*update* on my instrument cluster situation

[QxMan01]

Ok everyone, so those of you that have read my previous posts know the current situation I'm in. The back lighting on my instrument cluster (temp/fuel gauge, speedo & tach) no longer illuminates. I took the gauge cluster out and apart and *thought* it was due to the fluorescent light tube being blown out. I also checked and double checked the fuses, none seem out of the ordinary.

I ordered a new gauge cluster (from an '02 Qx4; mines an '01) and it arrived today. I installed it, turned on the car, and would you know, same problem. Everything, and I do mean everything (turn signals, check engine, cruise, o/d, all the lights, along with the physical needles) still work EXCEPT the back lighting (and no, the dimmer switch isn't turned all the way down).

Does anyone have ANY other ideas in terms of what could be wrong (we know now it's not the gauge cluster but something in the car) that I could check before having to resort to taking it to the dealer? Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated. On a side note, I did confirm the mileage on our vehicles follows the gauge cluster (I plugged in the new one and the mileage read 111k, mine has 158k) NOT the ECU in the car. Thanks in advance!

[alexf20c]

i'm still trying to figure out why you had to make a new thread. why didn't you just post in your original thread?

anyway, it might be your dimmer switch. i'd go to the local junkyard and try to pick one up for a few bucks.

[QxMan01]

i'm still trying to figure out why you had to make a new thread. why didn't you just post in your original thread?

anyway, it might be your dimmer switch. i'd go to the local junkyard and try to pick one up for a few bucks.

Yeah, sorry about the new thread; it's been a long day and my brain doesn't want to function. In terms of the dimmer switch, I don't believe that's it since it still controls the dimming on the HVAC display/controls and clock just as normal. Unless it pulls double duty and has separate control modules for different displays. Can anyone confirm or deny? Thanks!

[rydebynite]

I ordered a new gauge cluster (from an '02 Qx4; mines an '01) and it arrived today. I installed it, turned on the car, and would you know, same problem. Everything, and I do mean everything (turn signals, check engine, cruise, o/d, all the lights, along with the physical needles) still work EXCEPT the back lighting (and no, the dimmer switch isn't turned all the way down).

Does anyone have ANY other ideas in terms of what could be wrong (we know now it's not the gauge cluster but something in the car) that I could check before having to resort to taking it to the dealer? Any help, as always, is greatly appreciated. On a side note, I did confirm the mileage on our vehicles follows the gauge cluster (I plugged in the new one and the mileage read 111k, mine has 158k) NOT the ECU in the car. Thanks in advance!

not the dimmer switch! I swapped mine out and still having the exact same issue! I was actually thinking about buying a new gauge cluster but I see you did that and got nothing.I swapped out the bulbs with some new led's and still half the right side stays off.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how it is that your cluster illumination isn't working while everything else is still functional. So let me go over a few things before I start jumping to conclusions...

- When you turn the dimmer up/down everything else dims accordingly, right?

- The "fine vision" electroluminescent gauges are supposed to stay lit at all times (even with the headlamps and parking lamps off), right?

- Did you do any work prior to the cluster illumination failure? Any electrical work?

- Have you checked fuse #8 (10amp) in the interior fuse box? It may have failed even though it does not look like it.

If everything checks out fine then the only step is to start checking all grounds and voltage leads.