Dash back lights not working

[Connor Snyder]

I have a 1992 d21 that my gauge backlights do not work.  I have the clock and hvac control backlights and all the warning light bulbs work.   Every other light on the truck works just fine.    I've replaced all the bulbs in the cluster and verified that the headlight switch is good.  My next idea was the dimmer switch.  I removed it and decided to try and jump the pins on the connector to try and make the lights turn on. They still did not so I believe the dimmer is fine as well.  At this point I'm lost and hope someone else might have an idea.

[datzenmike]

The illumination lamps??? They and the front marker, rear tail lights, font and back running lights and license plate light are all on the same fuse. Check if rear lights are on, if not it's probably the fuse.

[Connor Snyder]

Its been a minute since I first posted this.   I've narrowed it down to the dimmer switch. But when I try and bypass it instantly blows the 10 amp fuse.  I even put a 20 amp fuse in for testing and it instantly blows that too.   Anyone know why it might do this? I've seen on old forums other people bypass them and never have any issue.   I really don't wanna pay 120 for a new dimmer that's something I really don't care to have.

[EDM620]

If your fuse keeps blowing then you have a direct short somewhere. You need to isolate what you can verify are properly working circuits. Process of elimination. Something is allowing a high current load - Power wire shorting/grounding somewhere? Got an aftermarket stereo in there? Disconnect it fully from your electrics first - I've seen plenty of bad wiring jobs by "qualified techs" who cause other problems. Sometimes the grounding wire isn't actually attached to a good ground, causing the power to flow through something it wasn't intended to. Your dash needs a solid ground to the body like this:

 

Substituting a higher amperage fuse is like moving the weakest link in a chain - something else will fail that will be harder to fix and probably more expensive/rare. 

[datzenmike]

Change you profile to include the D21. I just spent time looking up for the 720 you have listed.

 

 

13 hours ago, Connor Snyder said:

Its been a minute since I first posted this.   I've narrowed it down to the dimmer switch. But when I try and bypass it instantly blows the 10 amp fuse.  I even put a 20 amp fuse in for testing and it instantly blows that too.   Anyone know why it might do this? I've seen on old forums other people bypass them and never have any issue.   I really don't wanna pay 120 for a new dimmer that's something I really don't care to have.

 

The dimmer should be providing a variable ground for the dash lights. Grounding the dash lights at the dimmer should just turn them on full brilliance. If grounding the dash lights blows the fuse then something in the dash lights is going around one of the lamps. Maybe lamp is screwed in wrong or jammed or wrong lamp or something caught in it.

 

 

Start a want add for one here... https://ratsun.net/classifieds/category/9-datsun-parts/  ... The D21 dimmer is 25980-50Y10 and was used on the 92-'93 D21 and the '90.5-'93 WD21 Pathfinder.