Im stumped

4speedjim said:
This has turned into a project. Thank God Im not on flat rate! I ordered a conductive pen, in an attempt to repair my pcb. But who knows how well it will turn out? I tried to upload a pix of the pcb but my laptop wasnt interested. It was folded over on itself from the factory, and theres a 1/4 in gap on the fold. Im sure your aware how bad they can be. And this one is the worst Ive ever seen. I see the voltage reg is tucked in there. I do want your pcb if you find it, mine appears to be beyond repair, but Im gonna try to fix it for my own self satisfaction. It can live as a bookmark in my service manual if you find yours. I sure do appreciate you hanging with me Joe. I know Im full of dumb questions that most find obvious. Thank You Again
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I should be able to get to my brother's house this weekend, so I'll let you know. Your questions aren't stupid. I learned what I know the hard way. I don't mind helping anyone who thinks enough of these cars to rescue one. Hopefully you'll have your's on the road really shortly!
 
Im going to DMV in the am to Register it! I changed nearly 20 interior & dash 164s, a 1445 for ignition and I bought a #73 for the am/fm non ETR stereo radio. Im Just finicky about that stuff. Hopefully my fix or your pcb and Ill be grinning! Yes, this is a true love story. The car will be with me to the end and will be improved as money and parts permit. I picked up a 400+ loadflite from an RV with 29k to replace /6. I picked up some brake parts from BudW and some 12" rotors for front and an Exploder 8.8 posi with 3.73s and 11" disc brakes. No shortcuts on this one. I just plugged dash in. I couldnt tell if any of the dash lights lit, but I dont think any did. But some new lights, like the Alt warning light, I dont recall it working, lit. Temp warning lights been lit since I bought it. Im hoping a sensor will fix it, the gauge has always worked. If it matters, I only have temp and alt gauge.
 
Its on the road! The lady at dmv found me a special plate in the box of regular plates. Its not "custom" per se, but 6581 are the last 4. My yr of birth and the cars. Close enough! The Bare? conductive paint pen should arrive in mailbox Saturday morning from Amazon and I can pull the dash again! Yeah! Now I know all the ins and outs! Thanks Joe12459 1000 times! I couldnt have done it without your help! With any luck the pen will make my pbc new again, or at least functional. My new wifes boy just had his first baby, A boy yesterday! So the Cordoba with its fresh detail, wash and wash will be taking my wife & her 87y/o mom (Grandma & Great grandma) to Hospital and diner. But honestly, who cares about the kid, or diner? I just want to cruise the Cordoba. Like a kid in a candy store. I just cant get enough!!
 
So dash lights just wont light. I have continuity on pcb now and before installing twist locks and new 168 bulbs I tested each light and socket. None lit so I folded a piece of 320 sandpaper and cleaned 20 tedious little socket contacts. They test lit with a little manipulation, so I installed them knowing I wouldnt be happy with the result. I have high beam & turn indicators now, but still no dash lights. Gotta be a bad ground, Im thinking, Fairly confident its not the pcb since I have continuity on the pcb. A few interior lights now work, the cluster lights wont light. Them simple 37 y/o sockets must be NFG. Ordered new. Near as I can tell they're 5/8" in case you want to replace yours. If your doing this, I recommend you get new.
Last night after an 80 mile cruise when I got home I tried to restart the Cordoba. It acts like the starters gone bad. If it extended the shaft and cranked motor, it would at speed. Then it would suddenly kick out/off before engine started. Or you'd hit the key and hear it just "thunk" like battery was ok, but starter was stuck. Im going on the assumption its the starter or connection in starter, and hope its not something to do with the steering column I loosened, lowered 3/4" then re-tightened. So my plan this morning was just to pull one of my (bad 46RE) trucks starters and swap it out. Short of cutting the starter in half, how do you remove that YUGE /6 starter? I cant even slide it back off the trans stud! It hits exhaust. There must be a way Im just not seeing it. Anybody have a way to snake that starter out short of dropping trans or manifolds?
 
I have a dash light issue on my ’77 wagon.
Each time I turn on the dash lights, a different selection of cluster lights come on. I’m sure that a touch of sandpaper on the PCB as well on the bulb holders will do the trick – but . . . I just have to get it done.

Right now, literally every time I turn on dash lights, a different selection of bulbs come on. Don’t like the current selection, turn off and back on lights and see if next selection works for you.
BudW
 
I didnt think I was the only fish in this pond BudW! Im in good company here with you and Joe! From what Ive learned and guessed on this dash project, Im sure thats all you'll need to do. I believe the sockets are 5/8" and I installed 20 new 168s just in and under dash. I have a standard light and gauge pkg, temp, fuel, amp.
Glad you chimed in BudW! Wife and I where talking last night about making a trip down your way. She wants me to bring her to Blackjack Mtns to see the wild Mustang herds in the area. Im not sure it will be this year, but it is at the top of the bucket list.
 
