Inst. panel lights

I have an 88' Grand Am LE. and the inst. panel and center console lights do not come on when the head/parking lights are turned on, also the radio's clock goes out all together but the radio still works.

All the other lights work like they are supposed to. I have checked all the fuses, their good. I have replaced the headlight switch, $50 down the drain. The only things I have not tried is the remote dimmer module and the illumination ctrl relay. Does anyone know where these items are located?


JR

Have you checked the bulbs in the center consol? They have a tendancy to fall out because the sockets break, and it looks like they are out. For the radio is the display the only thing that is not lit, or is it the entire radio? If it's just the display that may just also be a bulb, if the enitre radio is out, you may want to look into the light relay, when they are starting to go random lights such as radio/consol won't work before nothing wokrs all together.

I have ruled out the bulbs because the entire inst. cluster, the console and the entire radio lights don't come on. And all of them stopped working working at once. As for the radio when the lights are turned off the clock is on, and when you turn the head lights on the clock gose out instead of dimming.

Do you know where the relay is located in the car? I have wiring diagrams, but the no way to find out where they hide these parts.

JR

That sounds like the relay, we had the same thing happen on both our 87 and 88 g/a's, very common problem. It's been awhile since they were replaced but if i recall correctly it's under the hood along the firewall at the top near the wipers, ( they sort of look like a printer cartridge) I would go look at my 88 but the car is in storage so i can't look for ya... but hopefully this helps. I did not replace it myself, i had a mechanic do many years back.

Thank you for the help. It was the radio wireing harness shorting out the system and had to replace all the compants assoc. with the lights ( light switch, dimmer switch and illumation reley).