QuestionHello,
I have no dash instrument gauge lights on a 1990 eclipse i bought from a friend.the switch turns on all parking,license plate, and tailights fine,glove compartment light turns on, i checked all the bulbs by pulling out the instrument assembly.all but one were good,and i replaced the bulb,and all indicator lights,turn signals,etc. work fine,yet just no illumination to see the gauges at night when turning the lights on. checked all fuses, replaced the two connected to the radio power assuming they blew because the previous owner had her radio stolen and the wires probably hit metal and blew the fuses. all fuses now are in working order. What would cause only the instrument gauge lights to not come on while all other lights still turn on with the switch? Also, i am assuming that the lower control knob on the far driver dash is a dimmer switch?(the knob below the empty space designated for foglights i guess and then the headlight pop up switch on top.) could there be a problem there at that switch causing no gauge lights,since you would use that knob to turn down the amount of illumination of the instrument panel? i have had this knob turned in all positions,but nothing changes, and no gauge lights.if you could please help me find the solution to this minor problem would be greatly appreciated. i cant drive the car at night because i cant see how fast i am going,or how much gas i have,or where my oil and temp gauges are at....you get the picture...im driving interiorly stealth, and paranoid to drive it at night in fear of the dreaded speeding ticket,fixit ticket or ruining my motor by not seeing the other gauges!!! thanks for you time. craig o.
AnswerCraig,
That knob you describe does control dashboard gauge lights. If turned down all the way, it will cause your dash lights to completely turn off. It's a very simple rheostat (variable resistor) that controls the brightness of the gauge lights. You may just have a loose wire that needs to be reconnected. The best thing to do is find yourself a voltmeter and get behind your dashboard to test that circuit.
If you find a loose wire, just try to reconnect it and see if it helps. If you determine that all wires are connected and power is getting to the knob, it may be the knob switch that is faulty. If you don't feel like replacing the knob, you can just short the wires together to bypass the rheostat knob. This will make your gauge lights always be on their brightest setting, but at least you'll be a lot more safe driving at night.
Good luck!
