classicauto

iTrader: (3)

just picked up an 86 N/A freshly rebuilt for 700 bucks, rusty, but a sick winter beater.

Anways, no dash lights - just the dash

Bulbs good
Fuses good
circuit board on the instrument panel is fine
previous owner has spliced into two wires on the wiring to the headlight switch, but they are only extenions? meanign hes just cut the two wires and reattched them, but put a piece in between? no idea why.
headlights/running lights all work properly
OH - heater fan, doesn't come on and no lights on the heater control except for the position selection indicator.

Im stumped

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

just a thought...does the headlamp switch have a seperate pin for the cluster lights and heater controls? I have yet to figure out the workings of its circuit board but have only found one pin that recieves current when the switch is on?

Icemark

The parking lights and dash lights are two different outputs from the headlight switch.

I do have rebuilt headlight switches in stock right now if it turns out to be a bad switch. http://www.mazdamark.com/switches.htm
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classicauto

iTrader: (3)

I will try swapping out the switch for one from my parts car and if I don't get the result Im after........Ill drop you a PM for a switch.........can't hurt to have a rebuilt one laying around anyways....

Thanks

Jose Feliciano

check the dimmer switch they go bad all the time replace it from one in the junkyard or buy new this happens to FB's all the time

Syonyk

I'd definitely say look at the switch. The dash lights on my FC are starting to not work, and if I push the dimmer just right, they'll flicker on. I have a spare headlight switch somewhere in my garage I'm going to swap in.

-=Russ=-

Jose Feliciano

thats got to be it good luck

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

thanks guys - Im gonna try the parts car's switch tonite.....

rx7idgit

That's what happened to mine, but I had no dash or parking lights, I just replaced the switch and it worked great.

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

dun-dun-dun.....

well I tried another switch...no go.

the only thing is the switch is out of a parts car - all leads are clean, but I cannot confirm the switch is good.

Tomorrow I will grab the switch hanging around from the track project - all the lights worked when I removed it.

Any other thoughts before I have to donate $85us to Icemark for a rebuilt switch?hehe....

the harness FROM the switch is all good, no burns on the plug, clean an tight contacts.....the wires as far as I can see down them are fine....

friggin electrical nightmares....

edit: Anyone know which pin on the switch operates the dash lights? and which pin is their ground? I want to try adding some power directly to the wires to see if its a broken wire somewhere along the line...

Icemark

Jumper the White/Green (12+volts fused power into the switch for the parking and dash lights) to the Red/Green at the switch. The dash lights should come on.

If they don't, the fuse is blown or there is a plug unplugged.

Syonyk

The FSM has the wiring diagram, you can answer your questions from there.

-=Russ=-

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

mine is the same thing,..just noticed..going to check the ROOM FUSE..in the mornin...(non-related)I had to pull the retractor fuse ..to keep my lights up ..i'm wonderin if there is something else on that circuit..haven't had this car long ...can't remember if the dash lights worked..

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

Still no go.....I DID get them to work with the switch that I am positive was good(however it was an s5 switch going into an S4, dunno if thats a no no), they worked, headlights worked it was all fine until I ran the car, backed it out of the bay and turned the lights on, EXACT same as before - and they didn't come back on when the car is off either...

However I think that switch may now be kaput...but I have ruled out a broken wire/fuse between the switch and the dash

man Im getting tired...........

I guess I will have to take the surround out of the TII and get resistances for each wire coming off the headlight switch and compare them to the beater's?

ooo, a thought too, could the turn-signal/highbeam switch be part of the problem?

Icemark

The turn/high beam switch only effects the turn signals and High beams.

S5 and S4 headlight switches do share the same wiring and pin out. They should both be interchangable with one another. The only difference between the S4 and S5 headlight switches is internal to the circuit board.

Sure sounds like your plug is bad... are you sure that there is no damage or burnt/discolored parts on the plug where it goes into the light switch???

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

99.9999999% positive - nothing is burnt and all pins are clean, I also took a pick to the plug and gently squeezed each pin back to make SURE they are tight on the switch

the ONLY thing about the plug is the wires I mentioned at the start... if I am looking at the harness plug the way it plugs into the switch (as if the switch were invisible) the two wires that have been cut are G and F - BUT - they have been cut about 3/4 inch from the plug and had a wire (soldered on both ends) that simply runs 3-4 inches back to the same wire, they are just patches, I have no idea why.

The wires that are spliced show no signs of overheating betwen the patch and the plug, or behind the patch back down the wire as far as I can see

A 1
B 2
C 3
D
E
F 4
G 5
H 6


I will take some pics tomorrow though....Im freaking beat.....

Icemark

well the important ones for the dash and parking lights are the White/Green (12 volts in), the Red/Green (dash lights) and the Red/Black (Parking lights).

In your drawing the Red/green would be in the A position, and the White/green would be in the B position with the Red/Black being in the C position.

The Black/Blue and Black/Red that is in the G and H positions is related to the rear defrost and shouldn't matter if they are hooked up.

Hey when the dash lights go out, do the dash lights in the switch still work, or are they out as well???

If they are still on, the switch is good... if they also go out, then the switch is bad or the white/green is getting disconnected (which should also kill the parking lights).

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

the lights inside the switch (on both the headlight switch and wiper switch and heater control) all went go out...

and BTW - I flubbed up the pins and edited that post...it G and F that were spliced

Icemark

Do the colors match up to what I say are there??? The G and F pins are not Red/Black and white/green... right???

and the parking lights are still working right??? they are not going out???

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

ok...as an indication of my tiredness last night I screwed up the pins again

it IS ACTUALLY (hehe) pins F and H

pin F is red w/black stripe

pin H is red w/green stripe

tonite when I started it up and pulled it in I had VERY dim, hardly noticeable dashlights(with the rehostat turned all the way up) all parklights/taillights but no headlights AT ALL high or low bean or even an indicator (which they all worked before I started swapping switches)

after I got the car inside, tried the switch on without it running and it was the same except no dash lights, not even extremely dim ones

Its changing so much I am beginning to think that there is loose wires or bad connections somewhere......I am seriously getting pissed off here though - lol

Icemark

yeah, I would bet then the connections at the splice are bad.

Were they tapped into, or??? what sort of splice.

But that sounds like your problem.

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

well I GOT HER!!!

yes that was the problem, I figured what the hell, Ill resolder the wires and see what I get....the ONLY thing I can't figure out is I seriously cut out the old areas that were soldered...meaning they were soldered well....

the only thing could be one of the wires at the (joint furthest from the switch) just past the soldering only had 5, maybe 6 strands of wire coming off the joint....

either way IT WORKS - for now...hehe, next - no blower motor...

$700 "deal" eh - LOL


edit: they were only "replacements" picture the wires being cut, and having another 5-6" piece put in between, thats all - no crossing, no two into one, just a patch

91verty

sounds like you have a pluge loose.