today i replace my radio fuse, cuz i blew it the other day. anywayz last night before replacing the radio fuse the dash lights worked...but now after i got off work they wouldnt turn on...good thing i only live 1 mile from work. how can i get my dash lights to come on? which fuse do i have to replace for the dash lights? i tried all i could think of...nothing so far and i need to drive it tomorrow night (after work, i start at noon)...so i need help asap.

 

check your fuses and see if you blew the one for the interior lights. wiggle some wires if nothing else

 

i tired replacing all the fuse, the tail light fuse i was told worked the dash lights...by my friend last night. well that didnt work either. if i blew the lights themselves how much work is that to get the dash apart and replace the blubs? what type of blubs do i need?

 

I had this problem for a while and finally traced it down to what GM calls a 'dimmer switch'. If your gauges still work, just not the lights, then the gauges fuse is still good. This dimmer switch is under the dash on the driver's side right above the kick panel. It's hard to describe, but do a search for dimmer switch on the boards and there was a post that had a pic. I got mine from a boneyard and it worked.

 

the dimmer switch works for turning on the interior lights but nothign happens to the dash...i replaces ALL fuses with brand new ones...still nothing i'm pissed cuz they worked thurs night and i need it working asap and i have to be to work at noon. do you guys know any shops that do wiring work? maybe i could have it fixed while i go to work...

 

If all the fuses are good. I would think the transister is bad. It is a silver block that looks like a heat sink right above the left side of the steering column. That would be most likley bad after a diagnostic was done in our shop .

 

ok i dont know what that is, or how to fix it within the hour before i have to be to work...so i guess i'll have to wait 'till monday see if my boyfriend could fix it and drive without dash lights till then.

 

The thing you call a transistor IS the dimmer switch. There is a resistor in there that responds to a signal from the switch that regulated the current flow which in turn controls the brightness of the lights which explains why the dimmer wheel turns on the dome light and not the dash lights. The resistor inside the dimmer is probable fried. It's easy to fix. Unplug the bad one and plug in the new one. THere's only 3 small bolts that hold it in.

 

cool i'm going to autozone today before work to pick the switches up so i can install them monday thanks for the help i'll let you guys know how it goes

 

where do i buy these switches? i got a url http://www.p71interceptor.com/thirdgen/remotedimmer/ that one...and i knew what they looked like before going to autozone and the guy tried to sell me some actual switch thing...not what they showed on the url...where do i get the things they show on the site? since the guy at autozone thinks i need what they have...and this site says differently

 

I'm pretty sure that's a dealer only item.

 

I don't know why these stores employ people who know absolutely nothing about cars. Yesterday the guy asked me what company made the firebird. I told him ford and he believed me . Anyway, I got mine at a junkyard for 2$, but other than that I think it's gonna be a dealer item....if you can find one

 

thanks guys for helping i'll figure out what i'm gonna do soon, until then i have my temp. light from a tiny flashlight i tape to the top of the wheel at night so i can see how fast i'm going.

 

firebirdchick24, I think that I have the exact same problem with my 84' as you have with your car.

Three years ago my dad was helping me install a cd player. He ended up convincing me that this one wire was a ground wire and to hook it up to another ground wire. Well, the wire in question wasn't a ground wire and we ended up frying a couple of fuses as well as half the clearance lights and the bulbs in the dash. My popup lights even stopped working. I replaced all the clearance lights. I ended up putting the cd player in my 85'. Last summer I tried to fix the headlight motors and the dash bulbs. The headlight motors worked since I took out the cd player. (Must have been something else wrong with the with the wireing.)

I still don't have the dash lights fixed though. I pulled apart the dash and found that all the bulbs are ok. We must have the same problem.

If the dimmer switch fixes your problem let me know.

 

That's called a "dimmer module" and is a Firebird only item, at least in the earlier ThirdGen years. I'll bet you a week's worth of Leinie's Creamy Dark that you won't find one at AutoZone, Pep Boys, Cragen's, Parts America, Checker's, or any of those auto parts grocery stores. You'll probably find lots of floor mats and air fresheners, though, and maybe some cool "20HP" stickers for Hondas.

Most dealers won't even have them, nor a current reference to them in their databases, but it's worth a call to them. If you strike out, you'll have to rely on your local salvage yard.

HINT: If they don't have a lot of ThirdGens, remember that the Fiero also used this same dimmer control module.

The problem is likely that one of your bulbs failed. When it did, instead of going open-circuit right away, it shorted, then "blew" itself clear from the inrush current. This high current surge is very hard on the switching transistor on the dimmer module. You should be able to replace that with almost any silicon NPN low frequency switch in a TO-3 case (standard pinout - C-E-B). But before you do, you'll have to locate and replace the failed lamp(s), or you'll get to do it all over again (like I did). I can't remember what transistor I used, but I'm nearly certain it was NPN. Any electronics supplier (and I DON'T mean Circuit City - I mean someone that has electronics parts) should have a suitable replacement, possibly even Radio Shack. Unfortunately, finding any technical help at Radio Shack is like asking for a dimmer module at AutoZone. They'll have all kinds of knowledge about the latest cell phone covers and headsets, but nothing of any real value, like the "eggheads" that used to work there 30 years ago. The could tell you how to build a calculator from a matchbox an piece of string and a watch battery.

Anyway, the module is located under the dash, in the driver's foot well area. You'll have to remove the lower trim panel, then hop onto the floor upside down - head first. When you are all contorted into position, you should be able to see the "Convenience Center" - a swingout panel that mounts the warning buzzer/chime, a couple of relays, a flasher, etc. Unclip the front edge of the "Center" and let it drop out of the way. With the flashlight that you remembered to take with you, look toward the radio pedestal. You should see a round silver disc about the size of a quarter (Canadian or U.S.) sticking out the side of a black box. The box is the dimmer module, and the disc is the outer case of the transistor. The left side of the photo shows the Convenience Center swung out of the way. The right side is a view under the dash, with the arrow pointing toward the location of the dimmer module.



The dark brown wire goes to the dash lighting, the lighter brown wire is fused power, and the green/white is from the dash-mounted dimmer control. If you've found those, you've found the module. Now all you need to do is repair or replace it.


EDIT: It looks like an ECG-130 or NTE-130 (or whatever Radio Shack might have as a suitable mate to those) would be a good selection.

 

Can you please repost the photo if you still have it?

I have a 1991 TA. Is it in the same location for all years? Saw a photo of a 86 TA on another post and the setup was different from my 91.

Thanks!

 

Yup. My server I.P. addy changed since this was first post (so the thread couldn't find the photo). Should work now.

 

Thanks.

Looks like my 1991 TA does not have this item ??