dash light question

Post by **dentedfender240** » Mon May 16, 2005 1:08 pm

i would greatly apperciate if someone can please help me out here. ive read the faq and searched this board with a few different search names. The most legit fix was the one involving a red wire with a yellow stripe running to a jumper wire with a fuse and into parking lights. One of my question is how exactly do you install a jumperwire with a fuse? Next, which wire am I looking for exactly, I have the wiring diagram but the red/yellow wire that matches up with the diagram says its for the brake ... I was thinkin it was more to do with ill. its a 92 with analog cluster plz help, dimmer switch is fine headlight switch is fine, havent checked tcu but I dont think its that thanks

Post by **dentedfender240** » Tue May 17, 2005 1:22 am

anyone? i just need help because if i cross a wrong wire again who knows what could go wrong lol ... anyways it happened when I was putting in my headunit and they havent worked since then, about 2 years now. i just really need to know which wire i'm suppose to run to the parking lights and if I have to run the positive and negetive wires or just one. HELP!!!

Post by **NISTECH** » Tue May 17, 2005 2:03 am

It is very common to blow out the dash lights when installing a stereo. What typically happens is the bulb in the dimer switch blows as it is the only bulb in the circuit thats in series rather then in parellel and its early in the power circuit. try just replacing that bulb first. I have a 92 service manual I will also look to see what wire you might be talking about as well.

Post by **NISTECH** » Tue May 17, 2005 2:11 am

well I looked at the service manual. do any of your dash lights interior night illumination lights work, like your ash tray or glove box?

Post by **dentedfender240** » Tue May 17, 2005 12:11 pm

thats funny you ask, glove box works occasionally but that messed up with the installation error as well. ashtray light works and is about the only interior light that still works. Even the dome light stopped working for a little while but it has been fine ever since. I didnt even give any thought to that. As far as instrumental cluster and A/C-heater buttons dont light up anymore. Thing is the actual bulb in the ac button works because it indicates its on when i turn it on.

Post by **dentedfender240** » Tue May 17, 2005 1:31 pm

also everything else works (as far as i know because i havent started it but I bought a used one.) like speedo, rpms, fuel, temp, all the warning lamps still work, headlights, brakes, tails, sidemarkers, turnsignals did function at first but dont now but its due to a completely unrelated issue. the turn signals did work on the dash as well as the high beams i was thinking about changing the bulbs first, figure go cheapest to most expensive until the problem is solved. anymore help would be greatly apperciated man

Post by **NISTECH** » Tue May 17, 2005 5:45 pm

The ashtray light is the only light on the circuit that has a seperate ground. Your tcu is the problem, it is not grounding the lights. pull it out and slide the board out of it, you get it apart by removing the plastic paice surrounding the connector. once you remove that the board slides out. look at the trace side of the board for a trace with a huge peice burnt away. If your good with a soldering iron you can lay a strand of 16 gauge wire across it and soldier it at either side.

Post by **dentedfender240** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:37 am

wow thanks alot man you were definetly right, as soon as I popped it out i saw a silver streak on one light but it was faded unlike the others almost like an ash color. I decided for the hell of it id give it a quick swipe with my finger and it rubbed right off and its copper now. its only on a little part but it is pretty big for this unit. The wire im going to have to solder goes between the little numbs with the points over the circuit that was ash colored to the one on the opposite side correct? thanks alot for all your help man

Post by **dentedfender240** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:42 am

also does the wire have to be exposed and actually sitting on the trace or if i can run it from point to point by just soldering together quickly?

Post by **NISTECH** » Wed May 18, 2005 1:47 am

whew dude you lost me, you say "light" there are no lights in the TCU. the TCU is a small white box with a single connector in it. are we on the same page? The discription of ash on the circuit board sounds right so I am thinking you are looking at the board, but lets clarify before you go soldiering anything. If you have a digital camera to snap a shot of it that would help immensily, if you dont we can work around it.

Post by **dentedfender240** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:30 am

whoa whoops ... thats what i get for not re-reading. light was suppose to be LINE sorry

Post by **dentedfender240** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:35 am

well i was gunna take a pic for the hell of it as well, but i just went and looked for one of the 3 digital cameras i have in this house and couldnt find one so I will have to wait to ask my brother or mom if they know. ill get a picture later you'll be able to tell there is a copper streak on one of the traces from where i wiped.

Post by **NISTECH** » Wed May 18, 2005 3:04 pm

The copper is the trace. the board is coated with a material to protect the traces from corrosion, what you are looking for along that trace is a break, where the copper stops or has a crack in the trace.

Post by **ricebike** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:27 pm

the gap that had blown on my TCU was small enough to just soldering them together for me... i made the easy repair w/ a dollar store soldering iron (A year ago).

<stereo stolen 3x, exposed wires shorted out that white box on the 3rd time>

some were lazy in the past & bought the salvage yard units for ~$20-$25

good luck w/ it, dentedfender!

Post by **dentedfender240** » Thu May 19, 2005 12:24 am

thanks for all your help guys, greatly apperciate it and I was able to repair it (i think) ill let you know later cuz I got indiglow tachs and i dont think you can notice it during the day.I flipped it on the opposite side and seen that the bulbs were illuminating which they didnt do to begin with so we'll just wait and see. THANKS!

Post by **dentedfender240** » Fri May 20, 2005 1:30 am

well, soldered the tcu, tried it out and ... 2 out of 3 main bulbs in the back work now. Problem is I still have one of the bulbs out, the one that sits behind the fuel/speedo. Also it seems that there is absolutely no illumination still even with the bulbs on.

Post by **NISTECH** » Fri May 20, 2005 3:07 am

make sure your dimmer is turned to full illumination. the one bulb not lighting is due to the bulb being burnt out. They all work on the same circuit in the cluster so if one is out it must be burnt out,just replace that bulb.

Post by **dentedfender240** » Sat May 21, 2005 1:19 pm

i just put new bulbs in that same day, but i took it out real quick and popped it back in and it worked, tried dimmer switch still with no luck

Post by **NISTECH** » Sat May 21, 2005 8:07 pm

you may also have a bad dimmer as it sounds like there is still quite a bit of resistance in the circuit.

Post by **dentedfender240** » Mon May 23, 2005 12:23 am

ok thanks, im gunna try and get a new dimmer switch today thanks

Post by **slipnfall** » Mon May 30, 2005 10:13 am

I just skimmed over the thread here, but I thought this may help. The ashtray bulb provides a seriesed ground path for multiple other lights in the cabin. So if this bulb blows or is missing, the:

A/T gear illumination,hazard switch,rear defog switch, cruise, headlight retractor switch

will ALL NOT illuminate. It took me hours trying to figure this out, untill I finally broke out the FSM. Thanks Nissan, great 'critical-bulb-blown notification'...

HTH,-Jamie

Post by **oneslow240se** » Wed Dec 21, 2005 5:49 am

can anyone post the break on the board? ..... i can see mine is also burn but where does the connection and ending points begain? a picture of the board would help big time so i knoe where to solder... thanks

dash light question

dash light question

Re: dash light question (dentedfender240)

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