Parking lights question...

[myk]

Ok for years I've done the dance with the headlight and dimmer switches, trying to find the sweet spot that allows me to have both headlights and park/running/dash lights working at the same time.  Now, I can't get the park/running/dash lights to work at all.  Asides from obvious breaks in the wiring, can the headlight and/or dimmer switch be responsible for my complete loss of park/running and even the dash lights?  From what I understand in the wiring diagrams both of these switches are connected, and I don't think the fuses are the problem either.  What are other common issues we have that can cause this problem?  I'm under the impression that the two switches are problematic to say the least.  If I have to, I will get new headlight and dimmer switches but I'm hoping to work with what  I've got.  And ideas?  Thanks in advance!

Edit: Since I don't care about the dimming feature is it possible to bypass the dimmer switch altogether?  Just a thought...

[Back N Black]

for you dash light problem its probally the dash dimmer switch. you can by pass the switch to solve the problem. Your car is fresh out of the paint shop,  so i would check the grounds for the lights. It common to have ground issues after fresh paint.

[Dino]

Just so I got this straight...you flick the light switch into the first position and park lights + dash lights + tail lights go on.  (at least it did a while ago).  But then when you flick the switch into the second position the headlights go on, tail lights stay on but park and dash lights go out?  That has to be something simple like the connections in the switch that are bad.  Take the switch out and look it over, it shouldn't be anything major I would think.

If you wire the dimmer switch like BnB said you'll have the dash lights on full power all the time.  Which funny enough is still a few shades below mediocre.

[myk]

Just so I got this straight...you flick the light switch into the first position and park lights + dash lights + tail lights go on.  (at least it did a while ago).  But then when you flick the switch into the second position the headlights go on, tail lights stay on but park and dash lights go out?  That has to be something simple like the connections in the switch that are bad.  Take the switch out and look it over, it shouldn't be anything major I would think.

If you wire the dimmer switch like BnB said you'll have the dash lights on full power all the time.  Which funny enough is still a few shades below mediocre.

When I move the headlight switch to the 1st position tail, dash and front signal lights come on.  If I move the switch to position 2, all of the previously mentioned lights go off and the headlights come on.  Now....IF I try and move the headlight switch in between position 1 & 2 all of the lighting systems come on and stay on.  However, I can still have problems if the dimmer wheel is in the "wrong" spot-then I can get headlights but no tail, dash or signal lights; I have to wheel the dimmer wheel into a spot that will allow the tail, signal and dash lights to come on.  I am seriously considering abandoning these factory switches for something new and simple when I finally get around to my custom dash...

[Dino]

Just so I got this straight...you flick the light switch into the first position and park lights + dash lights + tail lights go on.  (at least it did a while ago).  But then when you flick the switch into the second position the headlights go on, tail lights stay on but park and dash lights go out?  That has to be something simple like the connections in the switch that are bad.  Take the switch out and look it over, it shouldn't be anything major I would think.

If you wire the dimmer switch like BnB said you'll have the dash lights on full power all the time.  Which funny enough is still a few shades below mediocre.

When I move the headlight switch to the 1st position tail, dash and front signal lights come on.  If I move the switch to position 2, all of the previously mentioned lights go off and the headlights come on.  Now....IF I try and move the headlight switch in between position 1 & 2 all of the lighting systems come on and stay on.  However, I can still have problems if the dimmer wheel is in the "wrong" spot-then I can get headlights but no tail, dash or signal lights; I have to wheel the dimmer wheel into a spot that will allow the tail, signal and dash lights to come on.  I am seriously considering abandoning these factory switches for something new and simple when I finally get around to my custom dash...

Okay, your light switch is in need of some tlc.  Most likely it can be fixed, might be as simple as cleaning it up but there's plenty light switches out there.  There's two new on the Detroit craigslist, have been on there for a long time.

The dimmer switch always needs a bit more work but you can just bypass it, at least until everything else works so you can rule out some stuff.

[myk]

Ok thanks.  Now, are there reproduction switches or are they all NOS?

Edit: Well I got the switches out but...these things aren't serviceable are they?  They don't appear to be.  I know there're guys that pull these apart and reassemble them but what sort of work can be done to them?  I've always figured that if an electronic component dies it's gone.  I see a couple of examples on ebay so I'll think about it.

Also...I wonder if it's a fuse?  I'm looking at the fuse box and see the one for the tail light/cigarette lighter; how can you tell if the fuse is blown?  I'm so used to looking at the modern blade type fuses.

EDIT: IT WAS THE GODDAMN FUSE!  Lol.  The tail light/cigarette lighter fuse looked good to me-I figured it would look burnt or discolored but it was all clear glass.  I put my mulit-meter on it but couldn't remember what sort of reading I was so supposed to get.  Popped in a fuse I had lying around and now I've got tail lights! Not sure about the dash lights though...

[myk]

Guys, thanks for the dimmer switch bypass trick-I now have dash lights without having to finger-bang the dimmer wheel to see at night...

[Dino]