S14 Tail Lights not working, tried everything...

[Slidin']

hey there, Ive got a 1995 S14, and ive been fiddling around with the dash, and i think i might have broken it because it doesnt light up anymore when you turn the head lights on.

Also the tail lights dont light up when i turn the headlights on but the brake lights DO work when i hit the brakes, and the headlights work too.

I checked the fuses and bulbs and theyre all fine.

Could the fact that the speedo is not lighting up make the tail lights not work?

Any help would be appreciated.

[motoman399]

the interior lights and running lights/tail lights are on the same circuit (meaning fuse).

double check your fuse for the tail lights and if that is fine check the dimmer switch for a burnt circuit board. just pull it apart and see if its physically burnt.

[scotty-2-forty]

the interior lights and running lights/tail lights are on the same circuit (meaning fuse).

double check your fuse for the tail lights and if that is fine check the dimmer switch for a burnt circuit board. just pull it apart and see if its physically burnt.

... also, replace the fuse just for kicks even if it "looks" fine. Sometimes they fail and you don't necessarily see the blown connections in the fuse itself.

[Slidin']

thanks heaps for that where bouts is the dimmer switch on the s14 and what does it look like?

sorry for the dumb question but never had this problem before.

[motoman399]

the switch to dim the interior lights. its on the opposite side of the cruise control

[Slidin']

hey again man, my s14 doesn't have a dimmer switch. do you think that the speedo not lighting up could be the problem, or what do you think could be causing it?

Thanx 4 the help

[motoman399]

what is your car? is it jdm, usdm, edm? i think they all have a dimmer switch. and you can pull the cluster out and check to make sure its not burnt in the back on the ribbon. but there isnt many things that can cause it not to work.

why dont you post some pics of your car and the interior so we can get an idea about it.

[scotty-2-forty]

hey again man, my s14 doesn't have a dimmer switch. do you think that the speedo not lighting up could be the problem, or what do you think could be causing it?

Thanx 4 the help

Are you saying that the dimmer switch is missing? (I don't think they were optional) The gauge lighting wiring goes through the dimmer switch to the fuse panel. Check again ... Post some pics? The tail lamp lighting is not affected by the dimmer, so it's something separate.

[motoman399]

The tail lamp lighting is not affected by the dimmer, so it's something separate.

sorry that is untrue. when my dimmer switch went bad, it would blow the tail lamp fuse. so they are linked in the same system. i am sure of it because i have had to deal with it.

[scotty-2-forty]

sorry that is untrue. when my dimmer switch went bad, it would blow the tail lamp fuse. so they are linked in the same system. i am sure of it because i have had to deal with it.

Well then something is wrong with your car. Just for giggles I just now this very second went out and yanked the plug out of the back of my dimmer switch, turned on my headlights and sure'nuff the tail lamps illuminated and the brake lights worked too. Please check your fuse box front panel. The tail lamps have their own fuse, along with turn signals, hazards and stop lamps having their own respectively. If the dimmer switch went bad it will only affect the interior lamps. Which brings to thought Slidin', check the plug on the back of the dimmer switch to see if you reconnected it right, or if it's loose from fiddlin' with your dash.

[motoman399]

ok now try this. pull the tail light fuse and then see if your gauge lights up still. i would do it buy my car is dee EEEE AAAA DDD dead lol

the tail lights dont run from the dimmer switch, but they are still the same circuit. sorry if im wrong. but im like 99% sure that im not.

[Slidin']

Hello guys,

I live in New Zealand so im guessing the car is JDM. Ive checked everywhere and there is no dimmer switch, and also the dash is not lighting up. Fuses are all good too there was one that was blown (10A) but i replaced it but still have the same problem. (i didnt know which one it was cos its all written in Japanese ) Any ways heres some photos of the car shes in pretty sh*t state at the moment but im building her up slowly to make her a bit more respectable.











b.t.w if anyone has a photo of their S14 fuse panel in english it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks for the help guys

[motoman399]

i have the fuse panel in both english and japanese. however they arent the same. they are alsmost setup the exact oppisite. if you can use the paint program and circle the fuse that it was i will tell you which one it was.

also i think on the jdm models the dimmer switch is in the center consul next to the mirror switch?

[Slidin']

hello again,

ok the fuse i changed was either the 7th or 11th down on the left on my diagram, i had to put 2 in because one was missing and im not sure which one was blown now. My car was an automatic but has been changed to manual and still has the automatic gear lever centre console which i have taken a photo of. The hole in the surround had the transmission 'mode selector' switch in it, so im not sure about having the dimmer switch on that part. Anyways heres the photo:



Thanks for the help your a legend

[Slidin']

oops almost forgot this too

[motoman399]

ok tomorrow i will see what i can do. by the way do you guys have rhd s14's in junk yards there?