A bit South and West of Oklahoma City is a large park (Wichita Mountains National Wildlife) which is where the buffalo roam (and a big prairie dog population). You can drive (on paved roads) right up to the buffalo and take pictures, pet them (if you are bold enough) and so forth.

We went with friends down there and had the side doors to our minivan open. The kids got a kick out of that.

Also in towns nearby, you can also get a buffalo burger – which is something worth trying, at least once.
 
Thanks for the info BudW. I'll add Wichita Mtn Park to the top of our list. Theres a total eclipse Aug 21st passing from Washington state to S. Carolina. We're 12-ish hours from its path here. Im trying to convince her take a few days off and head south to check that, the Mustangs and a few other bucket list things off the list. I geek out a little bit on that stuff. We had the kids and horses at the fair for our 4H show. There was a stand featuring Buffalo, Gator, Ostrich and other exotic meats. I enjoyed the burger. Wife and kids wouldnt get near it. I thought it excellent. I now understand why, in part, they were hunted to extinction.
 
I finally got to my brother's house over the weekend. I do have that PC board, if you still need it. I haven't removed it from the cluster yet, but the exposed parts all look good.
 
Thanks Joe!! I may be sending you a check sooner than later. All of my gauges work, and Im able to light and dim a few lights that aren't in the gauge pod. Like the backlight for the e brake/Hood release and the hvac or ashtray, something in that area of the dash. I fixed the T/S indicator PCB ribbons using some vinyl pin stripe and that conductive paint. My USB was shut down in windows, once I get that fixed I'll post pictures. The dash dimmer needed some turning to start working, like they sometimes do. The original twist locks are a bit iffy. After a good cleaning I tested and with some fiddling I thought maybe they'd be ok. Still none of gauge cluster lights light. I bought incandescent bulbs so I wouldnt have polarity issues to consider. I also have 20 new 1/2"/13mm twist locks to replace the originals on the way. I dont believe every one of the inop gauge lights are caused by the old, iffy twist locks. Its possible, but every one of the gauge lights/sockets isn't making a complete circuit? Doesn't seem likely. I used the best of the old T/L in the gauges, and they worked on the bench. I expected a few wouldnt light, but every one? Could it be the headlight switch or a bad ground at the cluster? Or do I need to drop a check in the mail? This dash is really becoming a PITA.
 
I would take a piece of wire, connect it to a good ground, then touch it to the ground side of one of the light bulb contacts with the headlight switch on. if the cluster ground is bad, they will all light up when you make the ground. You can try the same thing with 12v + on the other side. Just make sure you touch the right contact (polarity).
 
I'll give that a try. I contemplated tapping an LED tape light into one of the wired lights that works and arranging it around the gauges. But thats a last resort.
I dont know if it means anything, but I couldn't engage starter without wacking it. I replaced the starter thinking it was old, worn, and due. No start, no change. Then I changed the relay. Still wouldnt crank. Then I ran a wire from relay to ground and it starts beautifully. The back up lights work. They always worked. Thats why I didnt hesitate to throw a starter in it when the orig needed a smack to get it to turn the engine over. Then I changed the relay when the new starter didnt change anything. Must be a tooth bent or broke in trans? I think I read that the NSS is grounded through the dash lights or vis-versa? Was that ever a thing you've heard of or did I dream that? Back up lights always worked and continue to. New starter, new relay, no crank, ground out that one pin on the relay or screwdriver across 2 pins on relay, fires off in 1/2 a turn. Suppose to indicate bad NSS which appears to be working fine. Does any of this tie into the dash light ground or did I dream that. Im wondering if thats the ground for my dash lights or are they unrelated.
 
If I remember correctly, the NSS switches the + side of the relay and the back up lights, not the ground. The three pins on the NSS are bat +, backup and relay. It sounds like your relay just isn't getting a good ground. I don't think the dash lights have anything to do with the NSS or relay. Is there a good clean ground strap/wire from the body to the battery?
 
I don't have the wiring diagram in front of me, but I'm pretty sure the center pin on the NSS is power to the relay, but I guess it could be ground. I'll check my wiring diagrams later, when I get home.
 
The ground strap is there and appeared good. Its heavily rustproofed with oil and dirt from valve cover that drips on the exhaust and gives you that baked 10-40 smell on start up. I'll give it a good look and see if I can find a problem there. I think I ran the wire from bottom left pin of relay to ground. It'll start in any gear now. As long as it turn the back up lights on it will pass inspection. Not really a problem for me but Id like to find and fix it.
 
Given that it will start in any gear now, that leads me to believe two things. First, the NSS does switch the ground, and second it sounds like your NSS is either failing, or losing ground. Maybe when you wrapped on the old starter and it turned, you were actually vibrating something in the NS switch itself, or the ground to it.
 
80Mirada, I was reading or dreamed up a thread that said the NSS or trans was a ground for my inop dash lights. Sounds like a unique, out of the box set up.
 
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