I have no dash lights, when I pull the lights on the indicator lights in the cluster come on and even dim when I turn the knob. Any ideas. I have checked the circuit board and it all looks good and seem s to have power everywhere. This car is new to me and I am trying to iron out a few bugs and this is how it came to me.

Your description of the problem over at PY was a bit more clear than the above message.

Agree with the 2nd response at PY. 1st check the ground for the cluster which is a thin wire loop that using the middle cluster housing to dash screw as the ground point.

Yes, look for the ground wire shown in the attached picture. The cluster is grounded through this wire and the upper center cluster-to-dash screw.

Pete

The wire is there as in your pic. Set up a jumper as the gauges are out, but it appears to make no difference.The indicator lights are still bright as the sun. The globes on the far left and right are on but very dim. You can only tell this because as you pull them out you can see the filament dim down. One thing I have noticed is that there is no power at the fuse box at the 4A inst and gauge fuse, that is until the light switch is turned on. Is this correct.

OK, I am going to take a wild stab at this as there are only 2 times I have seen something like your conditions:

1) Ground issue, which you have ruled out

2) The emergency flasher knob is pushed in and your emergency flasher relay is missing.

There are 2 separate flashers needed for a '67 Firebird. One to make the turn signal indicators blink when the turn signal stalk is depressed either up (right side) or down (left side).

There is a 2nd flasher needed to make both turn signal indicators blink at the same time when the emergency flasher button is pushed in. I did not know this and I got always on turn signal indicators (both sides) when I tested the emergency flasher button.

I'm not sure why the indicators (the turn signal indicators or the warning lights?) would dim when turning the headlight switch. I'll defer to Salmon's experience on this one.

Per Salmon's advice, there are 2 flashers - one is plugged in to the fuse block and the other is clipped to the backside of the dash just to the right of the steering column. The electrical diagram shows that the fuse block flasher is the emergency flasher.

Yes, the 4A inst fuse is powered by a green wire coming from the headlight switch. It is not powered until the switch is pulled out, and the circuit is powered through a rheostat in the switch. Turn the knob counter-clockwise for full voltage. As you turn the knob clockwise, the voltage will decrease. Fully clockwise will turn the lamps off.

Does your instrument cluster have gauges or warning lights? Is it possible that someone re-wired or miswired the connector in the past? The connector pinout is different between the 2 types of clusters. Go to the FGF - FAQs - Dash and Instruments page and scroll about 1/4 of the way down to an entry titled "Q: Stock Cluster to a Rally Gauge Cluster". In the answer there is a good description of the connector pinout and wire colors for each type of cluster.

Pete

Thanks guys. The flashers are as they should be and work correctly. I only have the warning lights. Come to think of it shouldn't the oil light be on when the key is on? I am sure it was coming on before I fixed the tailght broken wire.

You are absolutely positive that the rear cluster circuit board is OK? No delamination, no broken copper pathways?

So..... I unplugged everything checked wire colours, flasher relays, ran a test light across everything, pulled some more of my hair out, put it all back together and... then I pulled the lights on and nothing happened, not even the indicators lighting up, but then I started to turn the lights on and off repeatedly and hey presto on came the dash lights, then they went off and the indicators came on again. I have found its the light switch. If you pull it on too far the indicators come on and if you give it a wriggle and hold your tongue the right way the dash lights come on. Thanks to Salmon and Pete your help has been invaluable, I am sure you were starting to think I was an idiot. I know I was.

Glad you found it. I was out of ideas.

Hate to tell you this, but electrical issues have a tendency to be this way. Usually really weird reasons for strange happenings that always make good stories to share with car guy friends.

On my previous restoration, an '80 Turbo Trans Am, the headlight/instrument panel fuse would always blow if I had the high beams on and stepped on the brake pedal. Took the car to an electrical system expert and he found some issue behind the fuse panel and fixed it for $80. Well worth it.

Electrical issues can be frustratingly difficult, as you know. If the circuit isn't working just right, the electricity will take other paths and can cause strange things like you saw.

There can be strange behaviours even when the circuits are working as designed. As a kid, I remember my brothers and I sitting in my grandfather's Chrysler. We discovered that if we pressed the brake pedal and activated the left turn signal, we could turn on the radio and listen to it without needing the ignition key!