[glhs#116]

1971 Pontiac Trans Am 455HO

OK. Obviously this is some sort of wiring or grounding problem. Since I'm no good with electrics I've been ignoring it even though I know it to be bad.

About a year ago I had the temp peg and the oil pressure drop to nothing. This was at night. I actually left the car by the roadside and walked home and later towed it. Turned out later, it was just the gauge. The gauges are sorta pegged all the time and REALLY pegged when the lights are on. It's been like this a while.

Just last night, however, I noticed that now I'm getting the LH turn indicator dimly lit when the lights are on but constantly. I'm sure it's just the same problem getting worse. For now the indicators all still work.

I tried to remove the dash panel to check behind but can't quite manage it. I see three (or four?) screws at the top that let me tilt the panel forwards but something is still solidly holding it at the bottom and I can't see what. From underneath I can't seem to see or reach much. Complicating matters I have AC in my non-AC car (previous owner) and there's a big flexible duct wedged behind the instruments.

A while back I did order a spare PCB for my instrument panel but I don't even know how to get back there. In my fiddling this morning all I managed to do was lose one of the "peanut" lights that backlight the gauges. Its holder was so brittle that it came of at little more than a light touch. I sure hope that's a part I can order.

Anyway, all help will be welcome. Especially if it is given slowly and carefully in small words. I'm really pretty bad with electrics.

Thanks!

Sam

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Drop the access panel/cover under the steering column. Should be two screws, one on each side at the bottom.
With that cover off, you'll find two hidden screws that go up in to the bezel/aluminum panel. They're kind of in a hole and go straight up, one on each side of the column, got 5/16 heads and are fairly long.
With them out and the screws you mentioned at the top, plus the ring that unscrews off the cig lighter, the bezel/aluminum panel will come off.

With it gone you'll have access to the cluster. Four screws hold the cluster to the dash, one screw in each corner. DON'T take the screws out of the clear lens, not yet anyways. With the 4 corner screws out the cluster will slide forward but it's still not quite ready to come out. You'll have to unhook the speedometer cable, just a clip you push in on letting cable housing slide off the back of the guage. The clip actually pushes toward the back of the guage to release the cable.
Main cluster plug-in; Just a rectangle plastic connector with squeeze tabs on the ends. It's probably going to be fragile so go easy and wiggle at it a bit.
IMPORTANT: there should be a piece of clear acrylic plastic that kind of wedges between the cluster and head light switch, it's for 'headlight' illumination next to the knob. This piece breaks easy and may already be gone.
Tach wires should be all thats left, two wires in a plastic connector stuck on two 1/4" male spade terminals. Might be tight if they've never been off.

Sometimes (not always) it helps to losen up the two nuts that hold the column to the bottom of the dash, just enough to gain some extra clearance sliding the cluster out.

Once out, chances are you'll more than likely see your main problem. A thin plastic sheet embeded with copper flat wire (called a printed circuit) starting to fall apart.

Pretty sure everything can still be purchased to do repairs.

The cluster is easy enough to take apart and it may need looked at inside. If I'm not mistaken there's some tubes that direct light from the back panel up to the turn indicators and other red warning lights on the front.

Plan on being down awhile or driving without guages while you're waiting on parts.

Patience a must for disassembly, especially for the first time. After that it's like riding a bicycle.

Let us know what you find or if you need more help.