. I have also put aluminum foil behind the bulbs to direct a little more light.

 

[Challenger RTA]

Grounds.

Dash lights a Brighter possibility

Dash lights a Brighter possibility. Took gauge cluster out to clean all connections. Found some light sockets rusted. Cleaned all cluster and switch terminals and grease. Had the dimmer switch out and jumped with a wire while working on it. I think I still have a problem with the socket for the...

www.forebodiesonly.com

 

[Challenger RTA]

If you get to this point , this is what you do.
Dimmer switch bypass.

 

[Kansan]

If you get to this point , this is what you do.
Dimmer switch bypass.

Are you suggesting bypassing the dimmer switch vs. replacing the dimmer with a functioning unit? Is it difficult replacing the dimmer switch without pulling the dash?
Just curious and looking for all available alternatives.

Thanks in advance,

Kansan

 

[Challenger RTA]

It's easer to check the lights. If you find that all the cluster lights have a good ground. The bypass is for testing the circuit. It might be the switch.

 

[topbanana73]

Well, I’m far from an electrical guru, I read a post where someone said to work the dimmer switch back n forth really fast and it worked! After not working for 5 years, it’s all a mystery with these old muscle lol

 

[HooToTheCore]

Well, I’m far from an electrical guru, I read a post where someone said to work the dimmer switch back n forth really fast and it worked! After not working for 5 years, it’s all a mystery with these old muscle lol

Yup, rotating the dimmer switch back and forth will remove some corrosion from the contact area between the arm and resistive coil. The dimmer is a mechanical variable resistor.

 

[topbanana73]

Hoo…you betcha