hokie04

I am installing my 64 dash cluster and have the following two questions.

1) Capacitor behind amp meter does the cap clip go on the black wire or the black with white tracer wire?

2) Capacitor behind the temp meter has a plastic plug like with a groove in it like it goes against the edge of a terminal blade. I can't find a home for it?

hokie04

Can anyone out there who has installed a 64 dash cluster please help me on these capacitor questions. I looked at the AIM and it appear the amp meter cap goes on the black wire outboard side (Driver side). The cap at the temp gauge has a plug on its end with a groove in the plug. The entire plug is plastic I assume the groove is where the connection is made. AIM says it goes in the brown wire from radio cap but they don't match. Help!

I tested the cluster today and started the car all gauges and lights work. Couldn't test the horn or turn signal because steering column is still out. I had the caps unhooked.

62Jeff

Sorry, I saw this post yesterday but didn't respond.

The capacitor that mounts to the back of the cluster below the Oil gauge, has a connector that attaches to the brown wire in the main harness.

The capacitor that bolts to the back of the cluster up high near the tack, splices into the tan parking brake flasher wire.

The capacitor under the Amp gauge does not, as far as I know, care which of the 2 wires it engages at the connector.

Do you have a picture of the capacitor with the grooved connector?

hokie04

My cluster only has two capacitors one behind the amp gauge and one behind the temp gauge. I will post some pics I took but I don't think they will help much. Laying in the floor shooting up in the dash was to close and makes the cap lead almost impossible to ID.





I think I read that it should go to the radio capacitor brown wire but they don't mate. I have that wire hanging loose with nowhere I know of to plug it in. I know when I took the cluster out it was plugged somewhere.

I also have a long black wire with a metal clip hanging loose but I think it must go to the steering column when I install. Everything on the cluster works right now. The cap are the only thing keeping me from putting it back in.

62Jeff

That little black connector looks like the capacitor that is normally mounted high on the cluster, and splices into the parking brake alarm wire. The connector has a little spade in it that penetrates the insulation on the parking brake wire in order to make contact.

Sounds like you are missing the capacitor that connects to the brown wire.

As for the long black wire - did you connect your ground wire to the top of the cluster, above the tach?

hokie04

Yes I connected the black ground wire and everything on the cluster works fine.

The black wire I am referring to is real long it almost touches the floor and has a metal clip on the connector. That is why I am thinking it goes to the steering column.

So it sounds like I need a radio capacitor for the brown wire or just leave it alone. The radio didn't seem to be affected without it. The other cap is mounted in the wrong position but I guess can still be spliced into I think the tan wire going to the emergency alarm.

If you get any ideas on the black wire let me know I am puzzled. I checked on the other things like the blower, wipers, lights, light motors, etc everything is working. Thanks

62Jeff

I have a vague memory of having this discussion a year or 2 ago with another 63 or 64 owner on the forum, and they determined it was part of the steering column wiring, maybe for the horn if I remember correctly. It doesn't sound like anything I came across when I rewired my 65.

hokie04

Can someone verify whether the capacitor behind the amp gauge goes on the black wire or the black wire with white tracer. I don't know if it matters. I thought I read an old thread where someone put it on the wrong wire and ruined the amp gauge and a lot of harness wiring.

Thanks!

JohnZ

Functionally, it doesn't matter which terminal you put it on, but on original cars it's usually found on the outboard spade (nearest to the door).

hokie04

Thanks John, I am wondering how important are these capacitors? I found that my cluster is missing the one that goes to the radio cap. Also the one that clips to the tan wire is not hooked up. Yet last year the radio didn't seem to have any static or noises?

jlagarde

It's been suggested here a few times and is good advice to install an inline 2 amp fuse on either lead of the amp meter.

JohnZ

The capacitors were primarily to suppress radio interference on the AM band; if you don't listen to AM, you probably won't hear any static.