Chrysler Repair: 300M Instrument Panel Lights, ambient light sensor, illumination lamps

Question
Recently, the lights on the IP on my 2001 300m dont always work. All other lights (clock, HVAC, radio, odometer, headlights, etc.) are fine.  Sometimes the tach and speedometer lights work fine, others they don't come on at all.  The bulbs must be fine, and all fuses look OK (plus lights work most of the time).  Any ideas what could be wrong? I thought maybe the ambient light sensor was bad, but the headlights come on at dusk in auto mode...  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Allen,
The power for the panel lights comes on pin 4 (orange wire) of the green plug of the cluster. My suspicion is that the solder joint between the socket pin and the circuit board is flaky. So if you remove the cluster and check the solder joint for that pin on the circuit board or simply heat it with a soldering pencil that would end the problem. If the other dimmable dash lamps are working, that would show the variable dim circuit is OK. It does appear that the illumination lamps of the cluster need that connection on pin 4 to be tight, and that the intensity level is set digitally on a different wire that handles all the data for the gauges including the intensity of the lamps. So it has to be the basic power for the lamps that is the issue.
Roland