Dimmer switch, lights check

[Jasin]

Greetings all.
My instrument cluster lights are not working in my 91 Festiva. All the warning lights work fine, just the overall illuminating lights not lit up.
Can someone tell me how to test the dimmer switch? or is it possible to just bypass the dimmer for full lighting? Hoping that's all it is>the dimmer switch. Although I did just do a buncha rewiring under the dash recently....
Thought I'd check here before trying something. Thanks.

[SimonTuffGuy]

Do the headlights and parking lights come on when you turn your headlight switch on? What about the heater control panel, does that illuminate?

[Jasin]

Ya headlights and parking lights ok. Hetaer control panal does not light up.

[SimonTuffGuy]

You checked all the fuses and they're fine?

What do you mean you did some "rewiring under the dash"?

[Jasin]

Fuses fine, bulbs fine, instrument cluster fine.
I installed and wired up some power windows, a switch for the fan and some lighted pedals....but didnt mess with any thing that should have affected the cluster lights. And the lights were fine after all these wiring operations....also moved the radio to the center console, but like I said should not have any affect on the instrument lights. I just assume its the dimmer switch since that controls the intensity of those particular lights. Power gets to the dimmer switch, both the red wires light up when lights are on.

[Jasin]

Its working now...dimmer switch problem....now for that B6T swap....

[stefan]

humm ill have to give this a try. my dash lights randomly stopped working all of a sudden. all my exterior lights work, all the instrumentation squares work, but the backlight is dead.

i grabbed a spare but i think its broken too, the adjustment wheel just spins round and round and dosent stop at the top or bottom

[rain406]

I'm having the exact same problem! My cluster lights (excluding the warning lights) and the heater panel lights don't light up. Mine started when I removed the dimmer switch and 2 of those wires (red, and black) connected and sparked. Ever since then they haven't worked. I replaced the dimmer switch, but that didn't fix the problem, and no blown fuses!

Please help!

[ajb999]

did you switch to a different kind of dimmer switch? like white to orange?

[rain406]

I changed it from orange to white,yup

[rpickle]

Well, I was just chasing the same problem, no backlighting to speedo cluster, heater controls and ALSO no running lights outside. Found the 15A taillight fuse was blown. Put a new fuse in and it blew too. I suspected the dimmer but it isn't likely that it is shorting and blowing the fuse. Decided that the last place I was around any wiring was when I stuck the "new" radio in. Pulled it out and sure enough found where the gree/red (red/green) wire was pinched. Taped it up and routed the wires better. Everything is working now. Moral really to this is , Please make sure your taillights are operational for safetys sake. If they are out too then the whole circuit is bad somewhere.

Rick