my 1997 Legacy L Wagon has a new issue. Intermittently, the dashboard and instrument panel backlighting will not come on when i turn the headlamps on. when i got this car about two months ago, the lighting for the climate control didnt work, and i figure that is just the bulbs behind the panel. but now the instruments and the radio lighting will fail to come on when the exterior lights are turned on. however, a solid strike to the dash seems to make them come on. anyone have any ideas?is it worth chasing this electrical gremlin, or just let it be?

Are the gauges working properly?  If not the first thing to look for is a bad ground, it is also the second thing to look for.  You could also check for a loose plug on a wiring harness.  The climate control lights are a sore spot and go out quite often and there are all kinds of post on replacing them.  The radio could be just that, the radio.  I have owned my Outback for 11 years now and the radio lights have never worked. 

Probably just a loose or poor connection somewhere. The illumination control module is attached to the back of the lower trim panel under the steering column. Two screws to remove and that pops off and you can check the connector on the module.

 

The bulbs in the HVAC head burn out, but are replaceable. You have to remove the unit to get access to the bulbs.

Use 7219 bulbs from radio shack.

Dimmer switch getting a bad spot.