[joenathan89]

So i was driving home the other night and i was coming out of the parking lot and rolled over a curb, which isnt a problem cause it is only about a foot high. But when i looked over to my instrument panel the lights that illuminate my speedo and fuel/temp guages were out. they went out at the same time.

I got home and i took the cluster out to check if the bulbs broke or something or if they had just been nudged out of place but they werent. the bulbs were fine because they worked when i put them in the "check engine" lamp slot. What could have made the whole circuit of illuminator lights go out? could it be a fuse or something? By the way my status lights still work, like my check engine, airbag, battery light etc still turn on. its just the lights that illuminate my cluster. Anyone have an idea on what the problem could be? Thanks.

 

[metro273]

The dimmer switch...

 

[IanH]

yea give it a rock back and forth and it will come on.

 

[McDRacing]

sorry to dredge up an old thread but this just happened to me, and not only are the dash lights out but the parking lights keep going out with it, fuse keeps blowing wether the dimmer switch is plugged in or not(gone through a few fuses checking this out.) so what do i check out now?... just happened while driving home one night, no curbs or potholes, just all of the sudden out

 

[mattdc_07]

I had a similar problem with mine and all mine was that the ground wire for te dimmer switch had came loose in the plug

 

[IanH]

blowing fuse means look for a short in the circuit.
look at the wiring diagram and unplug parts till you isolate it. buy more fuses you will need them.

 

[Dabria]

So i was driving home the other night and i was coming out of the parking lot and rolled over a curb, which isnt a problem cause it is only about a foot high. But when i looked over to my instrument panel the lights that illuminate my speedo and fuel/temp guages were out. they went out at the same time.

I got home and i took the cluster out to check if the bulbs broke or something or if they had just been nudged out of place but they werent. the bulbs were fine because they worked when i put them in the "check engine" lamp slot. What could have made the whole circuit of illuminator lights go out? could it be a fuse or something? By the way my status lights still work, like my check engine, airbag, battery light etc still turn on. its just the lights that illuminate my cluster. Anyone have an idea on what the problem could be? Thanks.

Could be a bad headlamp switch. I hope the problem could be something else. This should be checked out to rule this problem out.

 

[jkupper]

I had this exact thing happen to me,
it was the dimmer switch it will most likely need to be replaced.

 

[J.R.sentra]

its definitely the dimmer switch. it does the same to me.i havent replaced it yet, so when it goes out i just reach over and bang the dash and it comes back on.

 

[Beverly Stayart]

Replace the dimmer switch.

 

[pulsar86]

The problem could also be in the strip terminals where they connect to the back of the instruments. If it is, it will continue to be a problem, my Dad had a Nissan Bluebird that had a similar problem that would come and go when the instruments were bumped. I hope it is as simple as replacing the dimmer switch, best of luck.

 

[flenhellis]

Replace the dimmer switch.

Yeah, I think this could be the best way to over come from this problem....

 

[LostDude]

Sorry for the nekkro again but I seem to be experiencing the same problem on my 94 Sunny B14. GA15DE. Lights just suddenly went out a week ago. Headlights and brake lights are fine, just dash and rear park lights don't work. All fuses are fine except for one. It has the "ST 7.5A" acronym next to it and problem is, the fuse is fine but there is no power flowing through it. My stereo still works fine also. I'm inexperienced in automotive electrics so please bear with me. Since everyone is saying replace dimmer switch, could someone please point out exactly where I would find it on my car? Thanks.

 

[smj999smj]

Sorry for the nekkro again but I seem to be experiencing the same problem on my 94 Sunny B14. GA15DE. Lights just suddenly went out a week ago. Headlights and brake lights are fine, just dash and rear park lights don't work. All fuses are fine except for one. It has the "ST 7.5A" acronym next to it and problem is, the fuse is fine but there is no power flowing through it. My stereo still works fine also. I'm inexperienced in automotive electrics so please bear with me. Since everyone is saying replace dimmer switch, could someone please point out exactly where I would find it on my car? Thanks.

I believe you'll see voltage at the 7.5A fuse when you check it with the key in the "start" position. The dimmer switch is the switch you use to adjust the brightness of your dash lights. Has a wheel you turn to adjust the lights and a picture of a lightbulb on it. Switch is on the dash, below the cluster.

 

[LostDude]

I believe you'll see voltage at the 7.5A fuse when you check it with the key in the "start" position. The dimmer switch is the switch you use to adjust the brightness of your dash lights. Has a wheel you turn to adjust the lights and a picture of a lightbulb on it. Switch is on the dash, below the cluster.

Thanks for that. I used a light tester on all the fuses with the engine running and only the 7.5A ST fuse wasn't working. I'll grab a dimmer switch from the wreckers today to test that. Thanks again.

 

[LostDude]

K tried a new dimmer switch and no change. I tested all the fuses with a multimeter now and all but the 7.5A ST fuse has ~14V with engine running. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[bryan_g]

same thing happened to me

I had the same thing happened to me, kept blowing fuse after fuse, it was a 10amp one in the fuse box, the one inside the engine compartment, i replaced the dimmer and headlight swich and still kept popping fuses

well to get to the point, there is a cable, red and yellow i believe, that dims the stereo, my 98 sentra came with an aftermarket stereo and it wasnt wired correctly, so i just disconected it and taped it off

well thats what was wrong with mine

hope it helps someone

 

[jaysonbarn]

Check for the electrical connection. I don't feel anything has gone has gone wrong.

 

[smj999smj]

The 7.5A fuse is for the starter signal, which is why it doesn't have voltage while the engine is running. It only shows power when the key is turned to "start." It has nothing to do with the lighting. At this point, you would have to get an electrical diagram and use it to check the powerflow for the illumination circuit and taillights. Since the taillights are not working, it's likely not an issue with the connector and printed circuit behind the cluster. If the fuse for the marker lights is good, then the most likely area of the problem is the headlight switch. So, using the diagram, that's where I would start making my checks.

 

[LostDude]

The 7.5A fuse is for the starter signal, which is why it doesn't have voltage while the engine is running. It only shows power when the key is turned to "start." It has nothing to do with the lighting. At this point, you would have to get an electrical diagram and use it to check the powerflow for the illumination circuit and taillights. Since the taillights are not working, it's likely not an issue with the connector and printed circuit behind the cluster. If the fuse for the marker lights is good, then the most likely area of the problem is the headlight switch. So, using the diagram, that's where I would start making my checks.

Hi smj999smj,

Thank you for that educating insight. Much appreciated. As for the diagram, I really have no idea as to how to read it lol. Would you mind pinpointing the area I need to check if I upload just the electrical system part of the manual? (the entire manual is around 35MB as opposed to only 6MB for the Electrical System only). And yeah, I've checked every single fuse and they are all fine (both in the engine bay and under the steering wheel).

TIA

Anyway, here's the electrical system part of the manual:
EL.pdf

PS: Thank you for the help so far from everyone