Dash Lights

7173Mustangs.com

Help Support 7173Mustangs.com:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

yellowmach351

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
49
Reaction score
0
Location
Coal Valley, Illinois
My Car
1971 yellow Mach 1 ram air 351c traction loc 4 speed. Ordered new from the factory in April 1971. 74,000 miles, in excellent condition. Going through complete engine rebuild only to increase horsepower, not because it needed it. Should bring 430 to 450 hp upon completion.
My dash lights were getting dimmer before I put this car in my shop a few years ago. Just about have it ready to roll again and today hooked up the battery and everything works, but dash lights are still quite dim. I seem to remember reading that the circuit boards behind the dash would cause this problem over the years. Can anyone verify that? I can buy the circuit board for about $75. Suggestions please. Thanks.

 
Forgot to request email notification

 
Could be a number of issues: a failing rheostat on the headlight switch, poor 4 amp fuse contacts in the fuse box, oxidation on the dash cluster connector to circuit card.

All in all, these lights are really dim, no matter what one does. I think it has to do with the driver's age and failing eyesight; we never complained back in the day...

 
LOL lollerz. I believe you're correct.....I ordered this car in April of 1971, I could see those lights pretty darn well then!!

 
My dash lights were getting dimmer before I put this car in my shop a few years ago. Just about have it ready to roll again and today hooked up the battery and everything works, but dash lights are still quite dim. I seem to remember reading that the circuit boards behind the dash would cause this problem over the years. Can anyone verify that? I can buy the circuit board for about $75. Suggestions please. Thanks.
Hi there,

There have been quite a few posts posted on this very subject over the years with the Forum. Try the search engine for some good feedback and help. Here are some links to get you started.::thumb::

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-fix-for-dim-71-to-73-mustang-dash-instrument-panel-lights

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-instrument-panel-light-sockets

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-advancements-in-led-lighting-2014

Cheers,

Greg.:)

 
My dash lights were getting dimmer before I put this car in my shop a few years ago. Just about have it ready to roll again and today hooked up the battery and everything works, but dash lights are still quite dim. I seem to remember reading that the circuit boards behind the dash would cause this problem over the years. Can anyone verify that? I can buy the circuit board for about $75. Suggestions please. Thanks.
Hi there,

There have been quite a few posts posted on this very subject over the years with the Forum. Try the search engine for some good feedback and help. Here are some links to get you started.::thumb::

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-fix-for-dim-71-to-73-mustang-dash-instrument-panel-lights

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-instrument-panel-light-sockets

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-advancements-in-led-lighting-2014

Cheers,

Greg.:)
I find myself having the same issue... I was going to start a new post but decided to join this thread instead. I even replaced all light bulbs with LEDs and new sockets.

I am still not happy with the brilliance of the cluster... Lights did not work when I first replaced all bulbs and had to mess with them for a while before they worked...

I am now thinking that I may try a new circuit board but was hoping for an opinion before I go and spend another $100.00.

Any advice ?

Thank you.

Nelson.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I just replaced all olf mine with LEDs, and the advice I can offer is this: remove the diffusers, ensure all of the new LEDs are installed with proper polarity, check the contacts on all of the bulb housings, and check the contacts on the circuit board with a meter and the lights on before going with a new printed circuit - it's just money wasted if the diffusers are killing the light output and/or the bulbs are in backward and not making contact.

 
The best thing you can do for your interior lights is remove the headlight power from the switch by adding a relay. This will give you a full 14 volts to the headlights and remove the strain on the switch. A bosch relay is like 20 bucks. You can check the difference by checking how bright they go without the headlights plugged in

 
The best thing you can do for your interior lights is remove the headlight power from the switch by adding a relay. This will give you a full 14 volts to the headlights and remove the strain on the switch. A bosch relay is like 20 bucks. You can check the difference by checking how bright they go without the headlights plugged in
Great idea! I have a relay kit for mine, but haven't installed it yet. Also have a set of factory-style lights with H4 bulbs to go with it.

 
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to offer advice. I will be trying all the suggestions until I find the one that works for me. I will let you know how it, and what, works out.

 
Everyone has good points and I guess there could be many causes to check out before spending big bucks on good LED's

Dash lights problems has been gone over many times just recently.

I am very happy with the LED's I put in my car and I did retain the blue domes as they were in excellent condition and I wanted the correct look. Your choice on that. I bought Hi-Po Parts Elite series LED's from NPD. Yes, you need to make sure the polarity is correct. I marked the circuit board with a red paint dot on the positive side to make it easy NOT to get confused. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, if you have idiot lights, do NOT put and LED in the ALTERNATOR socket. This must remain an incandescent bulb or it can damage the circuit. Don't ask me how, I'm no electrician!!

Enjoy seeing your gauges soon.

 
Everyone has good points and I guess there could be many causes to check out before spending big bucks on good LED's

Dash lights problems has been gone over many times just recently.

I am very happy with the LED's I put in my car and I did retain the blue domes as they were in excellent condition and I wanted the correct look. Your choice on that. I bought Hi-Po Parts Elite series LED's from NPD. Yes, you need to make sure the polarity is correct. I marked the circuit board with a red paint dot on the positive side to make it easy NOT to get confused. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, if you have idiot lights, do NOT put and LED in the ALTERNATOR socket. This must remain an incandescent bulb or it can damage the circuit. Don't ask me how, I'm no electrician!!

Enjoy seeing your gauges soon.
My understanding is that the alternator will not know when to charge the battery if this bulb is changed out from incandescent to LED on circuits with just the warning lights. I believe the incandescent bulb provides required resistance for the charging system, whereas the LED light does not have this ability.

 
Everyone has good points and I guess there could be many causes to check out before spending big bucks on good LED's

Dash lights problems has been gone over many times just recently.

I am very happy with the LED's I put in my car and I did retain the blue domes as they were in excellent condition and I wanted the correct look. Your choice on that. I bought Hi-Po Parts Elite series LED's from NPD. Yes, you need to make sure the polarity is correct. I marked the circuit board with a red paint dot on the positive side to make it easy NOT to get confused. Also, VERY IMPORTANT, if you have idiot lights, do NOT put and LED in the ALTERNATOR socket. This must remain an incandescent bulb or it can damage the circuit. Don't ask me how, I'm no electrician!!

Enjoy seeing your gauges soon.
My understanding is that the alternator will not know when to charge the battery if this bulb is changed out from incandescent to LED on circuits with just the warning lights. I believe the incandescent bulb provides required resistance for the charging system, whereas the LED light does not have this ability.
That is my understanding too, but not being sure of those facts, I did not mention it, leaving it to more knowledgeable members.

Thanks for adding that important information.

On earlier Hi-Po Parts LED kits (Elite and Extreme) for the warning lights, there was a serious mistake on their instruction sheet. It showed the ALT socket in the wrong location and also failed to explain the reason why not to use an LED in that location. This should have been corrected by now (hopefully) as it was bought to their attention when the Elite series LED's were purchased and found that it appeared a bulb short. On the realization that their instructions were wrong, Hi-Po were contacted. An email was received confirming that there was indeed a mistake and was to be corrected asap.

 
Back
Top