Dashboard lights gone

[Offroad]

Hello everyone.

 

This is my first time here, I got to know abou USMB thru google.

 

My question is, has anyone had a problem with the dashboard lights of a 1994 Legacy 4x4 stattion wagon?

 

I changed my Subaru radio to a Sony CD-radio today. There were so much wiring so I eventually figured out the always on positive power for the memory and the other positive for the ACC and START key position. It worked fine, but I realised that the dashboard lights are gone off, I checked all the fuses, both inside the cxar and under the hood, all are fine. However, during the installation, I think one of the wires made a spark (probably touched the chassis briefly, althogh this may just be a coincidence that the dash lights don't work now).

 

The Subaru radio I had was the big thick one, and I think the wiring that goes into it in the back has to do something with the dashboard lights, but not sure.

 

Anyway, does anyone know or experienced such a situation?

 

OR would anyone know where I can get the schematic diagram for the dashboard wiring ?

 

Appreciate all ideas.

 

Thanks

[CardinaA]

i had this problem when my nakamichi was installed....did you wire in the dimmer? if not, that may be the problem. mine blew fuses and i remember the fix either involved connecting or disconnecting the dimmer function on the radio.

[Offroad]

Would you happen to know which wires are for the dimmer? The new Sony radio doesn't use all those wires that were used by the old Subaru one. I only used 2 positives and the speakers' wires.

 

There are 4 more positives and one "nothing". The 4 positivies get power when I put the lights on, but there is this lone wire that is not a + nor a -. DO you think this has to do with the dashboard lights - dimmer?

 

 

 

i had this problem when my nakamichi was installed....did you wire in the dimmer? if not, that may be the problem. mine blew fuses and i remember the fix either involved connecting or disconnecting the dimmer function on the radio.

[Offroad]

Cont'd...

 

I blew a coule of fuses too. The radio fues and theother was the inside roof lamp. I dunno why this blew since I was doingnothng with it anyway.

[brus brother]

Hate to be the one to ponder the obvious but coincidences do happen. I once was doing some rewiring and somehow simultaneously turned the dashboard dimmer switch on the column down to zero. After some head scratching and fretting I simply readjusted the dimmer and voila Tessler was reborn.

This was on a 2000 Legacy and I don't know where or if your's is located but just a thought. Common things happen commonly.

[cookie]

the dash lights to power its lights. If you shorted this wire out the best thing that can happen is you blow the fuse to your dash lights. The worst thing is you can blow either the dimmer switch for the dash lights if it is seperate, or the whole light switch.

[Offroad]

So you are saying that probably when one of the wires touched the metal, the fuse was not fast enough to break so the switch or dimmer are gone. Do you know if the extra wires (that were connected to the old Subaru radio) have to be connecdted somewhere?

 

Is replacing the light switch or dimmer easy? Actually I have an older legacy '90 that I can use theswtich from.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Brus Brother, thanks for the idea, but that was the first thing I checked before I started with the fuses and dis-assembling the car. .

[cookie]

not actually burnt first. Sometimes they look fine and are fried. Before I pulled the switch I would test it to see if power was coming out of the dash light reostat. The other thing I would do first is make absolutely sure you don't have a short that would burn it up again.

Yesterday I had this system out on my BMW but I have not done it on a Subaru. I am sure that switch should be fairly easy to change. The BMW has a lighted shifter knob that is famous for shorting out and taking out the reostat which is part of the switch. I gave the shifter knob its own fuse to prevent that.