no dash lights whatsoever.... 72 280 se

[mdsuave13]

I just got the car, and im trying to get things in proper working order. All the fuses look good, but no dash lights are working. So is the dimmer the culprit? I tried turning it a bunch, but to no avail. should i just keep turning till they come on??

also, im trying to figure out how to get the trunk light on.. anything particular i should be checking? im not getting voltage at the harness in the light....

[Paul David]

The reostat can be fixed, by cleaning and gently bending the contacts.
There should be a switch on the trunk lid above where the lic plate is, check this switch, mine fell apart, i put a new spring in it snapped it together, and 3 years later... it still works!
Good luck
Paul

[Stimpson J Cat]

Funny yesterday I just cleaned out all the carbon build up in my 78 rheostat.

On my model - one phillips head screw was in a recessed area on the top that could not be seen untill I used a dental mirror, after removing the screw the knob stayed in place. I unplugged the unit.....took it up to my hobby desk....bent out the two metal tabs and ( this is where you need to be careful ) IN MY VERSION inside the casing there were two small springs that held the contacts to the rhio winding and center contact area.

I used a fine emery board to clean the contact surfaces on the contact piece and a dremel bit to polish the center contact part in and on the bottom of one of the part halfs....I then put it all back together and WHAMO! my inter instrument lamps came on just fine!

Hope that helps!

[mdsuave13]

false alarm, after fondling the dimmer knob for about 20 mins, my lights came back to life! its funny that something so simple was the problem. I was ready to take the whole dash apart to find the solution.... i will tackle the trunk light tommorow night, i have to trace the wiring to see where it leads from. I know its not getting any voltage, so it has to be a loose wire, or be disconnected somewhere. I know the fuses are good on the car.

[fever]

If my speedo and tach lights up but my blue and red hvac and clock lights will not, do you think that playing with the dimmer might work?

All fuses are a go. Perhaps those little lights need to be replaced?

[Peoria Benz]

Fever - all of those lights dim & brighten together. Sounds like you need to replace the two bulbs. Also a slight possibility that the wiring to those two bulbs is bad.

[fever]

^
Thanks. I'll pursue that line of thought.

[300SDog]

Fever, I think the HVAC panel is lighted with fiber optics drawing light from instrument cluster. Fiber Optic lines could have come disconnected when you were fiddling with the binnacle..... dunno about the clock.