Does anybody know what else runs on the circuit with the dash lights? The fuse has blown, and replacements also go immediately even with the lights off. I really hope I don't have to start digging into the dash to sort this out.....

 

Have you checked those damn wires under the shift boot? There are two that are for the auto tranny illumination that when connected (they look like they should be) will short out the dimmer switch and cause the lights to no longer work. Im not sure if that would blow your fuse or not (I assume it could), but if theyre shorting out to anything (themselves, the chasis, etc), that could be your problem. The fact that it does it with the lights off says short to me, not over draw from components. So, I would think back to when it started, had you done any work on the car where you couldve pinched a wire somewhere, or maybe wired in something new, or anything along those lines. Or, did it just start out of the blue?

~T.J.

 

LOL, funny that you should mention those little wires. I did connect them together a couple of days ago, searching for the cause of a radio issue. The dash lights did not work when I left for work that night.

I thought of that later, and disconnected them prior to putting a new fuse in, but sparks started flying when I tried to put the fuse in. I will take another look at those wires and make sure that they are not touching anything. Thanks for the input!

 

As a result of connecting those wires under the shift boot you probably blew your dimmer switch as well. A quick test would be to bypass it and see if everything works.

Zach

 

how can you bypass the dimmer switch and is it possible to just do with out it? i tried swapping the one from my 79 in and it is obviously very different from one in an 85

 

Yeah, still no joy... I'll have to try bypassing the dimmer as suggested and see. Thanks for the help guys!

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...=bypass+dimmer

There are several threads out there on it. Its pretty simply, just pull out the plug and splice some wires.

 

I just put in a switch to keep it looking clean, who actually needs to dim the lights anyway.

 

Just wanted to say thanks man! You nailed this on the first shot with minimal information, very nice.... I bypassed the dimmer switch and everything is groovey once again. Now I just need to find a replacement rotary dimmer switch because those dash lights are just a bit too bright for serious night driving...

Thanks again man, you rock!