KNOT-HEAD

The oil pressure, clock and temp gauges on my cluster does not work. The mechanic working on the car said the electronics on the cluster is not working. Those gauges (not clock) was working when they started replacing my engine so I don't know what the problem may be. I guess the best thing to do is to replace the complete cluster and gauges. I will accept the separate parts if anyone has any available they know will work.

KNOT-HEAD

PGPierce

egypt123

Are you sure they didn't fry out the circuit board or blow a fuse? Do the lights on the gauges come on? If nothing comes on (lights and gauges), I would suspect a fuse or circuit board failure. If they weren't careful plugging in the cluster connector, it can break a pin or voltage lead on the board. I'm sure the circuit board is super brittle if it's the original stock one.

Rotonda

The key here is whether the both the lights (on the center stack gauges) and the gauges themselves are BOTH dead. Also, does your tach work? Does your brake warning light come on when you start the car? Do the lights in your tach & speedo come on with your headlights?

The tach & brake warning light are powered by the same circuit that powers the center stack gauges.
The tach & speedo lights are powered by the same circuit that lights the center stack gauges.
In both cases, if the tach & brake work and if the tach & speedo lights work, most probably the connector in the back that plugs into the printed circuit is not plugged in, or not properly oriented (or your flexible printed circuit has been destroyed).

If you need more info, PM me with your email and I will send you an 8 1/2 x 11 color schematic of these circuits.

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
The mechanic shop told me there was a problem with the cluster but the more work they do the less confidence I have in their opinion. They told me they were not getting power to the oil pressure and temperature gauges. The clock has not worked since I have had the car but the other gauges did! This is going to be one of the things I will have to fix myself.

KNOT-HEAD

P.S.
You think getting to the fuse box is Apia for you.... Think about being a 67 & 9/10s year old,100 lb over weight man that can't see worth a damn trying to get his watermelon size head under there to check the fuses.... IT AIN'T PRETTY!

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
I'm not sure what they did but everything but the clock was working before they started working on the car. The lights, fuel gauge and volt meter work. I had them install a temporary temperature gauge on top of the dash. I still need a temporary oil pressure gauge on top the dash until I can figure out what is wrong with the cluster. I am loosing confidence it their head mechanic, so I will have to check things out myself but not until they get everything else completed to my satisfaction.

KNOT-HEAD

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
The mechanic shop told me there was a problem with the cluster but the more work they do the less confidence I have in their opinion. They told me they were not getting power to the oil pressure and temperature gauges. The clock has not worked since I have had the car but the other gauges did!

I have lights on the seat belt & brake warning light.
I have lights on the speedometer & tach.
I have lights on all the cluster gauges. Even the ones that do not work.
The clock (never did work), temperature and oil pressure gauges are the only things not working.

I would really appreciate the copy of the wiring schematic. I will PM you soon.

KNOT-HEAD

John 65

Just throwing this out there, maybe it will help. Removed from a 77, I have this cluster and housing. Sorry for the glare in the pic, but the gauges actually have a nice face on them. They are not tested, but believe it or not the clock actually works. The printed board needs replaced. 25.00 plus shipping. (I agree with others above, your gauges just might be fine) Good luck.

John

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
. I still haven't been able to check out the guage cluster yet but I believe they may have not plugged in the wiring harness correctly. Everything but the clock was working when they started working on the car. I am interested in your clock. It would be worth $25 just to get the clock if it works. I live I Sorrento, Louisiana 70778. Please check what the shipping cost would be and send me a PM.
Someone said they would send me the wiring
schematics for the gauge cluster. I sent them a PM but haven't heard back from them. That would help me troubleshoot shoot the guages.

KNOT-HEAD

John 65

You can have the clock for less $$$.
I have good news, not only does it work, somewhere in the last 41 years its been converted to the smooth quartz movement.
PM sent.

egypt123

When I replaced my gauge cluster circuit board recently, I mistakenly put a nut on one of the temp gauge and voltage gauge studs (there is one stud on each that do not have a nut on them) and neither worked. Once I removed them they both worked fine. This might not be your issue, but I'd take a look. Maybe they added nuts to these studs and they're not grounding properly. If you Google "Wilcox C3 gauge test" or something like that, you should find a YouTube video that shows which gauge studs that do not have nuts on them. Just a thought... I'd look at low-cost solutions before buying new gauges. Circuit boards are fairly cheap too.

EDIT: Actually, if you look at the picture John65 posted you can see which gauges/studs that do not have nuts on them. The gauge/stud to the right (in the picture) to the circuit connector does not have a nut, and the gauge underneath the connector does not have a nut on the bottom stud. I'd pull open the gauge bezel and check those studs.

John 65

I recently watched that video. Very informative. Here's a better pic. No nut at 9:00 on the temp and 6:00 on the oil.

egypt123

Would not surprise me if they took off that cluster that they put nuts on those two studs thinking they were missing. I know from experience.

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
That really sounds like a good deal. I will check my PM.

KNOT-HEAD

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
That is great advise and something I bet the mechanic shop never thought of. All of this is new to me so any help will be greatly appreciated.

KNOT-HEAD

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
Y'all (that's southern for "all of you here") have been a pleasure to hear from... Even that old grouch, "pauldana"....LOL! Sharing your victories and failures have helped me more than you can imagine. I have to begin working on this car myself. Besides the expense, the aggravation of having one group repair what a previous (so called professional) groups has been paid to work on, is just mind boggling!

I have another re-occurring issue. I have had five shops repair leaks in the steering system. This group repaired a small leak about three months ago. Not after removing and replacing the engines, it has a large leak. I noticed a large oil spot on my "new" concrete carport. I parked the car in a different spot but near where I usually park it to see if this was a relatively new leak and it is. It has been raining here in South Louisiana for the past "I don't know how many" weeks. I will need to pick a dry day, jack up the car and see if I can repair the leak myself. It is mind boggling how many times I have paid someone to go behind another "so called professional" to repair what I have already paid to be repaired.

KNOT-HEAD

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks,
John65.
I wanted to make sure the members of this site knew the type of person John65 is. I sent him money by means of Paypal this morning for a clock and shipping. I think it was a great deal. He had PM'ed me with a price that was within reason so I sent the money. He found out the actual shipping cost of the clock instead of the $9 quoted, was only $4. Instead of pocketing the MASSIVE over charge... He refunded me $4. I wish I could have dealt with similar people during the last two years while owning my money pit of a car. You have to admire a person with this type integrity! THANKS AGAIN John65. I hope we can do business again soon!

You wouldn't happen to have a pair of 77 Buckskin leather seat covers and buckskin deluxe door panels handy do you?

KNOT-HEAD

John 65

Thank you Dwain for the kind words, sorry can't help you with covers or door panels. John

KNOT-HEAD

The truth is only....THE TRUTH!
KNOT-HEAD

KNOT-HEAD

John 65,
Thank you again. I received the clock yesterday. I dropped it off at the mechanic shop this morning to be installed.

KNOT-HEAD