Mystery light behind tach.

[mach1460]

Working on my 72 I have upgraded to LED's and fixed my fuel gauge. As I have the dash apart I am replacing the bulbs for the lights, cig lighter and wiper bulbs. Well the P/O had cut and spliced a bunch of wires that I have already fixed, but I have a press in (not twist in) bulb socket with black/ green stripes and red(pink?)/green wires which comes out of the main harness right behind the tach area. obviously its goes to the tach or dummy light cluster.

One thing I dont understand is that it doesnt fit in with the printed circuit because the bulbs have the electrical "connectors" that when you twist them in they connect. Does anyone know where it goes or what its for??

My car is a non-tach car and I have no open spots in the back of my gauge cluster.

 

[72HCODE]

it is not original to the car.

all the bulbs that go into the instrument cluster are the black twist in sockets with the wings that make electrical contact with the circuit board.

 

[71fastback]

Any possibility it could be an interior light for the floor?

 

[mach1460]

it is not original to the car.

all the bulbs that go into the instrument cluster are the black twist in sockets with the wings that make electrical contact with the circuit board.

I can tell that it is original because its still wrapped into the harness and its has very old faded colors. Im not saying it goes to the cluster but thats where its located. See the pic. no electrical contact "wings" either.


I dont think its a floor light, its pretty short coming out of the harness maybe 3-4 inches.

 

[OMS]

Hard to tell from the pic but could it be the socket that goes into the headlight switch dash light?

There would be one for the headlight on the LH side and two [1 lighter, 1 wiper ] on the RH side of the column

Don

 

[mach1460]

Its not those either they are all "accounted" for. Those are actually the bulbs I am replacing right now, the small 1895 bulb which are a twist in. This "mystery light" is a press in bulb.


Heres a better picture hopefully it will help me figure this thing out. You can see the Lights light wires and socket with the blue/black wires.

 

[72HCODE]

Did thecar originally have a clock instead of a tach?

 

[mach1460]

I guess there's a chance. The original owner had used what seemed to be a sawzall to cut out on opening for an aftermarket tach. What's a way to find out what it had from the factory? I seem to remember fragments of the dummy cluster but that may not be original either

 

[72HCODE]

i think if you had the clock it used that type of bulb to light up the clock face.

if the car had a oem tach there would be a 2 prong rubber connector for it coming of a green -red stripe wire. i think the plug is colored burgundy.

i see some seriously hackery in the picture for your head lights switch connector also. all those wires that have connectors crimped on them is not original there was a plastic block that all the wires keyed into that fit on top of the head lights switch.

 

[mach1460]

I don't know if I go as far to say serious hackery. If you look there is the original normal block plug in to the headlight switch and there are only the two splices that I just did because the last guy had cut them. Obviously the crimped wires are not original. The only wires that I am asking about the green and black and the pink and green with a press in bulb on the end. I do appreciate the input though

 

[Hemikiller]

Alternator warning lamp.

The '72's had a separate light that came off the main dash harness. Colors should be light green w/red strip and black w/green stripe

 

[mach1460]

Thanks for the knowledge. Now does it go in place of the alt light on the back of my cluster??

 

[Hemikiller]

Thanks for the knowledge. Now does it go in place of the alt light on the back of my cluster??

Should pop right into the cluster.

 

[72HCODE]

ah i think what we missed was somebody before you installed a Tach in the dashboard?

the Alt warning light would of been where the tach is now. originally it sounds like your car was a equipped with warning lights, instead of a tach?

This might be what your car originally had in the dash board originally

you can see on the left side there are 4 lighted warning lights, one for oil, temperature, alternator and brakes.


just got out my wiring diagram for a base 72 car.

it does show, light green/red and black light green, going to a alternator indicator bulb.

so i guess in 72 ford did do something weird with the alternator bulb socket if you had the warning lights only dash.

in your case based on what i read that socket is pretty much worthless for you since somebody installed a tach in your car. you could cut another hole in the cluster and install the socket inside and maybe put a red bulb on it or something to indicate your alternator has a problem with charging the battery.

otherwise just leave that socket alone behind the dash and don't worry about it.

you learn new things every day.

 

[Hemikiller]

LOL, I missed the tach thing...

You shouldn't have a light if your car was an original clock/gauges or tach/gauges car. I'm assuming someone spliced in the tach and center gauges.

 

[mach1460]

LOL, I missed the tach thing...

You shouldn't have a light if your car was an original clock/gauges or tach/gauges car. I'm assuming someone spliced in the tach and center gauges.

My car was an original warning lights dash. I took a tach out that the p/o installed by cutting the cluster and printed circuit apart. I have replaced everything back to factory and am going to mount my tach on the steering column.I have plugged my alt. warning lamp into my cluster as it should be. I started all off this agents diagnosing my fuel gauge issue(see my other thread) I upgraded to led's and now have lots of working lights I never had before! I added the center console gauges and made my own harness with autometer gauges. Ill post some pics. Thanks everyone.

 

[73vertproject]

Yes, please post some pics when you get a chance, so we can see what that looks like. Interesting....

Doc

 

[mach1460]

Yes, please post some pics when you get a chance, so we can see what that looks like. Interesting....

Doc

Here are some pictures of my center console.

Yes, please post some pics when you get a chance, so we can see what that looks like. Interesting....

Doc

Here are some pictures of my center console.