Instrument Panel, no lights
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Instrument Panel, no lights
About 2 weeks ago, I lost the lights in my instrument cluster and my tail lights. It's on a 98 Explorer. When I turn on the headlights, the radio display doesn't dim either. All fuses and bulbs are good.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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From: McNairy county, TN.
sounds to me like there is a problem with the fuse for the brake lights. May not be blown but corroded? I would try and pull the fuse for the brake lights and try a new fuse in there and possibly get some contact cleaner( pull positive cable and turn on headlight switch before doing this) and clean all the contacts on the fuse panel.
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I forgot to add that the odd thing is that I have brake lights and headlights, but when I turn the headlights on, neither the radio display nor the temp/heading display dims. I've got to take it out of town this afternoon, and it sure would be great to have tail lights tonight. I'll definitely check the fuses again, and any other input would be greatly appreciated.
By the way, I'd heard somewhere that a bad pigtail would cause this. What do you think?
By the way, I'd heard somewhere that a bad pigtail would cause this. What do you think?
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Virginia
Here's a digram for your explorer.
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/g...3d800ba9ee.gif
Look in the very middle of the diagram where it says "Hot at all times fuse #3, 15 amp". This is were your running lights circuit starts.
What I would do is pull the headlight switch, and take some voltage readings. You should have voltage on the tan/white wire. When you pull on the switch you should have voltage on the white/black wire.
I would suspect you have a problem with the tan/white wire or the switch itself. Inside the switch is were the instrument cluster fuse gets it's power from the tan/white. So that explains why the running lights and the instrument lights are out.
The pigtail you may have heard of would be the plug going into the headlight switch. While you have the switch out, see if you have any melted wiring at the switch.
http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/g...3d800ba9ee.gif
Look in the very middle of the diagram where it says "Hot at all times fuse #3, 15 amp". This is were your running lights circuit starts.
What I would do is pull the headlight switch, and take some voltage readings. You should have voltage on the tan/white wire. When you pull on the switch you should have voltage on the white/black wire.
I would suspect you have a problem with the tan/white wire or the switch itself. Inside the switch is were the instrument cluster fuse gets it's power from the tan/white. So that explains why the running lights and the instrument lights are out.
The pigtail you may have heard of would be the plug going into the headlight switch. While you have the switch out, see if you have any melted wiring at the switch.
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