Simultaneous: S13 tail lights, running lights, dash illumination lights all out

[armaddon]

(This is a '93 S13 hatch 5speed non-SE)

Hi guys, topic title really says it all. The other night I started up my car to drive home, and I noticed my dashboard illumination was out (can't see guages). A guy pulled up along side me and told me my tail lights were out too. Curious, I pulled over to take a look, and it turns out my yellow running lights in the front are out as well. Basically, everything that should come on when you move the headlight switch one click is not working.

I decided to check my fuses, but couldn't really decide on which fuse would control all 3 of these circuits, so I just checked them all. They're all fine.. replaced the fuses that run lights anyway just in case, but no change.

I'm not really sure what to do next - sucks not having tail lights at night.. instant cop-bait around here. Maybe a relay? Checked out this post here: zerothread?id=140879 but couldn't really find anything other than fuses 17 and 18.. which I already tried replacing.

Absolutely everything else in the car functions fine, in fact when i turn on signals/hazards, all the signal lights (including the yellows in the front that aren't coming on with the headlights) flash like they should, and my tail lights illuminate when I brake like they should. I'm kinda stuck, would appreciate any help!

Edit: wow looks like a very similar problem is posted about the same time I was writing this post.. that makes 2 of us with a similar issue!! (except I'm not blowing fuses.. just problem in the same circuit)
Modified by armaddon at 7:40 PM 3/4/2009

[bensaccord]

Check the control board under the dash. It's in a white plasic case down near the pedals, about the size of a business card. Boards tend to fry quite often for the dash and other lights.

[positron1]

Check the 75A alternator fuse in the fuse block near your battery in the engine bay.

[Hijacker]

The fuse that you need to inspect is the 3rd up from the bottom on the right. It's a 15A fuse that supplies power to the TCU, the dash, and the exterior running lamps. Bad TCUs don't cause dash lights and running lights to go down. It causes headlamps not to work properly.

After you inspect that fuse, I would turn my attention to a bad lighting switch. The S13 lighting switches are notorious for frying, but I tend to not see them fry so bad to take out 3 things on a combined circuit.

[armaddon]

Thanks for the posts guys, still a bit stuck at this point.

I inspected the fuses you guys mentioned, they looked fine.. replaced them anyway, still nothing >_@

replaced EVERY fuse in the interior panel.. still nothing.

it honestly seems like whatever circuit is supposed to be active when the switch on the steering column is set to the second click just isn't getting power - is this switch actually in the column itself? or is it wired in elsewhere? I honestly haven't delved deep into a wiring diagram to look.

[slipnfall]

I find it hard to believe you truly don't have any blown fuses... buuut heck if you've replaced them all... I will say that the TCU *can* take out all dash lights, which is why it sounds like a multitude of problems. Also FYI the brake and hazard lights are on their own independent fuses, while the turn signals/running lights are on another.

Pull the combo switch from the steering wheel and ohm it out; to get it out just pull the two covers off the steering column(top/bottom). You might need to pull the lower dash panel, I don't recall.

[slipnfall]

FYI you can ignore the 'ABC', but'A' is pushing switch towards front'B' is default center position'C' is pulled back towards driver

[armaddon]

-Fixed it-

While searching, I found this thread: zerothread?id=322068describing fixing the actual contact point for the switch when you turn the knob (at first, I didn't know which switch it was that he was holding, then it dawned on me that it is the switch attached to the actual turn signal knob).

Well, bending the contact didn't seem to change anything, nor did manually jumping it. But, I noticed sometimes when I shook it around it would mysteriously work. Took it apart, nothing out of the ordinary.. So I followed the plug itself.

Turns out there were two wires (I believe they were for pins 11 and 12 on the "For lighting switch" connector in the drawing) that were spliced together.. sorta. When I squeezed them together, lights on. Let go, lights off. They were literally partially stripped and kinda twisted around eachother (kinda like a twizzlers pull and peel) and wrapped in electrical tape. Obviously they were fairly corroded and barely had contact. I pulled the wire, cut, stripped, and soldered them together. Problem fixed.

I have a hard time believing Nissan would ship them from the factory this way, but this is literally the wiring on the harness itself, which has never been changed in this car - I'm not the first owner, but by the looks of it the previous owner never even removed the steering column covers.

So.. if anyone else is having the same issue and not blowing any fuses/TCUs, I suggest you check this out.

[slipnfall]

'may have been a previous alarm install - these are often used to flash the four-ways to confirm lock/unlock.

'Glad you found your problem though!

[JDMskrilla]

I just went through this witg my buddies WRX. He put a 30 amp fuse where he needed a 10 amp fuse for his tail lights and he melted the back of his fuse pannel. he also had no tail lights, or running lights and a few other things melted too. long story short, it took 2 days to replace amost the entire wiring harness for the interrior. good luck man.