No dash, license plate or fog lights - '73 914 1.7

[ejp914]

Just finished installing a new pedal cluster. Seems to work ok but now I lost my dash lights, license plate, and fog lights. Fuse #7 on the fuse block has now blown twice. All lights worked before the pedal project. I dont think the pedal cluster and the lights are in anyway tied together. Maybe they are??? There is a brake light switch on the pedals but i have brake lights.
The back up reverse lights, headlights, parking lights, side markers, turn signals, brake lights all still work so I don't think it's the headlight switch.
Gonna drop the fuse panel and look around. Otherwise not sure where to start. Any suggestions would appreciated.
This car sat for about 15 years before I bought it last year. May make some sense to remove the light and fog switches and clean up the connections and the switches. But all the lights worked before! I hate electrical problems.
Thanks.
EJP914

[blueline]

@ejp914

Hi Ed,

I am not equipped to answer your question so I'm posting a reply to your thread to give it a bump!

I may also split off those pics of your fine 914's from February that you posted elsewhere on Carpokes to the "Classic Air-Cooled Cars" sub-forum . On second thought, maybe easier if you post the pics of your two 914's there.

This would be good: viewtopic.php?t=289&start=120

Meanwhile, I'm hoping that someone can get some answers to your questions.

[ejp914]

Hi Tim,
I fixed my problem although I don't know how. Took fuse panel connections apart and cleaned, Cleaned and tightened up all grounds I could find. Remove switches from dash and cleaned and lubed. After about 3-4 hours of poking around not really knowing what I was looking for, I pulled the light switch and the everything that was out lit up.
This happened definitely not from Porsche 914 experience. I call it karma or just dumb luck, but sometimes that's all you need.
Ed

[blueline]

Hi Tim,
I fixed my problem although I don't know how. Took fuse panel connections apart and cleaned, Cleaned and tightened up all grounds I could find. Remove switches from dash and cleaned and lubed. After about 3-4 hours of poking around not really knowing what I was looking for, I pulled the light switch and the everything that was out lit up.
This happened definitely not from Porsche 914 experience. I call it karma or just dumb luck, but sometimes that's all you need.
Ed

That's fantastic Ed! Gotta love it when something good happens following random poking around.

I'm most definitely not a mechanic, but bad grounds due to loose connections, faulty wires and, most importantly, corroded connections is a huge culprit in older cars. I learned that with an older big-block (C2) Corvette. Age, fiberglass body impediments, years of humid environments and a ton of constant vibrations take their toll. Grounds were always the first thing to check. Your 914 sitting for 15-years would make connections a prime suspect.

Glad it's solved!