95 Pathfinder No instrument panel lights among other things!

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 20th, 2005, 08:48 PM

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I imagine I will be doing much more asking than advising as I am somewhat of an automoblie idiot. I came here to ask for some advice on a few problems I have been having with my 95 Pathfinder.

One night a few months ago after I started my truck I noticed that my instrument panel was no longer illuminated. At first I figured that it was just a fuse. To my dismay the guide on the panel of the fuse box did not list it. I did, however, find that one of the fuses was blown. This is the tail light fuse. I replaced this fuse and and it blew immediately. I replaced it with the same amp fuse so that was not the problem. Does the tail light fuse have anything to do with the instrument panel lights? I imagine I have a short of some kind? Is it worth it to go to the dealer to figure out this problem? I have little auto skills other than replacing the blower. Very basic level stuff.

Oh boy, now the next problem. I only have heat/air on the highest setting. So I am alternately either blowing my face off, or freezing. 1,2 or 3 do nothing at all. 4 did not work until I replaced the blower.Is this the Blower Motor Resistor? Where is it located? If anyone knows the exact name of this part, that would be a huge help for ordering it. If it is as easy as replacing the part, I would love to save the money.

I would like to thank anyone who is taking the time to read this. I could really use the help. I have many more questions to ask but I don't want to go crazy on this thread. Thanks.

Andrew Fletcher

Terranismo · Jan 20th, 2005, 09:08 PM

The same fuse that controls the tailamps also controls your guage lights and front corner lights. You have to use a 10A fuse.

The problem with the AC may be the speed switch itself. They tend to loose contact after some years.

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 20th, 2005, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the quick reply. I did use a 10a fuse and it blew when I turned on the car. Several people have told me that it is probably shorting out. Would you agree with this as well? Is it hard to determine where the wire is worn? How do you access these wires? The dealer says that this would cost about $150. Worth the trouble to do it yourself?

The switch, If I were able to actaully view it, is the problem easily recognisable ie. broken plastic or any other distinguishing marks? Any other way to check if it is the resistor or the switch? The blower does turn on at 4 just not 1,2 and 3.

Thanks a million!

Terranismo · Jan 20th, 2005, 11:36 PM

It's most likely a short in the fuse box. I had the same problem and it can be traced to either the fuse holder itself, wire connectors to the front corner lights, or improper bulbs shorting out the system.

I also had the air con problem but it was fixed by an electrician. I really can't remember what he fixed but it had to do with how the speed switch makes contact when under use. Usually the first two speed settings are the ones to go since those are the most used. Most probably a worn resistor in the switch itself.

talla · Jan 22nd, 2005, 12:53 PM

, Check out if there is trailer wiring installed. if yes, disconnect it & see if the problem is still there, or disconnect the taillights & see.
Had the same problem on my 95 pathfinder. It was the trailer wiring (dealer installed yet)
Alex

IOne night a few months ago after I started my truck I noticed that my instrument panel was no longer illuminated. At first I figured that it was just a fuse. To my dismay the guide on the panel of the fuse box did not list it. I did, however, find that one of the fuses was blown. This is the tail light fuse. I replaced this fuse and and it blew immediately. I replaced it with the same amp fuse so that was not the problem. Does the tail light fuse have anything to do with the instrument panel lights? I imagine I have a short

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 22nd, 2005, 05:14 PM

Hey thanks for your reply. I was in the process of checking that out when the snow and cold really started to get to me. We are supposed to have some major snow here on the east coast.I did however fix the heat problem. I was very simple and the part only cost $22. at the dealer. Probably saved $150 by doing it myself. If anyone else has this problem it may be the blower motor resistor, a small electrical part that is behind the glovebox, above the blower. I just pulled the old one out and plugged the new in, simple as that.

There are many wires at the back behind the panel. Does anyone know which ones power the tail lights? The most obvious one powers the brake lights. Then there are several others at the top. What else is powered back there there in that cluster of plugs? I guess I will use the process of elimination to figure this out. Thanks a million.

aaronford · Jan 22nd, 2005, 08:24 PM

Good job on the blower resistor. It is a common find, but often missed. I wish I could help with the tail lights, but it could be so many things. Likely culprits are overloaded circuit due to add on equipment, grounded illumination wire due to faulty stereo install, and as suggested above, a miswired trailer harness. I have had to resort to installing new fuses and turning the lights on at night and waiting for the flash to determine the problem on one particular truck. It turned out that at some point the radio was stolen and the harness jerked out with it. The broken/grounded wire was behind the heater box. If you have garage space, try climbing underneath following the wiring harness and looking for obvious damage. BTW, did this happen after some notable event? Boat Launch, radio install, accident, maintenance, brother driving it? Sorry about the last one, but I have my reasons....

