Instrument Panel Lights are Gone!

[Pastor J]

Okay,

So I've had all my gauges hooked up for over a month with no problems. Saturday morning we left for a car show and once we got on the road I reached down to turn on my parking lights so my fog lights were running.

That's when I noticed that none of my lights on my dash were on and the odometer and the clock on the radio got really dim. When i turn my parking lights off the odometer and the clock gets bright again. None of the gauges including my a-pillar or center dash gauges work.

So tonight I checked all the fuses in the fuse panel under the hood and in the floor board of the passenger side and none of them are blown.

Any idea what could be an issue? I could take it to the dealership but I really don't want to take it in if I don't have to.

Please help!

[IKandy]

Originally Posted by Pastor J

Okay,

So I've had all my gauges hooked up for over a month with no problems. Saturday morning we left for a car show and once we got on the road I reached down to turn on my parking lights so my fog lights were running.

That's when I noticed that none of my lights on my dash were on and the odometer and the clock on the radio got really dim. When i turn my parking lights off the odometer and the clock gets bright again. None of the gauges including my a-pillar or center dash gauges work.

So tonight I checked all the fuses in the fuse panel under the hood and in the floor board of the passenger side and none of them are blown.

Any idea what could be an issue? I could take it to the dealership but I really don't want to take it in if I don't have to.

Please help!

Hi Jamie,

Sorry to hear of your troubles Have you checked your fuses? I'm sure some of the gurus will post up solutions soon. Hang in there!

[roushstage2]

I thought the clock and odometer always dimmed when the lights were turned on?

[family man]

Do you have the dimmer on the dash turned down? Like roushstage2 noted, when you turn on your light the clock and odo dim down.

[07PONY]

Originally Posted by family man

Do you have the dimmer on the dash turned down? Like roushstage2 noted, when you turn on your light the clock and odo dim down.

Sounds like they are turned down with the dimmer......

[Mustanger]

Many many people have been caught with the dimmer switch accidentally turned down....including me...several times!

[vista blue]

Originally Posted by Mustanger

Many many people have been caught with the dimmer switch accidentally turned down....including me...several times!

+1 My knee has turned mine down a few times with out me noticing it,Hope thats all that it is.

[Pastor J]

I'll check my dimmer switch when I get home tonight.

I really hope you guys are correct. It will make it easier to diagnose the next time my lights go out and I won't spend 30 minutes checking fuses.

[1Bad06Roush]

Hey Jamie, back in the day when the 05-06's first came out Roush was having an issue with the lights in the cluster. Mine quit working 10 min off the dealer lot. I thought they had this corrected on the later models. Just makes me curious if this is what happened to yours. It really doesn't explain why your after market gauges to quit working though????
Here'a a few old posts about the others that had this issue, you'll have to scroll down thru them:
I got 2 complaints...any others have this problem?

Going Dead

[roushstage2]

The one thing about the dimmer switch...
Which gauges did you get? If they are any of the LED lit ones, they won't dim with the dimmer switch so that wouldn't be the answer for the aftermarket ones.

My interior light recently stayed on all day and I couldn't figure out what it was. Ended up bumping the dimmer switch on somehow.

[Sabre]

The dimming of the radio and dash lights, when you turn on the lights, is normal. They are bright so that you can see them in daylight and then dim when you turn any lights on, so that they don't blind you at night. Check the position of the dimmer control switch...it is easily moved with accidental bump from your knee.

[Mustanger]

LOL...Pastor is gonna owe us a lemonade! I just know it....

[family man]

Originally Posted by Mustanger

LOL...Pastor is gonna owe us a lemonade! I just know it....

Actually Walt, I think he's going to tell us it was something in the wiring and not own up to it being the dimmer switch!

JK Pastor!!

[Pastor J]

Well, I could say that I took the dash off, rewired the whole car and replaced 90% of the wiring to get it all to work.










but in all honesty, all I did was adjust the dimmer switch and everything worked great.


Thanks for all the help. You guys rock even when my stupidity kicks in.

[Shay]

Also.........when you turn your lights on be it headlights or parking lights, the majority of your dash lights automatically dim so they don't blind you and night.

[Mustanger]

All Right! All fnsweeters meet at Jamie's house for a Lemonade Party!!!

Actually I am glad for you Pastor! I like easily answered problems...


Years ago (1972) my grandmother finally got to choose their new car...a Ford LTD...my grandad was a die hard GM man & just knew that the Ford was gonna break down on him...but to please her & because of the quality & comfort of the car he bought his first Ford... against his better judgement & grumbling all the time.

The first day after he brought it home I went over to visit & the battery was all disconnected & granpop was fuming!..." I knew that Ford was no good! It broke already!"

LOL, upon investigating I found that his complaint involved the dome light not shutting off...it stayed on all morning & my electrician granpop finally resorted to pulling the battery!


I put it back in & turned off the rotary dome light switch.... Turned out to be a fantastic car for them, he swore by Ford after a few years... not AT Ford anymore...hehe...

[MsBlur]

I'm glad to hear it was just the dimmer switch! My dash lights just went out again tonight after 2, two week visits to the shop 90 miles away... they'll be getting a call in the morning. I guess she's going back in.

[family man]

Pastor-you're not the only one that things like this happen to.

When I was installing the s.s. hose braiding, I accidentally disconnected the vacuum line for the Whipple when I removed the air inlet tube. The first time I took her out for a ride after completing the braiding she wasn't making any boost. When I got back home I looked all over the engine, removed the air inlet tube and found the disconnected line. It came apart where the boost gauge was teed into the main boot line. As Homer would say, "Doooooh".