1998 Bravada Gauge Cluster

[Harlem1Der]

I bought my son his first vehicle, a 98 Bravada. We've had it less than a week and so far the major problem we have come across is the lights in for the gauge cluster in the dash are not coming on. First I thought it was a blown bulb so we replaced that. When we were putting the dash back together, I turned the truck on and turned on the headlights and got nothing. So I jiggled some wires thinking that it might've been a short or a loose wire and still nothing. It was getting dark so my son decided to put everything back together and try again in the morning. When he reconnected the connector for the dome/fog light, everything came back on. But when he moved the dashboard to put it back in place, everything went back out again. Again, I jiggled wires and nothing, not even a flicker. Now there's no lights in the dash and when he turns on the headlights, the radio lights go out along with the compass/MPG gauge located overhead. Any ideas as to what the problem might be?

[Rick Norwood]

First thing is to make sure all of your fuses are good (not Blown), tight in their sockets, and are physically all there (not missing). This is a common symptom of a bad ignition switch, but the ignition switch is not always the culprit. 97's and 98's are flat notorious for having bad ignition switches. The ignition switch is mounted to the Steering column. Try specifically wiggling the Pink wire at the ignition switch. There are many threads on this forum pertaining to the ignition switch. Do a search. Also make sure none of the bulbs are blown and possibly shorted.