94 E420 Instrument Cluster lights
 

My instrument cluster lights stop working along with the rest of the illumination that comes on when I turn on the headlight switch. In the past few weeks I was having problems with the headlight switch so I decided to replace it. Items that are illuminated such as, dash's lights, a/c control lights, gear shift lights and door window switch lights are not working. In addition, my driver side headlight does not work.

Replacing the headlight switch did not solve the problem. Any ideas what is wrong, the fuse is in good shape.

on my W124 , I blew the fuse that is on the instrument cluster (red color like a light bulb), I dont know if it is the same on your car

I check the fuse and they all look good. Also all the other lights work but the driver side headlights and dash lights don't. If the fuse was bad I expect to not have any of the other function that is attach to that fuse to work. I removed fuse #3 (white) and it looked okay.

If the headlight bulb is blown will this cause my dash lights and so on not to work?

The fuse I ment is not in the fuse box but on the cluster itself, it loks like a light bulb.

other owners of a 94 E420 could confirm my assumption.

good luck

Did you try turning the dimming rheostat knob on the face of the instrument cluster?

Sometimes it's inadvertently turned to off when you reset the odometer.

Where is the instrument cluster fuse located. Do I need to pull the instrument cluster out to get to it.

THe cluster fuse is on the backside of it. Uses some bent hanger wire to pull the cluster forward. There is a couple of posts on how to do this.

I have similar problems. Cluster illumination and AC pushbutton lights do not work. Bulbs were replaced.

As to your driver headlight, its possible the wiring for the headlamps in the engine compartment may have problems. In my compartment, I have bad wiring in this area including the wires to the Aux fans on the radiator. Might check the leads behind the headlamp assembly for insulation problems,

The passenger side wiring is more protected from engine heat and less likely to be an issue.

I purchase new headlight bulbs; however, I now have both headlight that works properly but that did not solve my problem with the illumination lights not working inside the cockpit. The only light that illuminate once I turn on the headlight switch is the ash tray light.

I pull the instrument cluster panel out and I inspect the back of the unit. I could not find a fuse anywhere. My instrument cluster does not have a speedometer cable hook to the back, I am not sure if that matter or not. I know that some instrument cluster do have speedometer cables.

Can you be more direct on the location of the fuse. Is it on the back top left or top right etc...

Sorry to come back a bit late.
here are 2 pictures that help to locate the fuse (red bulb);
I made by removing bottom pannel just below steering ( bit acrobatic but it worked).

But I am not sure that your cluster is similar to this one ( W124 1988)

Here is also a link...
 

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/W124InstCluster

You can do a search. A lot of material on this...

Good luck!

I pull the instrument cluster panel and gain access to the red fuse. I took a look at the fuse and it appears to be in good shape.

Is there anymore ideas on what is going on with my illumination problem of my instrument panel lights and etc...

Still puzzle on why my illumination lights are not working. Can anyone give me advise on where to look next. Thanks in advance...

As I posted earlier all the lights in question go through the dimming rheostat.
Try turning it to the right and see if you get anything, if not replace it.

Where is the Rheostat located. I am not aware of a dimming switch for my E420. Thanks

Fix the problem with Instrument Cluster illumination
 

After all these years of owning this car I never knew that the Rheostat dimmer is the same as the Reset trip button located in the Instrument cluster.:o I use the Reset trip button each week as I travel up and down the Florida highway and not once have I used the Rheostat dimmer to change the illumination of the different lights. I guess I must have push the Reset trip button and turned all the illumination lights off without notice during the day. Later that night when I decided to turn on the lights I had no illumination.

Now I know that if you turn the Reset trip button clockwise or counterclockwise without pushing the button in to reset mileage, it will dim or brighten all illumination lights in the cockpit of the car.

Thank to everyone who help me solve this problem. I hope this can help someone in the future.:D