QuestionI have a 1985 New Yorker. The instrument panel is working, but the lighting is VERY dim. When I first turn on the ignition switch, the panel is well lit for about 1 second, then goes so dim I can not see it during the day. At night, it is visable, but still very dim.
The radio also changes stations and goes from AM to FM on its own.
What's goping on?
Are these problems related?
Tom
AnswerHi Tom,
I am assuming that you have the electronic dash, correct?
If you remove the cluster and look at its black 21-pin plug, there are three voltage sources you might check:
pin 3 orange should have 12V on it when you turn on the hl's
pin 10 red should have 12V always, direct from the battery
pin 15 yellow trace should vary with the headlamp panel dimming position when you turn on the hl's
you might also want to verify that pin 6 is grounded to the chassis.
It may be that the cluster is suffering failure, so take a look for any signs of capacitors that may have started to leak as candidates for replacement.
Let me know what you find and we can work on this some more.
I don't see any tie in to the radio circuit except for the fact that the radio is also supposed to get the 12V on pin 3, same orange wire and the same battery red feed on its pin 1. So see if those voltages look o.k.
Roland
