I've been searching and I haven't found anything like my problem. Please bare with me in this long explination/question:

I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima GLE

Recently I have installed my Reverse indigo gauges. Replacing my 7color indigo gauges. I'm not sure who of you knows about that intallation. It's a very simple process; atleast it is for me, I've done it quite a number of times. With the installation you tap power from the dimmer switch on the cluster bezel. When I was installing my gauges I also installed an aluminum gauge bezel and gauge rings. I put everything back together just as I had taken it apart. About a day went by; I was enjoying my new cluster setup, the new gauges glowing...very pleased with myself. Then one of the gauge rings popped off. LOL I thought it was funny. I didn't use enough adheasive. No problem. I took that part of the dash apart again and remove the ring around the tach. Put everything back together and I didn't notice something was wrong til later that night when I went to a friends house.

I got in the Max, started her up and turned on my lights. When I did that all my dash, sterio and window switches went out. Note: the clock, reverse gauges, and ash tray light are not effected by this. Then they flickered on and off a couple of times and finally settled on a very dim setting. Thinking that there might be something wrong with the dimmer switch, I moved it back and forth a couple of time and nothing happened. I decided that it would be best to inspect everything the next day. As I started driving the flickering of the lights continued until they settled on a dim setting again. Once they decided to stay lit they slowly got brighter and brighter until they were lit as if the the light switch (headlights) wasn't on. The only thing is that the Clock was dimmed like it was supposed to be.

This continued everytime I got in the Max and turned on the parking lights/headlights. It would the same thing everytime. The only thing I could think of was the Dimmer Switch. The power to the dimmer switch had to of come apart somehow when I took apart my dash the second time.

Now, I got my New Sony Xplod HU at the same time as the gauges and my friend said he could install the HU it for me. I gave him a breif explination on the way the Bose sytem was setup, but he said it wasn't a problem. So, a couple of days later, he's over and before we get started on the HU I tell him to look at everything before he decides to start cutting wires. I use this opportunity to take apart the gauge side of the dash to see if what I suspected had happened. We take apart the dash an he takes one look at the hord of wires comming out of the Bose HU and Speaker he's like,"WTF!?". After a few, "I told you so"s, he helps me look at what I think is the problem to the light thing. Sure enough the power wire to the dimmer switch wasn't connected anymore. We reattatch the power wire, making sure it was very secure and, put the dash back together.

Now here's the problem:

We got the dash put back together and with a feeling of accomplishment I turn on the lights. Nothing comes on... No Flicker or anything. Mind you that the reverse gauges, clock and ashtray light are working as they should. And it's still like this.

Any help/advise would be Greatly, Greatly appreciated.

Thanking you in advance.

 

Oh yeah, BTW, It's to the point now that When driving at night or when I'm driving with the lights on that I can't listen to the Sterio. If I have the sterio on w/the lights on I start to smell something burning. Everything else seems to work as it's suppose to. Just won't light-up with lights turned on.

If I'm posting this in the wrong forum or might know a better place for me to search, please, let me know.

Thanks again.

 

assuming you already checked every fuse in the panel right?

 

Update!

Have you ever seen or heard of anything like this....

Ok, well after about of month of swapping out every fuse I could possibly find and, still nothing... I took apart the dash again... and this is what I found...







Luckily I had an extra Dimmer Switch from an old bezel I had lying around and popped that one in. Now, it works like a charm. Any idea on what could have cuased this...?

Thanks. Take it easy.

-S9


Edit: The Pics didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. Here's a link to where you see them better: Dimmer Switch problem...

 

looks like it just shorted out and melted

 

Obviously...but my concern is that is this normal or did I do something in particular to cause this... Basically, is my fault or is this just a fluke sort of thing?


-S9

 

Probably from the power wire not being connected all the way. The wire was touching/not touching and shorting. The abrupt power on/off caused the switch to overheat and melt. Thats my guess.

Andrew