No dash lights

[SDH1]

We had dash lights until we had a new radio installed. We have checked fuses, bulbs and headlight switch. Right now, I'm lost...what do I need to check next?

[duncan2plus2]

Maybe when the radio was installed they disturbed the ground connection to the harness or lighting circuit in the harness.

[SDH1]

Thank you for suggesting the ground wire connection...how do you locate it...we cannot seem the find it as this has a printed circuit.

[Stu Norman]

As I stated in my e-mail, make a new ground using a chunk of wire installed from a ground point on the dashboard to a ground point on the firewall, or better yet straight to the negative terminal on the battery. It doesn't have to be pretty, you're just testing to see if you have a good ground or not.

My thought is that your ground on the dash has been missing for years and your dash was grounding through the antenna lead on the old radio. The new radio took this path away, now suddenly nothing works.

If everything works with the temporary ground installed, put 1 or 2 ground straps between the dashboard and the firewall at points that are easily hidden.

Let us know how it goes.

[duncan2plus2]

One way to do a quick test is to remove one of the easier to reach lamp bulbs and make a direct temporary connection to a good ground by inserting a stripped fine wire strand into the bulb socket then re-inserting the bulb. It does require enough wire and really good ground connections, though.
On my earlier models w/o printed circuits, there is a ground wire connection near the steering column with a wire and screw loop connector, so you mihgt look for a wire with a screw-down connector (mine were both black wires) that is not conected to anything, and is connected to the other light circuit.

[Stu Norman]

Any updates?