taillights, speedo light and licence plate illuminator not working

2nd Hand Yank · Post by **2nd Hand Yank** » Wed May 23, 2012 10:59 pm

I saw a blown fuse for taillight illuminator in the fuse box,
but I don't think that explains why I also don't have light behind the speedo.
I have all the other lights I need at night, including which door is open.

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Wed May 23, 2012 11:12 pm

Blown dash globe. There are many lurking back there.

Unrelated to the fuse - unless comes back on when you replaced the fuse!

You need only replace it with whatever is in there. There are no upgrades, colour changes, or alternatives to consider. You buy the globes from any auto spares place for ~$3

Is fiddly, you will have to contort to reach it. Or pull the cluster which is pretty straightforward,

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu May 24, 2012 8:20 am

unless you are in a Falcon ? clever design, can' t see ya speedo at night ? ya parkers aren't on either !

2nd Hand Yank · Post by **2nd Hand Yank** » Thu May 24, 2012 4:44 pm

the front corner (parking) lights are also off too... but all the front turn signals still work.

AshR · Post by **AshR** » Thu May 24, 2012 4:48 pm

sounds like it could be either relay or switch that's gone to take out all the "running" lights

turn signals would be on a different circuit

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu May 24, 2012 11:02 pm

park lights front are same circuit as rear tail lights, you not notice before ?

I am itching to know if you have replaced that fuse or thinking about it, any result?

2nd Hand Yank · Post by **2nd Hand Yank** » Fri May 25, 2012 5:56 am

I removed a burnt fuse and have the dash mostly disassembled.
Before I disassembled the dash I disconnected the negative terminal.
I still have a bit more work to get the dash totally out,
but I wanted to reconnect the battery to lock the doors.

When I reconnected the battery,
the tailights, rear plate illuminator and parking lights came on
but this is without them being selected
and I could not turn them off...
so I disconnected the battery again so the lights wouldn't flatten it.

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Fri May 25, 2012 6:19 am

Please tell us you replaced the fuse...

You have turned on the parking lights function - is the black switch on top of your steering column.

And before thinking relays and the like, always check (by removing and testing) the actual globes

2nd Hand Yank · Post by **2nd Hand Yank** » Fri May 25, 2012 6:50 pm

sven '2' wrote:Please tell us you replaced the fuse...

You have turned on the parking lights function - is the black switch on top of your steering column.

And before thinking relays and the like, always check (by removing and testing) the actual globes

I just replaced the fuse and it blew almost instantly.
I looked at it with the light off my phone and it carked it in less than a minute.
No smoke smell surprisingly...

Yes, I did have the parking light switch on accidentally... forgot about that.
I tried turning the parking lights on with that switch, with and without a fuse in it
and now the parking light feature will not work.

I do have a multimeter.
Is the next step chase every wire from the lift-gate to look for an open circuit?

I'm pretty good with tools and reading instructions,
however I lack familiarity with many automotive components,
which is why gregories manual sometimes isn't helpful enough for me.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri May 25, 2012 7:57 pm

open circuit would be a break in wire, if fuse blew you will be looking for a short circuit between power side, shorting to earth. A tow plug is the first place to look. Mud and water in light sockets etc. If you can disconnect at the light assy connctor one ata time and see if short in one corner or ya switch !

2nd Hand Yank · Post by **2nd Hand Yank** » Sat May 26, 2012 5:46 pm

So I should disconnect my trailer hitch light connector, one by one?
I never use my trailer hitch and it wasn't raining until recently.

The trailer hitch light connector looks okay.
I screwed in the screws that were plugging some of the holes.
No change.

I still cannot disassemble my instrument cluster.
Can someone tell or show me how to remove it?

I want to check and replace the speedo lightbulb but I can't reach the back of the instrument cluster.

sven '2' · Post by **sven '2'** » Sat May 26, 2012 6:19 pm

No need to take the cluster apart - only remove it - the bulbs and sockets are on the back.

You have a manual - I'm sure it describes the trim removal process required to access the cluster, which is more than just the black surround - extends into the coloured dash pad as well.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sat May 26, 2012 6:24 pm

disconnect the speedo cable from the speedo head, requires strong and co-ordinated thumb. There is a new member from Townsville, go look him up , see if he help or hinder the process.
I was suggesting disconnect year tail light units at the plug connect, one at a time to isolate, chuck in another fuse to see if it blows. Wreckers L seris are good sources of cheap fuses