dash light problem

[showme409]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and was wandering if any one can help me. I have a 97 Tbird LX and I have a dash light problem. Sometimes all my dash lights go out for a couple of days and they come on for a couple of days and off again. I have change fuses 2 or 3 times. This is not the problem. The car also has the AUTO headlight on feature. The power goes in and out of the fuse when I turn the light switch on or cover the AUTO dimming eye but the lights don't work. When the lights go off, the radio display and temperature display stay on. the clock is very dim. All other lights in the radio and temperature controls are off plus all other dash lights are off. The lights in the floor shifter are also off. Then I might get in the car the next day and everything will work fine for a while. Is there a relay? If so, where? Could this be the problem? Thank you for reading this. Any help will be appreciated. Regards, showme409
.

[emailer33]

could be a short, as in one of the wires are contacting a ground, and it's just touching it and then coming off again. get out your multimeter to find that :P

[showme409]

Originally Posted by emailer33

could be a short, as in one of the wires are contacting a ground, and it's just touching it and then coming off again. get out your multimeter to find that :P

Emailer33, Thanks for the imfo. I am thinking of a short as a last resort. It seems that I would blow a fuse if it were a short. I'm not blowing any fuses. Dale

[97Bird]

Go to your local library and ask if the have a Mitchell manual for 1997. This has the wiring diagrams for your car. It sounds like a feed wire is loose somewhere since you are not blowing fuses. Our library lets you photocopy the pages for a nickel each.

[showme409]

97 Bird, thanks for the help. I called the library and they don't have that book. I agree that there is something loose. The 5 amp fuse gets power to it and through it. The Haynes book shows a lite blue/red wire going in and out of the fuse. I'm not seeing that. I found on the fuse box, an orange wire and a brown wire that goes on and off with the light switch. I believe the brown is for the parking lights. Thanks

[The ORIG. Dig. Oxy]

How about the switch itself? How certain are you that it's good? Pull the switch, and look for any burnt/brown/wires, connectors, etc that go into the switch. If there are none, then see if the switch is actually getting power, as it whould be. If it is, chances are it's the switch thats bad. If the switch isnt getting power, then obviously, your problem is somewhere else. Good luck

[Neggy]

Originally Posted by showme409

Emailer33, Thanks for the imfo. I am thinking of a short as a last resort. It seems that I would blow a fuse if it were a short. I'm not blowing any fuses. Dale

you could easily have a short and it not blow a few. could be short to ground causing this.

I would go with The ORIG Dig oxy's idea first.

If that doesnt work, get out a multi-meter, go to each side of one of the bulbs in the dash when they are not working and see if you have ANY voltage there. If nothing on either side of it, its shorting to ground somewhere. This could be caused by MANY things, but a exposed wire or something like that hitting somthing on the body would be my first guess.

Good luck, I know how it feels to look for problems like this. Just takes time.

[showme409]

I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my problem. Now to bring things up to date. I checked the voltage at the fuse and across it and the voltage comes on and off with the switch. I think the switch is good. I had the fuse box out of the car and in my hand, thinking that I could check where the power comes out of the fuse. WOW what a mess of wires. It sure isn't like the 60s fuse box. Anyway, I must not be reading the schematic in the Haynes book right. It shows 2 LB/R wires. one for the dash lights and one for the shifter light. Both have seperate grounds. I can't seem to find any light blue/ red wires coming out of the fuse box. There is a box to the right of the steering column and it has 4 or 5 connectors going to it. Some have LB/R wires going to it. I'm not sure but I think this is the secondary junction block. There is definitly to many wires and not enough space to work. I will check the short to ground on some bulbs if I can get to them. Thanks to all.