Nissan Repair: 1996 Nissan Sentra blown fuse, nissan sentra, phillips screwdriver

Question
Last night my Sentra's dash light and tail lights stopped working.  When I checked the fuse today I noticed the fuse was blown.  I put it a new fuse and turned the lights on.  Nothing.  When I took the fuse back out it too was blown.  Do you know what could be the problem and how I can fix it?  This has never been a problem up until last night.

Answer
Rob,

Both circuits are fed by the headlight switch.  If there is not a short in the system it will be the headlight switch itself.  Lets do some diagnosis.  Replace the fuse and before turning the lights on use the dimmer and dim the instruments and see if the fuse blows.  Second, check both back tail lights to make sure they are in good order and that there are no shorts.  If the fuse still blows it is probably the headligth switch.  It is running on 12 years old and that is about when they fail.  Quite a complex part with all the contacts in a small space.  Usually, the headlights start to fail first.  Good news is it only takes a phillips screwdriver to make the change.  Remove the column cover and the two screws that hold the switch and simply unplug the old one and install the new one and put the cover back on.  The steering wheel does not have to come off...