[scotty-2-forty]

Well crap Slidin' ... I wish you would have posted those pics before like Motoman suggested! I had no idea you were out of country nevertheless a RHD and convert to manual. The dimmer switch on US models (at least '96) is where I pointed it out in my pic. Admittedly so, I don't know where your models switch is located, but like Motoman said possibly the center console ... that's where my power mirror switch is located; to the rear of the shifter console plate.

Just for reference: I looked at your Avatar text whereas it says "Wellington" ... I live in Palm Beach county in Florida and we have a city called Wellington. I actually thought you were local, not across oceans!

pull the tail light fuse and then see if your gauge lights up still.

Will do.

[Slidin']

hey again,

thanks for that and yeah we do have wrecker yards where there will be some s14s.

haha thats pretty funny scotty but yeah im in the land down under mate!

cheersollie

[motoman399]

hey again,

thanks for that and yeah we do have wrecker yards where there will be some s14s.

haha thats pretty funny scotty but yeah im in the land down under mate!

cheersollie

maybe you could send some parts for cheap if i fix your problem.... lol

[motoman399]

oops almost forgot this too

ok so you have two circled in red. the bottom one is the turn signal.

and the top one that you have circled is the stop lamp. at least thats what the i pod translator told me. i have the jdm and usdm fuse cover. they are almost exact oppisite. meaning that the top left on the jdm is the bottom right on the usdm. but its not exactly true. but i typed in the words and it came up with those symbols. so let us know what you find

[scotty-2-forty]

ok now try this. pull the tail light fuse and then see if your gauge lights up still.

You Sir were right! However, didn't Slidin' say he already reviewed all the fuses? Wish I could help further.

[motoman399]

You Sir were right! However, didn't Slidin' say he already reviewed all the fuses? Wish I could help further.

haha i know a little about the s14's... and VERY little about silvia's, except you drive on the other side... jealous! lol not really it wouldnt be cool if everyone was doing it.

scotty, i dismantled a whole s14, every last nut and bolt. i learned a lot from doing it. and i have had 3 s14's that were all needing a lot of work. so if you have any problems with yours let me know, usually i can help.

slidin, are you still getting blown fuses? have you checked your grounds? i wanna figure it out.

[gigabit240]

It could be your climate controll box. My running lights did the same thing a couple months ago and i did a two day trouble shoot to figure out what it was and it ended up being a loose wire in the back of my climate control box. When i taped it up the running lights worked fine. And i noticed you said you had the dash apart at one point r somethin so it could be a loose wire or somethin else in there. Just buy like... 5 to 10 fuses and keep goin till you figure it out.Good luck

[Slidin']

hello again guys

All right:

motoman: Nope all my fuses are fine now, i did as you said and took the brake light fuse out(the 7th one down on the left) and brake lights didnt work if thats any help. Where should i check the grounds?

gigabit: Ill go and have a look at that now and get back to you on that one.

Thanks heaps for the help guys get back to you soon

[Slidin']

hey again,

also when i got the car i did some 'dodgy' wiring when i ran the cd player off the cigarette lighter power supply as a tempory solution to have some music for the 8 hour drive home. Could this have 'fried' anything or be a part of this problem?

[motoman399]

slidin' i have a question... did all this stuff work when you got the car?or did it stop during your ownership?

also it is very possible that you have more than one issue. do you know how to use a test light? you should check the wiring coming out of your headlight switch. also take off your headlight switch and see if it is burnt up. i have seen that once where the blinkers would come on randomly. let us know what you find

[Slidin']

hello again

ive taken the whole dash off so i can get a better view of things. The lights did use to work but the gauge lighting and taillights stopped working one day, i only found out when i pulled up to the traffic lights and someone told me. Im not sure how to use a test light. Checked headlight switch, no signs of burning or loose wires.

thnx
Modified by Slidin' at 7:38 PM 3/19/2010

[motoman399]

do you know what a test light is?

http://marineengineparts.com/s...3.jpg

very simple to use. connect one side to a ground on the body, and use the tip to test for a positive. you can track a wire for ever with that.

you should start at the headlight switch. see if you have a positive going into the switch

if yes: see if the is a positive going out of the switch

if no: track the wire closer to the fuse box.

ect ect just keep moving on and see where your loosing the power at. the test light can be had for around 10 dollars usd.

[Taylor008]

I'm not sure if this will help you, because this is for an S13. I don't know if S14's have a TCU, but here:

This happened to me. There is a wire that can get arc'd around your radio harness. If you touch it to a ground it will blow a little white box by your (usdm) driver side fuse panel. It's called a 'TCU'

http://www.nicoclub.com/archiv....html

Try that. Good luck!

[Slidin']

hey again,

motoman: Ill get a test light and test that out and get back to you on that one.

Taylor: Ive had a search around on the net and it seems tht the s14s dont have a TCU, must be something else causing the problem. Might have to take it into a shop soon if i cant figure it.

Thanks 4 the help guys get back to you soon.