Chrysler Repair: Dash lights flicker: late 90 minivan, soldering pencil, variable resistor

Question
QUESTION: We have a 1996 Dodge Gran caravan it has a problem with the dash lights.I have changed the Head light switch section Headlight dash light and Electric adj for the  mirrors. They just come on and flicker some and some time go out completely.What should I like for

ANSWER: Hi Larry,
I assume that the lights on the AC/heater control panel do not flicker since you didn't mention them as a problem also. Let me know if otherwise.
That would mean that the wire from the body control module (that provides the variable voltage to adjust the lamps) to the cluster is OK as far as the dash lights are concerned. The possible causes of flickering would then be that there is a cold solder joint between the pin 6 of the socket at the cluster that brings the voltage for the lights to the circuit board of the cluster OR similarly the pin 7 solder joint that grounds the lights has a cold solder joint at the circuit board. So my suggestion would be to remove the cluster and use a soldering pencil to re-heat the joints between the pin 6 and pin 7 connectors to the circuit board. Let me know if you instead see other flickering at the AC/heater control, or any other electrical function that is similarly flaky in synchrony with the dash lights. Otherwise, it has to be internal to the dash and the most likely cause is a cold solder joint. This is not an uncommon sort of problem.
To tell you how to remove the cluster I need to know if you have a mechanical or electrical type of transmission shift indicator as the procedure differs.
Roland

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QUESTION: Sorry but the A/C controll lights do the also do the same thing

Answer
Hi Larry,
While I don't have a '96 manual I believe that yours is like the '98 for which I do have the manual. The dimmer switch is a variable resistor located in the headlamp switch which I understand that you have replaced. One end of the resistor is grounded (black wire on the natural color headlamp switch plug's pin 6 which goes to pin 21 of the right lower black 36-pin plug at the underdash fuse box(also called the junction block) and comes out of that box on the pin 2 of the upper right gray plug of the same box, and from there on a black wire to the ground point on the left kick panel (which is to the left of the driver's left leg where many black wires are grounded. If that wire weren't cleanly grounded due to looseness at any of those joints along its path then the lights would flicker. Similarly the lights would flicker if the wire from the other end of the dimmer switch were loose: it runs from pin 12 of the 13-pin natural color plug of the headlamp switch (orange/black wire) to the body computer's pin 8 located on one or the other of the two plugs at the body computer (these plugs are on the bottom of the fuse box under the dash where you will find 2 40-pin natural color plugs labelled 1-40, and 41-80). The body computer then puts out the voltage for lights on pin 8 of the lower right black plug on the fuse box proper and that goes to the dash and ac/heater on two separate orange wires (which I describerd in my earlier answer). If that orange/black wire were loosely connected or the orange wire similarly loosely connected it would cause flicker at both units. So I am suggesting that you troubleshoot the two wires from that variable resistor in the headlamp switch in order to get a stable lighting situation. If you haven't replaced the headlamp switch then I would simply spray some electrical contact cleaner inside the body of the switch through any available port holes or cracks and work the dimmer control to clean up its wiper contact.
Let me know if you don't find all the plugs that I have described at the locations where I described them to be.
Roland
PS I hope this is helpful. Please rate my answer.