I have a 74 Maverick (yay me ) that has executed complete light failure on the instrument panel. I changed the fuse which resulted in no change. Before the complete failure of lights, only one panel would light up on the speedometer side. When I first bought the car however- all lights were indeed working properly on both sides- I bought her used from a buddy in college. Then one side dropped, now both sides apparently abolished their functioning abilities, hence and enter in ---> . One last key concept that may be of importance is that when I hit the high beams (on)- there is a small glow of light on the speedometer side and the red high beam indicator light would come on, turn off the high beams- those lights go away. However, now- I am getting nothing at all whatsoever- including the red high beam indicator. I cannot ascertain if it's the bulbs [or] perhaps maybe a short taking place somewhere. It almost sounds like something may have a short- and I would not know where to begin to look. It would seem logical that all the bulbs would not just quit in protest at the same time lol and so I'd appreciate some advice and input/suggestions because I'm a bit lost . Thank you very much in advance.
Try spinning the knob on the headlight switch, and see if that makes a difference. That acts as a dimmer for the gauge lights.
It is possible that your instrument cluster has deteriorated due to age. This was a common problem on 1974-1977 Mavericks/Comets. I have seen 1974 Mavericks with the cluster made of green/blue plastic (the best kind to find) and I have seen 1974 clusters made of the white plastic (this was the kind most susceptible to deterioration). I bet yours is made of the white plastic. You need to replace the entire cluster if that is the case.
The dimmer part of the switch is a bare steel coil that corrodes over time. You can spin the knob around a few times to clean off the contacts. If that doesn't work you may need a new switch. And like Craig said, the plastic housing is known for falling apart.
I tried the knob turning thing. Um... that also used to work fine when the lights did work- to adjust the brightness. Idk, this is really weird. Where could I purchase a new cluster? In fact If you folks know of a good place on line to purchase stuff for mavericks- that'd be great. These chain stores don't seem to carry much for them. Thanks.
The cluster is not reproduced. Place a wanted ad in the classified section. Someone should be able to help you.
Mine stopped working just cause the contacts on the fuseblock were corroded. (They didnt look it.) Cleaned them off and adjusted the position of the fuse, and they work again.
Thanks GG (GreyGhost) You know I read that on another forum here from years back went out there and that fuse box is so far up under the dash its hard to get to. I went to remove the nut thing holding it on and it's attached to the other side of the engine fire wall, so I'm not certain how to even remove the thing. All the fuses look like they could be replaced. I did replace the 4A fuse for the light cluster, nothing. So I guess I could disconnect the battery and go in there and use a toothbrush or something. Hey what could I clean those with? What would be a good cleaner for that? Thanks Ghost. I really appreciate those commenting- this really is the best place for info on Mavericks.
A small wire brush. And if you remove the nut just be prepared that the box doesnt come out very far. You can test to see if thats your issue by bridging the two metal clips with the end of a test light and seeing if they come on. Just be careful...
Thanks Okay GreyGhost. I'm gonna go out there and give it a shot. It'd be great to have dashlights lol
