Car Stereos: Dash Lights after stereo install gone, toyota corolla, dash lights

Question
Hi Shawn,
I just installed an aftermarket Sony CD/Stereo into my 1993 Toyota Corolla sedan.  After the installation, my dash lights for the instrument panel no longer work. This happened immediately after the installation.  

The fuses all checked out okay, and I have rear lights.  The dome light also works in the car.  The only thing I may have done when installing the new radio was to splice an orange/black to an orange/white from the radio to one connector of the new aftermarket harness I bought for the installation.  This happened to be marked "Dimmer" from the new radio wiring.

The radio works properly, but the dash lights are gone.  Any ideas? Could I have fried something at the rheostat for the dash lights?  Everything else works, which is what baffles me.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

Answer
Interesting. Not likely you've blown the rheostat.. they are pretty bulletproof on Toyotas. I would unplug the radio and test the lights to see if they come back up. If they don't, then you have likely blown a fuse. The instrument panel lights are on a different circuit than the tail lights.  I suspect that the orange leads that you spliced are not connected to the proper lines. Check out http://www.installdr.com/QuickWiring.html for wiring details on your vehicle and let me know if that helps.
Ciao