Instrument lights won't come on

[EastEnder]

i jsut got into my '85 Regal (v6 n/a) and the dash/ instrument lights will not come on. The car was sitting for about 4 days before this and I never had a problem. Both the low and high beams come on, as well as my parking lights, but for some reason I do not have any dash / instrument lights now. Any thoughts where to check? is there a good tutorial/ site for taking the dash apart? Thanks for any help.

 

[Blake442]

You try turning the dimmer switch?

 

[EastEnder]

Yep! I tired it several times, to the point where I was driving home with my interior lights on, just to see the speedo....

 

[EastEnder]

I jsut checked again, and the parking lights will not even come on. Could there be a short some where or a bad fuse? Where is the fuse box on these cars? I just added a fm modulator to my stereo, if I connected it to the wrong ground, could that do it too?

 

[adumb]

i have to wiggle my dimmer switch pretty good to get my int. lights on. maybe a bad switch?

 

[Blake442]

Could be a bad headlight/dimmer switch, as all the power for all your lights runs though that switch.

 

[EastEnder]

i looked at the car again, and diagonosted it as a bad fuse. Swaped fuses and the lights came on. I go to start the car, and take it out tonight and now no lights; fuse blew again....I think it might be what I wired my modulator too...not sure though. The fuse was the "taillight fuse". What else gets power from that circut?

 

[Blake442]

Well, think of all the things that come on with the tail lights...
Tail lights, parking lights, dash lights... all the things you described.

Check for a broken/cracked wire. It's grounding somewhere and blowing your fuse.

 

[flip66]

does it have an after market radio if so make sure the factory dark gray wire (with the yellow and black wires) and the dark brown wire(with the orange wire) is not shorting out on something behind the radio.

 

[EastEnder]

thanks guys, i got it figured out. I had it grounded to something in that circuit. There was a wire that was cut from the previous owner, not labeled, but seemed to work when I put a volt meter up to it. Glad it got it sorted out. Thanks for the help.