87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

So I recently got one electrical problem taken care of, and now I have another. (old post here: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...n-parking.html ) As of now, when I turn on the parking lights or headlights for that matter, the exterior lights come on, but the interior lights don't - no dash, no HVAC, no shifter. The under dash lights come on with the door open or the dimmer all the way up. After the last issue I had, everything worked. I just went out the other day and now no dash lights. One other thing that strikes me as odd, is that when I turn the parking lights off, the pass. side headlight motor just spins and spins for a few seconds. Same thing when the battery is disconnected, reconnected. I checked fuses, and my next step was going to be to trace wiring from the switch to the fuse box to the starter - heard that could find some problems. Any more suggestions?

bgood71

Check for power from the switch to the dash lights. You should check it at the back of the switch to the dash.My 1st thought is that the switch has gone bad.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, that's what I'll be checking tomorrow. Does anyone know why the headlight motor would spin like it does? I have a few spares and when I hooked two of them up, they did it as well. Are there headlight relays, or a short somewhere that could cause it to do that?

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Couple things it could be... One. Double check the fuses. Swap the one that the cig lighter is on... just to be sure. Its the same fuse as the dash lights if I remember correctly. Sometimes fuses can blow and they're hard to see.

Now...Im willing to bet its one of two issues. I didnt look back into your old problem very much. But Im thinking its either the switch, or the remote dimmer. Ide almost put my money on the remote dimmer. This little sucker is tucked away nicely on the passenger side of the steering column. Its very hard to get to, and almost impossible to see. Ill post the info that I have on it. I just helped someone else with it, so I even have some snap shots of the factory manual from GM showing the location. The picture is of the steering column brace....you can kinda get your hand up there. haha... its fun.







I think its silly for where they put it, especially since they seem to go bad frequently. Just a tip...you can get to the plug and un-hook it, and bring the wiring down to the new part to test it first before you try to remove/replace it.

That might help ya out some.

As for the headlights spinning. There are three little bushings in each headlight motor. Unless they are rebuilt, almost all of them are reduced to nothing more than dust. This causes them to spin. The reason they do it often, is the system powers up sort of when you start the car. The way those lights work is, the motor spins constantly, until resistance is felt, or a certain time elapses. Then they stop. The resistance is from the pop-up mechanism hitting the stops. Since the bushings are all busted, the motor slips. And will just spin. In order to have the headlights work perfect again, you need to order the rebuild kit from top down solutions. Lon will hook you up with everything you need to get the lights working 100% and its cheap. Its a very easy job, and very satisfying when you dont have annoying headlight noises and movements...

J.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the info. As for the motors, I was already planning on replacing those bushings, since they are so cheap and I figured they'd go at some point anyways. I didn't understand why the one spun when the parking lights turned off though. Do they check for resistance when the lights are turned off or something, and that's why it spins at that time? That's what I couldn't figure out.

With the remote dimmer, is there a way to check that, like jump some wires, to make sure that's it before I go out and buy the part?

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

Yeah when you turn off the switch, that control module always assumes that the headlights need to go down too. So it tries, and if they are in good shape, they will just "bump" alittle, then shut off.

As for testingt he system...Im not sure. You'd have to check out a wiring diagram of the interior lighting and see which wires would work for that. Or maybe someone else can chime in. I dont have a manual with me, or Ide look into it for ya. That part isnt too bad as far as price goes. And if you get it from autozone, just carefully plug it in just alittle bit...see if it works. If not, take it back, and say you didnt need it.

J.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Got it all taken care of - motor's bushings were gone, replaced with set from good motor (one motor had no cover, so I pulled it's bushings).

The dash lights wouldn't come on because the wire leaving the fuse holder was loose. Got it tight and the lights work.

Thanks for the responses guys.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Problem came back. This time the 5A fuse blew, replaced it and still nothing. I have voltage leaving the switch, but the fuse is getting no voltage. The wire leaving the switch is brown, but the one coming into the fuse is green. Where does it change? Is it on that remote dimmer ghettocruiser? I think wherever the wiring changes is where my problem is.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Anyone know where the wiring changes? Remote dimmer?

Well I ran a wire from the switch to the fuse, and the lights work fine, only they don't dim. So my guess is that it IS the remote dimmer. Just gotta find it and check it.

itsjustabird

iTrader: (1)

wow after all these years my car has been like this and this could very well be the answer holy ****. i found this prob back in 97 lol. Where can i get the part and does anyone have a part #

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

You can get the part from autozone or advance. Just ask for a "instrutment cluster dimmer switch". The part number at autozone is UDS440. Its about $26 bucks.

As for getting to it..its a trick. I ended up pulling down the "convienence center" and shoving my hand up in there to get the screws in/out. Dont just think you can plug the new one in and just leave it dangling. You gotta try to get the new one bolted back up. The convienence center thingy has the door chime and a few other little modules in it.

I still had to jamb my hand up in there. 87GTAj mentioned to me in a PM that he was able to see it through a little square hole after you remove the front dash cover panel. Thats how i unplugged mine to test it. Using a long flat head... To get that thing out, you just need to blindly move your hand up there and get at it. Its just a couple little sheet metal screws through the heat sink. You can take a bunch of stuff apart to get to it...but its not worth it. Just start reaching

J.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Haha, thanks. That's what I was figuring.

Nater36

so did that fix it? 87GTAj?

CRAMOS78

no kidding, ive had tht problem since 99 LOL.
i went to get that part number today, will try it out hopefully tomrw. hope it works on the camaro.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Haven't had a chance to replace it yet...but I'd put money on it being the problem. I've been busy repainting the car lately. I'll post when I get it replaced.

Nater36

alright, great, thanks

Mr.84TransAmer

Well I hope you haven't been driving around the last 6 months without dash lights. And I've got the same problem now, so I'm curious if you got it fixed or not.

87GTAj

iTrader: (4)

Haha, no I haven't been driving around with no dash lights since then. The car's been in storage since November, but I never got a chance to replace that dimmer. What I did was run a wire directly to the dash lights, bypassing the dimmer, from the parking light switch output. That gave me all working lights, but no dimming capability (obviously). So I still put my money on the culprit being that switch which I will replace in the spring.