Dash / Guage / Instrument lights won't come on. Not the dimmer or fuse. Any ideas?

[wiltony]

Anyone give me a hand with this one? I searched the forums but couldn't find a match for my symptoms.

'99 4runner SR5, recently stopped illuminating the instrument panel when the lights are turned on.

I checked all the fuses, (the box under the hood, and the box near the hood latch - are there more?) and unless I missed one, they all seem intact.

No response as I adjust my dimmer knob (ha - yeah I checked).

Indicator lights come on just fine (like my PRND2L cluster (the one on the dash), low-fuel light, and brights indicator). My clock works fine except that I don't think it dims when I turn on the lights.

Also not working are the lights behind my heater controls, and the lights under the actual PRND2L selector lever.

My aftermarket radio works fine, but does not receive anything on its dimmer lead. That is, when I turn on my lights, it doesn't dim like it should either.

I've done no electrical work on it recently, radio has been in place for years.

Symptoms *might* have started while adjusting dimmer knob one day, but I can't be sure. If that knob was blown, would it affect the dimmer lead to the radio, too?

Any other ideas?

 

[wiltony]

More Symptoms

A couple more symptoms, to see if anyone might have a clue as to what's broken:

My rear night-lights (and trailer lights) don't come on when I turn on my headlights. The headlights and blinkers work fine. In other words, if people are following me at night, I'm dark in the back.

Also, when I use my keyfob to unlock or lock the 4runner, it beeps and the doors lock/unlock just fine, but the indicator lights that flash do not work.

Weird!

 

[wiltony]

It *was* the fuse

Okay, okay, so it *was* the fuse, after all. I was just testin' ya'll. :biggrin2:

I swear I looked through every single one before, but I decided to look again, and sure enough...

Well, I guess the only good thing that has come of this will be that I have a pretty comprehensive list of symptoms for when the "tail" 10A fuse burns out in a '99 4runner!

Cheers,

Wiltony