Electrical Help- Dash Lights

[Guest Pete Faulkner]

My dashboard lights have all suddenly stopped working. Auxilary gauge light works when i put headlights on, but none of the standard dash lights. No fuses are blown on the fuse board.

I HATE electronics, so can anyone offer any possible solutions without confusing me????????????????

[Anthony 1,003]

Are you saying that the backlights don't work, or that all the warning lights also don't work? If it's just the backlights, then check the rheostat is connected and not knackered - it's the dashboard light dimmer wheel thingy under the steering column (assuming it's still present on your stripped out motor)

[Guest Pete Faulkner]

Are you saying that the backlights don't work, or that all the warning lights also don't work?  If it's just the backlights, then check the rheostat is connected and not knackered - it's the dashboard light dimmer wheel thingy under the steering column (assuming it's still present on your stripped out motor)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

lol. as you might guess, I don't have a rheostat - think i bypassed it when i stripped the dash out. i think the warning lights are still working though (will double check tomorrow evening) so any ideas what i shouldbe looking for???

[Guest Pete Faulkner]

yep, the warning lights are definitelly working so it's just the instrument backlighting that isn't working. had a look under the dash quickly and can't work out what i did with the dimmer switch thingy - anyone got a ny suggestions of how i can check what's wrong without rooting through all the wiring (which i REALLY don't want to do!)?

 

any advice much appreciated..........

Edited August 12, 2005 by Pete Faulkner

[Bonzai 2]

i have had a problem similar to this since about christmas time.

 

at night when i turn my lights on, the headlights will work fine and i get the icon lit up to demonstrate this, but none of the gauge backlighting works. indicator arrows, and all other symbol lights down the middle work fine.

 

eventually after a couple of miles the dashlights will just turn on randomly. there is no fade up, just off on second, on the next. no amount of dash bashing will turn on the instrument lights.

 

Im not 100% certain, but there seems to be a connection between outside air temperature and wether they work or not, i.e. its usually fecking freezing when they decide not to light up.

 

Does anyone have any clues as to what this might be and what to look for to rectify this, im assuming its a loose connection somewhere

[Guest smokinslim]

lol. as you might guess, I don't have a rheostat - think i bypassed it when i stripped the dash out. i think the warning lights are still working though (will double check tomorrow evening) so any ideas what i shouldbe looking for???

If you did bypass the rheostat the dashlights should be at full brightness all the time they're on. If there was a break in the circuit somewhere, say the bypass was disconnected, the lights wouldn't work.

[Guest TSL 333]

The dash illumination is on the same circuit as the front side lights so check them first. The same happened to me and I got mine working last weekend. Turned out to be the fuse - try giving the terminals a good scrape down and make sure and use a new/ good fuse to ensure you are getting a new connection.

Edited March 4, 2006 by TSL 333