bklucas12

quick question hope you guys can help, I installed a cd player yesterday and when I turned my lights on last night my dash wouldnt light up, I checked my fuses and the 20 amp fuse for the dash was not blown!!!!, there was this power amplifer thing connecting to 2 wires out of the old GM tape deck but I doubt thats it, and thats the onlything I threw out... please help

tzweelz

im having some trouble like yours. i had a bad wire somwhere on or in contact with my head unit. kept blowing fuses for the gauges everytime the console got bumped. i finally take out the radio, stoped blowing fuses but now no gauge lights at all.
i did start mixing fuses, trying to get home one night and i think that did it.
im redoing interior now, so i figured id take apart the dash again to look for the problem. no blown fuses, couldnt find a burnt wire. now i dont know what to look for.
going to check if its getting power at the fuse box tommorow

1986redbird

I would first check the obvious, check to see if the dimmer wheel got hit and dimmed the lights out.

Chris Luongo

You did use a wire harness adapter when installing the radio, right?

1. Pull the radio out, tape off any unused wires back there.

2. Check the 5-amp "panel" or "inst lmps" fuse. If that's good, check the 20-amp "stop-tail" fuse.

3. If the fuse blows again, it's likely that the radio was wired wrong. You probably mistook one of the illumination wires behind the dash for a ground wire. Be sure that the black wire coming from your radio, is connected to the black wire on the harness adapter. (If an adapter wasn't used, un-ghetto it, put the factory harness back together, and go buy the adapter.)

bklucas12

Yeah, there was one fuse that was blown but I didnt know what the heck it was it was called "inst lmps" fuse, it was a 5 amp fuse, I didnt think that had anything to do with the dash lights, but I will replace that now thanks, I hope thats the problem seing as though I dont know what the inst lmps is... thanks again

tzweelz

i didnt use a harness. i've rewired everything in the car. all the speakers use 12 gauge (probably overboard)
i didnt have a console in the car at the time, that is what caused the cd player to come loose.
i will check the dimmer wheel tommorow, the whole interior, doors and all are off the car now. i also have to wire for the new power seats going in. hopefully i'll find whatever is wrong when im up in there tommorow.

also, i talked to a friend at the parts store. he wasnt sure but thought there might be a gauge relay up in the dash. and that if i used the wrong fuse, it could have damaged that.
anyone familair with such a relay in our dashes?

2vmodular

I'm fixing dash lights in one of the birds too. There is a "remote dimmer" under the dash to the right of the steering column.

"remote dimmer" is a transistor with a big aluminum heatsink on it. the one that is in the car now only works intermittently. Dashlights & headlight warning buzzer work sometimes, but other times instrument cluster lights do not turn on when parking lights are turned on.

if in a bind, can short a couple terminals on the transistor and cluster lights will turn on at full brightness with no dimming.

tzweelz

i checked the dimmer wheel. it all seemed in tact and when oushed all the way up all the interior lights come on as normal, except for dash lights.
ill look for a transitor tommorow. it should be on the passenger side off of the column?
if that is the problem, could i get one from GM instead of just bypassing it?
i did check the fuse panel and theres no power going to the dash fuse. does that mean something is wrong before it gets to the panel or could it be anywhere in the circuit?

2vmodular

Three wires going into "remote dimmer". They are Brown, Dark Green, and Green with white stripe. Before pulling apart the dash, try removing the 5amp "INST LPS" fuse, and putting one lead of your voltmeter to each terminal of the fuse socket, stick other terminal to a ground source. Should get a reading on one terminal when parking lights are turned on. If not hunt up the "remote dimmer" and try shorting the brown wire to the dark green, now see if your dash lights work. If they do, you've found your problem.

GM dealer stocks the part in question, also many independent parts stores such as autozone and parts america have it.

2vmodular

Swapped out the remote dimmer in the bird, and the interior dash lights now work as they should.

Remote dimmer is hidden towards passengers side of steering column, above the "convience cluster" that has ignition buzzer, turn signal flasher, and ECM diagnostic plug mounted to it. The "remote dimmer" heatsink is mounted on the back of the big U-bracket that wraps around the top of the steering column. Are two 9/32" bolts that retain it in place.

Old transistor has markings of Motorola 1986902-1MEX-6K07

Rockin-Iroc

Would one of these transistors cause the warning buzzer to come on all the time whenever the lights are turned on?

2vmodular

in 87' birds, "remote dimmer" is a firebird specific part. camaros do not have this transistor, and instead use a conventional rheostat to directly dim the dash lights.

headlight buzzer gets constant power from brake light circuit, and a switched ignition lead from the guages circuit. If guages fuse is blown or missing, you will get behaviour like you describe. Could also be a defective warning buzzer assembly.

if you're pressed for time and want to quickly quiet the annoying buzzer, remove underdash panel and pull the warning buzzer assembly out of socket. will no longer have seatbelt, headlight, or keys in ignition buzzer.

tzweelz

YES that was it for me too.
i have a small piece of wire connecting, or i guess shorting out the two wires.
GM wanted $40 for the part and they acted like a bunch of jerkoffs. i would have to prepay for it, when they have already screwed up everything i have ever ordered from them
also, Autozone didnt carry it

im either gonna go down to the ft. myers GM dealer (friends, and they actually know their stuff)
or ill pocket one when i go back to the junkyard to get some black seatbelts

i cant thank you enough, i would never have found that.
the resistor is WAY up in there
THANX,
TJ

fordcrusher

What is the one thing that "inst" could stand for?

Chris Luongo

"INST LMPS" means "instrument lamps"...... the instruments are your gauges