Cluster lights don't work. '98 RS

My instrument cluster has no light, that is i can see the check engine light and the seat belt but the background is not illuminated. My front head lights are working just fine. Any ideas?

It may just be a fuse, check all of them and if they are all fine then I guess you have a different problem. All the bulbs wouldn't go out at the same time so it has to be an electrical problem. You will just have to stay testing shit to find out what it is. You might want to check you dimmer switch to. I have heard of them going out. Use a volt meter if you have one.

YEah when i got the car the guy pointed out that it might be the dimmer. I have a volt meter but how do i test the it? Isn't it just a knob??

Yes thats the dimmer, Pull the panels off so that you can get to the back of the switch, then just ground the volt meter and check all the wires for power. Turn the switch down to see if the voltage drops. Im not sure if all the wires are suppose to have power or not so your going to have to figure that out.

Cool man, anything to keep in mind when pulling the panels off?

umm... start with the kick panel under the steering wheel. I think there may be some screws in the bottom and maybe 1 under the pop out square, then its just clips. You should be able to reach the dimmer from there.

Rightous, I'll get right on it. Thanks a lot man. By the way, I'm Jose. I've always admired the Eclipse, I finnaly get to see what I can really do.
:sunglasse

I checked the voltage on the dimmer and i got voltage from 2-12 with the dimmer on. All the fuses are good and i still fet no lights. Honestly i don't know where i was supposed to check the dimmer on. I only toook the switch of the bracket, was i supposed to take the cover off the switch itself?

Does anyone know where exactly i'm supposed to measure the voltage on the dimmer?

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q278/josealejo05/DSCN1058.jpg http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q278/josealejo05/DSCN1056.jpg

hmm I really dont know. I would guess just plug it in and mesure the output on the wires. If the dimmer switch controlled the voltage on one of the wires then thats probably the one that goes to the cluster. Which means you have another problem.

Are the cluster lights replaceable? I'm getting power from and to the dimmer just fine. Could it be that the wire is bad under the cluster, or maybe one of the bulbs went out and now they are all out? Either way I think i'm gonna have to remove the whole dash.

Just pull the cluster out, you dont have to remove the whole dash.

Well actually I'm gonna take the easy way out and just install a toggle switch in the space where the dimmer went. Then i'm gonna mount some LEDs or maybe small neon bars to illuminate the cluster at least. Saves me the work of looking for a burnt wire or bulb, I'll match the color to whatever the whole cluster should have been.

One cluster bulb going out will not affect the whole cluster. I've gone through the wiring on the clusters and it'll be fine if just one go out.

-Do your back tail lights work?
-Are the lights by the AC/Heater still on?
-And did you check both fuse boxes?

MY tailights and my back-up light both work. My AC lights are no good, neither is the cluster. Both fuse boxes are good, that is all the fuses are good.

Dont rig up something so you dont have to trace the problem, you will regret it later. Go ahead and fix the problem.

If the fuses are good, and it's just on the dash, a wire was cut or damaged somewhere.

If the fuses are good, and it's just on the dash, a wire was cut or damaged somewhere.

Well thats the thing, my AC lights are no good, when I check the cluster (and if I don't find any cut wires,) do I continue to the behind the AC controls? I'll post some pictures up tommorow.

If you have power at the dimmer control the current should go straight to the cluster and HVAC lights. I would pull your cluster out and check the plugs in the dash with a volt meter or test light and see which ones cut on with the lights and go from there. If you have power at the plug it has to be in the cluster itself.

One problem more, I can't pull the cluster out. I took the outer trim around the cluster. I took the four screws off that hold the cluster but now i can't find where the plugs are at! I can't disconnect the fucking thing cause its caught!:banghead: How many plugs are supposed to be plugged in?

There three sets of connectors. They slide right out, I just have to pull the cluster straight out, saw another one at the junk yard without the cluster. I'm not gonna destroy anything when i pull out am i? should the battery be connected or disconnected. I just got a new dimmer switch and it didn't work. Its a wire or connector issue.

Take the 4 screws out the cluster and it will pull straight out. You dont have to disconnect the battery since you will need it connected to test the plugs.

Ok, so i guess all the plugs are supposed to be hot (running power.) Here goes nothing.......

Ok, so i i'm getting power at the switch and from it....so why the hell do i not see the little ligth bulb icon on the dimmer turn on? Should'n that at least be on?

I dont believe thats suppose to light up, I dont believe mine does either.

So here is the break down:
1) The back of the cluster had some areas where the solder contacts had a black dried liquid. Almost like acid.
2) I was getting power to only about a fifth of the total number of connectors. (Not sure how many and which ondes were supposed to be good.
3) Since i could not dismantle the whole panel i took the easy way out and just pulled to power at the switch to feed a 6" neon light. Just screwed it to the roof of the cluster.
:nono: Sorry fellas, just could not find the problem.

PANSY!!!!! You will be shunned!!

I exposed all the wiring so that i could follow all the bundles. I still didn't find any bad connections, or cut wires. I followed them from the back of the lighting control all the way to the cluster. All the wires were good, must be hundreds of feet of wire! I tore the whole thing up and still had no success.