Topic: My CLUSTER PLUG INFO

[79 Rebel]

Here is my plug in
i cannot figure out how to release the wires

[attachment deleted by admin over 60 days old]

[ta78w72]

There's a tiny slot towards the inside of the cluster for each pin.  Push a tiny screwdriver into that slot (from the side that enters the cluster.....just like your above picture shows...hold the connector like that and push in the screwdriver)  and pry up a little toward the pin.  That will depress the locking tab and allow the pin to slide out.  Once out, you've got to gently pry that tab back out for it to lock back in the correct location on the connector.  Just be gentle and don't force anything.

I have no idea how your wiring got so mixed up. That couldn't have come from the factory that way unless they were trying to match up against a different cluster.  But the 79 pattern is the one I gave you above.  So, it's a mystery to me.  I said originally that I didn't think it looked correct.  But that was because there were pins in all the slots.  I didn't realize there were empty pins.  They didn't come from the factory with empty pins in the slots.

[Joker (§ir£Ğragon)]

If you don't have a screw driver that will fit in those little slot, a paper clip will work too.

[ta78w72]

If you don't have a screw driver that will fit in those little slot, a paper clip will work too.

Gee Larry, I was giving him an excuse to buy more tools!

[Rick]

A note of caution -- of course, disconnect the battery before fooling with any of this -- maybe you have already, but a reminder can't hurt...

And the watch word is finesse.  Those connectors don't take a lot of force to disassemble.  If a contact won't pull out of the housing with only gentle force, you're not doing it right.  Take a moment and study how the pins are retained before you start jamming and yanking.  If you are doing it right, it will ease out without much drama.  You just have to depress the retaining tab (kind of a tang thing) enough to clear the housing, and then it will slide right out.

[79 Rebel]

yes
they had an 81 cluster in the dash

[79 Rebel]

ok i moved all the wires but have a problem
i have one black wire too many
and i have no dark green
the black wire i have left over right now is running up near the highlight switch

so im guessing one of the black wires is the dark green but someone spliced it
any advice

[79 Rebel]

ok i wanna run this by you guys beofre i put everything back together

the extra black wire i had i just put ot back into the slot wit was in
which is suppose to be empty

all seems fine but before i didnt have right turn light now i do but i dont have left turn light
instead it kinda moves the tach needle and the oil pressure needle

so i wanna see if this is an easy fix before i just leave it

[ta78w72]

Putting the extra ground in a empty slot should be OK.  Double check the wire colors to slots.  Make sure that break in the dash light circuit isn't touching the cluster housing.  You can measure the voltage by checking the housing to ground.  There shouldn't be any voltage.  The other thing, have you installed the metal bracket under the steering column.  Try running a ground strap from the cluster to ground to see if that cures the problem.
Does everything else work OK?

[79 Rebel]

well i wont know about the dash lights until tonight
so far the only thing wrong is the turn signal lights

[ta78w72]

I didn't see the comment about no dark green wire.  That makes sense to me.  Easy to find if you have a multimeter.  The dark green wire is for your temp gauge.  It's the wire that runs from the sender to pin number 13 of the connector.  To figure out which "black" wire is really green, disconnect the sender wire at the sender.  Select ohms on your multimeter.  Clip a long jumper wire to the end of the sender wire.  The jumper should be long enough to reach to the connector.  Then connect one lead from the multimeter to the end of the jumper wire.  With a probe on the other multimeter lead, probe each "black" wire until you get a closed circuit.  That would be the sender wire. 

Fixing that should clean up your cluster problems.

[79 Rebel]

yes because when i turn on the left turn signal the temp gauge starts jumping
but besides that its good
i mean even the clock works and keeps time

[ta78w72]

You've almost got everything.  Just figure out which one is the temp sender wire and you're home free.

[79 Rebel]

I Have No Dash Lightz

[ta78w72]

I Have No Dash Lightz

That's because of the break in your circuit.  You're not getting current from the gray wire to the bulbs.  You have to repair that break.

Did you figure out which "black" wire was your dark green wire?