SE Light package wiring observation

[loche451]

Hi Everyone...I have a 1970 SE and have been doing a complete wiring swap to a modern harness and losing the old problematic one. Its a complete electrical rebuild to include 95 amp alternator and Robb MC Starter and a fresh harness and fuse panel as well as instrument replacement and vintage air install. I wanted to offer some observations after screwing around with the wiring for the SE Light Package option and trying to get the overhead console and certain timer functions to work on a modern harness to maintain as much of the original end experience as possible.

#1 - The Light Package has a Yellow wire code and is mostly a set of layered grounds. After significant time was spent it was noticed that some of the yellow wires are Hot and some are Grounds on this circuit. Thanks Dodge...well we figured which was which after a long spell. Heads up everyone else. Test your circuit each way when troubleshooting

#2 - The low fuel warning light is set triggered from the guage and will not function if you do what I did and go with the Dakota Digital gauge cluster. All other indicators on the overhead console we got to work but we did have to leave part of the original wiring where the thermo-timer is at for the steering column and panel lights on timer vs the courtesy/map lights...so that is about the only piece of original wiring that was allowed to stay for functionality.

So- just wanted to offer some time saving notes to the group

[Filthy Filbert]

Neat.   I have a gran coupe and will be doing the same thing.   I'm going to fabricate my own harness exactly as needed.   I'm not after originality.   I want functionality with a clean install.

I never did figure out how to trigger the low fuel light when my car was running.    Couldn't find it in the electrical diagrams, and had no idea what was missing or broken.    It was triggered off the fuel gauge itself?  did the SE/Gran coupes get a different fuel gauge than the other cars?

[JS29]

@Filthy Filbert  There is a relay under the dash, far right past the glove compartment. #2983828 that dose the activation, I think you plug it in in-place of the voltage limiter. It's hard to find it, but it's in the schematic.   

[Filthy Filbert]

wow...way over there?   I'll look for it when I pull the dash out.


Question on the topic of re-wiring everything.   Are the connectors for things like headlight sockets available?  It's been awhile since I've really paid attention to the wire harness...I removed them years ago and put them away in a box.  It seems like most of them are all standard ring or blade connectors available at any auto-parts store.

[loche451]

I had to leave the low fuel light as a non functional piece when I switched to dakota digigal guages. It is triggered by a connection to the fuel guage itself...so if you do not have an analog OEM fuel guage it either wont fire or will not shut off. I had it to the point where it would not shut off- replaced the low fuel relay and it worked fine on the Rallye guage cluster...no way to hook it up again with the Dakota package though.

I WAS able to keep the door ajar and seatbelt lights functional from the overhead console as well as the map light, overhead light, courtesy lights and even the small key finder light in the column. I retained the original harness for most of that and lost the thermal timer in place of a small digital switch with a 15 second setting