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 22nd, 2005, 09:40 PM

Thanks for your insight Aaron. Well the night that I noticed it, I was fishing down by the harbor and doing nothing out of the ordinary. I never replaced the stereo, fiddled with it or anything else. I never altered the car at all with the exception of the new blower, but that was about a year before this problem. It really was just out of the blue! Perhaps, a rodent chewed it? Maybe the coating just wore out in one spot? I have been driving like this for some time, but enough is enough. Oh, also my inspection is overdue, and it won't pass like this. I ordered a Chilton guide for my truck so hopefully, hopefully I can slide through this without taking it to anyone.

Someone told me that you can determine where the problem is with an ohm meter, can anyone explain the procedure in auto-illiterate terms? After the snow melts, I will try and trace the wire and look for anything obvious. What is the best way to access wires? There is a pull out slot in the trunk, but this offers a very limited glimpse into the wire world. Pull up the floor?

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 25th, 2005, 06:48 PM

After examining all of the affected lights I found that one of the bulbs is burned out on the tail light. Could just one burnt bulb cause the short? I removed the bulb and tried a new fuse it blew when I tried to turn on the running lights. I have checked all of the affected lights (front corner lights, tail lights, and license plate lights) with the exception of the instrument panel, which I have no idea how to access. All of the noticeable wires seem to be in good shape, the connections seem good with no obvious breaks or corrosion. Could a bad dimmer switch be to blame? How do I find where the short is? I tried disconnecting the front corner lights and it still blew. Will disconnecting each function one at a time isolate the problem? There are so many wires that go to places unknown, I am getting pissed! Also not a good idea to do this work at night in 3 ft of snow, I learned my lesson.

aaronford · Jan 26th, 2005, 04:50 PM

I wish I could be more help. All I can think of is setting a audible continuity tester between the load side of the fuse and ground, then disconnecting and reconnecting chassis harnesses til the sound goes away. It would be a long drawn out process, but it should work. Sorry bout the snow. Wish we had some here as my snowmobiles have been idle for most of the winter.

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 27th, 2005, 07:40 AM

Thanks again Aaron, I have a multimeter and have been fussing around with it. Today I am going to try a few things with it. The lines out are a bit short though so my testing has been somewhat limited. Oh before I forget, I never mentioned that the lights are also out on my radio; could the illumination wire has come loose? It is the factory radio but anything is possible I guess. Can't wait for that guide I bought, need the wiring diagram bad!

X-Traction · Jan 27th, 2005, 03:31 PM

I had a similar problem with our '91 Pathfinder. I tried putting in larger capacity fuses to try to literally smoke out the problem. In our case, it turned out to be the glove compartment light! This may be common, since I found most of the trucks at the wreckers had the glove compartment light assembly removed.

The replacement light socket solved the problem for a while, then the light refused to illuminate. Eventually I had to cut the wire for the glove compartment light and install a new wire.

doktorfaustus77 · Jan 27th, 2005, 05:09 PM

Hey, thanks for the tip. I am not sure if my Pathfinder even has a glovebox light. To be honest I never noticed. I went out and investigated and found only a connector which would possibly have gone there, but no light. Also I need to update my last post, I have radio lights, I think I may be the haywired one here after all of this ripping apart of my truck.

I do however have one last question. If I replace the fuse at night Will I be able to see a spark somewhere when I turn on my instrument lights etc.? In other words I will purposefully cause the short in hopes of locating the problem.

I know this is a common problem for people but it is sure not easy to figure out where the short is. Thanks again.

X-Traction · Jan 28th, 2005, 01:57 AM

If the glove box light has been removed or disassembled, it sounds like a previous owner may have tried to deal with this. It should have a light, mounted with the latch and a switch in the top front center inside the glove compartment. Seems to me there's also something odd about the factory setup, and the light won't come on unless the ignition is on.

Two things you could do:

1. Install a higher amperage fuse, and see what starts smoking. You probably won't see a spark, since most wiring is well buried. Start it up. If something starts smoking, the smell is unmistakable. Shut it off and search for the source.

Caution, have a fire extinguisher handy in case something catches fire. Fuses protect from fires, after all. Do this with the truck away from buildings, just to be prudent. For legal reasons, I don't recommend doing this.

When we ran into this, we were on a trip on a major high-speed highway at night, and badly needed all the lights to be working. We quickly traced the smoke to the glove box light housing, which was partly melted.

2. OR.... Remove the glove compartment, pull as much of the glove box light wire out as you can, or trace it (very difficult) and cut it. See if the problem goes away. If it does, run a new wire from the fuse box, from the same fuse as has been popping, but bypass the ignition so it will work with the ignition off.

You might also want to get a factory manual, or go to a good library to look up the wiring diagrams on the Alldata service. Don't worry about it being difficult, shorts in car wiring are. That's why there are now businesses that specialize in problems like this.