Interior lights not working

[SilverShadow87]

my 79 Monte is having electrical issues, none of my interior lights work. I've checked the fuses, and they're good... bulbs are fine... gauges work fine... just not the backlighting for them, climate control or the door open lights. what else could it be?

 

[rangertom]

i had the same problem with my 84 cutlass, turned out to be the plugs in the back of the guages were dirty.. i had the guages out doing my new dash and decided to clean all the contacts since i had it out and when i plugged it back in all my lights started working...

 

[G-Body_Vet]

my 79 Monte is having electrical issues, none of my interior lights work. I've checked the fuses, and they're good... bulbs are fine... gauges work fine... just not the backlighting for them, climate control or the door open lights. what else could it be?

I'm suspecting the headlight switch.

 

[SilverShadow87]

would that be possible even if it turns the exterior lights off/on just fine?

 

[G-Body_Vet]

would that be possible even if it turns the exterior lights off/on just fine?

Yep, very possible since that's the dimmer switch as well. If there's no contact you won't get any lights inside period. I even had a bad cigarette lighter in my '85 SS that would cause the pwr locks and courtesy light fuses to blow....weird huh?

Stuck door jamb switches are another common one if you get nothing when you open the door.

 

[rangertom]

X2, there is some weird wiring in a cutlass i'm learning.

 

[SilverShadow87]

hmm... the only option is to replace it?

 

[G-Body_Vet]

hmm... the only option is to replace it?

You can get out there with a multi-meter or test lamp to check it first. Testing circuits for continuity is actually the preferrred way to find electrical problems instead of throwing money at it. You just have to find out which pins to check for continuity.

 

[gbondo57]

For what it's worth. The dome/courtesy lites, I believe, have a constant hot. The door switches complete the ground. I got my 79 ElCo with 1 working guage light on the dash. Concerning the dash, if you have the old style speedo across the top of the gauge cluster, rather than the round ones, check this. My dash also has a small clock on the rite side-dead. The printed circuit # is 25016403. OPGI is L230013. NOW, i found burn marks on it, the lites contact it at plug in. I WANTED that CLOCK to work! Not sure which way, but it has a hot going thru a ground loop or vice versa. That clock almost toasted my new circuitpaper. I left the hot wire to the clock out and alls fine. Mine has the wiper switch on the dash. The headlite switch is a sensable replacement, given the age anyway.