OK...this thread didnt get any bites at all in general maintence and repairs so im gonna try it here

I was crimping a light back on the other day that broke off in the wreck. it was the turn signal light I think...

anyways, car was running when we did it and made a little spark when we crimped the wires. didnt think anything of it, but then my guages, and radio/ac lights went out. the time and radio station thing will stay lit, along with the odometer and the other little lights like t/c off brake, service engine yadda yadda yadda but thats it. the dome light will come on with the dimmer switch as well as the headlights.

The small fuses I checked and are fine (fuse block and inside), the relays I haven't checked but was hoping someone had an idea as to what is wrong.

 

bump for the day folks

 

Did you visually check the fuses? It is not unusual for fuses to look fine but be blown. Test the IP DIMMER fuse with a meter or just replace it with a known good fuse. There is no relay involved in the instrument panel lighting.

 

ok thanks ill try that tomorrow

 

ok, fuses are fine, what relay would go out from it?

 

There are no relays involved in the instrument panel lights (or any of the exterior running lights) - they are wired directly through the fuse to the headlight switch and straight out to the lights.

You said your headlights are working...are the taillights and marker lights still working? Perhaps you have a blown TAIL LPS fuse. It protects the running lights and provides power to the instrument panel illumination through the IP DIMMER fuse.

 

ok great I'll check those next

 

Just wanted to say Thanks to whitebird, it was the tail lamps fuse!

 

My dome light is not turning off . Original regular bulb. Notice it on after coming out of a store that I had been in for about an hour. I could see the light was on through the hatch window as I walked up to my car. It was in the afternoon and was the first time I noticed it. Why is it not turning off? I pulled the bulb so it would not melt my cover. Help

 

Anything else staying on? Radio? Power Windows? If so, then its probably a problem with the door switch which is built into the latch. May need cleaning or adjustment.

 

No. Nothing else staying on. Just the dome light.

 

It would appear that you have a short to ground in the white wire between the dome lamp and the BCM. The BCM controls the courtesy lights (dome and mirror in a coupe) by providing power on the dark blue/white wire and ground on the white wire. It varies the ground to control the on/off condition and to provide the "theater dimming" as they turn off. If the BCM itself was faulty and causing the problem then you'd have the same problem with the mirror lights staying on as well as the dome light. But a short to ground in the white wire after the dome light would provide constant ground (without BCM control) so the light would remain on. However, the BCM also has a battery saver feature which turns off the power to the courtesy lights when the BCM goes to sleep - about 10 minutes after the ignition is turned off and no "wake" signals (door open/close, lock/unlock, etc.) have been received.

You should check if the mirror lights work properly - both as courtesy lights and as map lights. Then check if the dome light goes off 10-15 minutes after the ignition is off and all the doors are closed. If so, you have the described short in the white wire. If not, you have a BCM problem.

 

Light stays on so from what you explained it sounds like a short. How would that be fixed and could I do it myself with my limited car skills? Thanks

 

Sure, you can do it yourself but it may involve pulling down the headliner to trace the wire. So first it would be best to be certain that's the problem. Use a test light or multimeter to confirm that the terminal in the dome light which is connected to the white wire shows ground even when all the other courtesy lights (mirror) are off. If it doesn't then the lamp housing itself is probably grounding to the roof and you should replace it. But if the white wire is showing constant ground then you need to trace it looking for a spot where the white insulation has worn off and the wire inside is coming in contact with the body.

 

Just to confirm, the mirror lights are off but the rear dome light is on? Do the mirror lights turn on with the door open? Have you checked that the dimmer slider next to the headlight switch isn't clicked all the way up? May sound silly, but it has happened.

 

I just went out and checked it and VIP1 you were correct. The last time my husband washed my car he must have accidently turned it all the way up while cleaning. Thank you. All is well now.

 

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. VIP1 was right about it this time.

 

So why weren't the mirror lights on?

 

Must have been and I just did not notice. I do not drive at night. I went out last night and the mirror lights were on so I checked the switch and it was on all the way.