Dash Lights

[flashlight]

When I turned my lights on this morning everything was working fine. Then when I turned a corner to get onto the freeway my dash lights went out and it didn't matter what I tried they wouldn't come back on. Thankfully I had a small flashlight that I could put up on the dash so that I could see my speed so that I could get home from work. When I got home I checked all the fuses to see if one of them had shorted and none of them had. Is there something else that can be checked? Has anyone else had a similar problem? Thank you for helping me.

[GM Line Rat]

1st, Does the ashtray light and heater control lights still come on while the dash lights are out? If so, time to pull the Gauge cluster cover off, remove the screws that hold the cluster in and pull it back a little and check the electrical connections in the back for being loose or dirty.

If none of the interior lights are coming on.

Turn the headlights on, then using a 12V test light, Check for voltage at the Blue wire of the combination switch (Headlight switch)...It should have 12V.

Now test the Dimmer control switch (Illumination controller). Remove it, turn the headlights ON..... then Turn the knob all the way to the right (Clockwise). With a 12V Test light, check for voltage at the "Red with a Yellow stripe" wire 1st. Then check for voltage at the "Red with a Green stripe" wire also. You should see 12V's at both wires. If not, the dimmer switch is bad. Here's the complete interior lighting wiring diagrams.

Interior lights 1



Interior Lights 2



Interior Lights 3

[Woodie83]

Also consider that your headlights may have gone off too, that would be a different problem. Don't know how dark it was, this may be a silly suggestion.

[flashlight]

Alright so I figured out that it was a blown fuse. But the thing is that I can only go so far before it burns out again. Is there a wire that I should check? Or should I continue to replace the fuse every time it gets blown.

[GM Line Rat]

Originally Posted by flashlight

Alright so I figured out that it was a blown fuse. But the thing is that I can only go so far before it burns out again. Is there a wire that I should check? Or should I continue to replace the fuse every time it gets blown.

What is the fuse rating that you currently have in? According to the specs.....It should be a 15 Amp fuse.....Is it? Do you have any other "Add on" items on the circut that's blowing the fuse that didn't come from the factory setup, such as fog lights etc..? when you say "I can only go so far before it burns out again"......How long do you mean? 5 mins or 5 days?

[flashlight]

I don't know if I have any other add ons that aren't supposed to be there. The guy that I got this car from previously had tried to soup it all up for what reason I'm not sure because all he used it for was to deliever papers in the morning and go to school.
When I say that I can only go so far I meant that when I was out camping this weekend and was driving on dirt roads it only lasted for maybe half an hour, but when I'm driving on the normal road it will last a couple of days.
GM Line Rat you are correct that fuse is only a 15 amp.
And if I do have extras connected to that circuit how do I figure that out.

[DOCTORBILL]

If driving on rough roads makes the fuse burn out, it sounds like you have a bare
12v live connection touching a ground somewhere under the dashboard and shorting out.

I'd try wiggling all the wires that go to the Speedometer Console.

This kind of thing is not fun to find....good luck.

Sorry that I'm not much help.

DoctorBill