Chrysler Repair: Sebring Inst. Panel Blackout, gauge cluster, model lines

Question
Roland:
I just purchased a 1999 Sebring Limited Convertible. The Instrument Panel does not light up. But the odometer and trip computer can be varied with the dimmer wheel on the stalk switch, which leads me to believe it is functioning. When I removed the gauge cluster, it appears the car never had standard twist in bulbs behind any of the main gauges. Since it's a Limited, with white face gauges, could an LED or other light be burned out instead? Inst. Panel and Inst. Panel Illum. fuses are fine, by the way.

Thanks!

Mark  

Answer
Hi Mark,
Unfortunately my collection of wiring diagrams is not complete in that I don't have those for the Sebring convertible. But based upon other model lines the wiring in the late 90's for the dash illumination was mediated by the body computer in that it received a signal from the cluster dimmer control and in turn it adjusted the current flow thru the dash bulbs through lines that are called "drivers". So it becomes a matter of checking the wire from the dimmer control to the body computer, the drive wires (though it seems that if there are more than one then that would suggest those are not the problem since they wouldn't all fail at once), or the ground connection for the cluster. So if you see any black wires on the cluster plugs I would verify that those wires are connected to the body ground (any shiney metal surface, using an ohmmeter to verify 0 ohms) and if not then trace the wire to find the ground point and verify it. Then if the wire from the dimmer to the body computer can be verified, I would look at the plugs for the body computer to see if water may have gotten on them and shorted some of the circuits together which can happen from a windshield leak.
The last possibility is that the body computer has failed, but I wouldn't contemplate replacing that unless everyother possibility were checked first.
I am sorry that I can't be more specific until I get a full set of wiring diagrams for the convertible.
Roland