Dear John,

May this find you well. Yes. I, too, have removed many clusters. Occasionally, I have found that a minor defect in the plastic covering the copper traces on the circuit "card" can allow a short to ground. If the power has been cut-off, no harm can be done.

Generally, I cut power for most electrical work, except for changes of relays, which are not energized, if the ignition switch is "off".

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook