Dash lights quit working after engine swap
 

After installing a new engine, I was about to take it out for a test spin and noticed the dash lights had quit working. The odometer and stereo clock work, but go out when the you try to turn on the dash lights. I disconected all the aftermarket guages to see it one of them had shorted to ground, but this did nothing. I had originally tapped off the lights for the guages in the center console, and noticed that if you apply 12V to the connecter I tapped into, the dash lights would come on, but then if you turn the dash lights on manually by turning on the parking lights, they would go off along with to odometer/stereo clock. It almost seems like the dimmer switch quit working, but I dont think this would cause them to short out when applying 12V to another point on the circuit.

Is there any way this is directly related to the engine swap. We also installed a Power FC wigh we swapped back out out with to stock ECU to see if that was the cause, but it of coarse was not.

Where should I start?

Try your TPS relay. That controls your parking lights, and Dashlights from my experience. Trying jumping the relay and see if the parking lights come on and the dash lights come on. From there if they do come on, you know that it's a wiring problem from the switch to the relay, else it's a problem with power getting to the relay. You can also bypass the relay straight to the battery. If you don't know what your doing around relays don't try bypassing, because you don't want to hurt the electronics/Computer by grounding out the wrong thing.
Just a place to start.

The parking lights work just fine. Does the TPS relay control them seperately or together?

I think you mean TNS relay. That controls alot of stuff.

Electrical gremlins drive me crazy!

Yeah it's the TNS Relay. Sorry about that. I must have watched office space 1 too many times.
How about those TPS Reports. :)

I noticed that the TNS relay controls both the dash lights and the parking lights. If your parking lights are on but your Dash lights aren't that sounds like a fuse. Maybe when you were hooking your guages up you grounded something, and blew a fuse. double check all of the fuses within the Dash light system in the repair manual.
Good luck. I hate electrical problems. Makes you just want to rip everything out and start over. DAMN you car I'll turn you into a 1960's muscle car before you know it. Computer what computer. LOL.....

tap the dimmer....your dimmer might be going bad

when i say tap, i mean like beat the crap out of it until the lights come on

i have to do it daily

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that has that approach.
I just got done putting 18x12.5 and 18x8.5 forgeline wheels on my car, and now my drivers side window won't roll down, and my door handle broke.
4K+ wheels and tires, and I have to open the passenger side door to open the drivers side. Oh my ghetto car. LOL.....
One thing I have learned is that your never done with these cars. They keep you busy. LOL...

Well I've done lots of troubleshooting since my last post. I checked all fuses, took out the entire dash, by-passed the dimmer by jumping the in to the out. None of this worked. I can actually get them to come on if I disconnect the whole dash accept the lighter bulb, which is attached to the harness. and then it will come on and just go off by itself about 20 seconds later, and wont come back on (keep in mind this is with the dimmer disconnected??), and if I pull the main fuse and put it back in, they come back on and go out by themselves again. Its very strange. If I plug in any of the other bulbs it does nothing. I'm about ready to take it to an auto/electric place and let them fuck with it. Im sick of looking at my car with the dash out.