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Dash lights stopped working?

Lucas03ES

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Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
218
Location
Boulder City, NV
So I drove the car last night, and everything worked fine. I go to start it today and I noticed everything works, except for the illumination lights behind the dash and gauge cluster. All of the high beam/abs/turn signal, etc. lights work on the gauges, but not the green/orange lights. I checked a few fuses, but I didn't find any popped but I also didn't check every single one. Any ideas? Thanks!
 

Well, I doubt this answers your problem, but on some cars..if your tail lights are out or not working the dash lights will not work. Since it is a safety concern to have no tail lights at night, some car makers wire their cars so the dash lights won't work when the tail lights dont work. I guess in the hopes that you won't drive it since you can't see anything on your dash....or at least to notify you that you have no tail lights (if you know this info). Hope this helps, but I truly don't know if Galants are wired to do this.

-Jason
 

DailyDSM

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Sep 6, 2005
Messages
433
Location
Carlsbad, CA
Check the Tail Light fuse in the engine bay. Should be a 10amp fuse. If you have aftermarket gauges, there might be a short in the illumination wiring.
 

Olson

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Oct 7, 2006
Messages
1,237
Location
Moreno Valley CA
Quoting whosnxt:
Well, I doubt this answers your problem, but on some cars..if your tail lights are out or not working the dash lights will not work. Since it is a safety concern to have no tail lights at night, some car makers wire their cars so the dash lights won't work when the tail lights dont work. I guess in the hopes that you won't drive it since you can't see anything on your dash....or at least to notify you that you have no tail lights (if you know this info). Hope this helps, but I truly don't know if Galants are wired to do this.

-Jason


Truth my dash/ tail lights are out at the moment
 

Go me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Glad I could help! Feels good to contribute on the same day of joining the forums.
 

Lucas03ES

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Aug 28, 2009
Messages
218
Location
Boulder City, NV
Okay, I checked the tail light fuse, and it was blown. The weird part is that it had a 30 amp in it, so I was like wtf? I put in a ten, and it blew right away. So I then put in another 30, and it didn't blow, but the lights still don't work. The aftermarket gauges and my safc still work as they are not hooked up through the dimmer switch or anything. As far as I know, that area is still stock.
 

The filaments in the bulbs could be blown out too which would cause your dash lights to stay unlit. Replace them if they are bad and see what happens. Something definetly grounded (shorted) from either water or wiring touching the frame.
 

Lucas03ES

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Aug 28, 2009
Messages
218
Location
Boulder City, NV
i will look when i get home at the bulbs and see if the filament is grounded. it did just rain here and that isnt too common around here. if it isnt the filament where would be a good spot to start tracing the wire? does anybody possibly have a wiring diagram? thanks for all of the help this far
 

Lucas03ES

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Joined
Aug 28, 2009
Messages
218
Location
Boulder City, NV
So I started the car today, and they worked. I think that some moisture grounded it somewhere and it dried. I'll have to find the short, thanks guys.
 

toybreaker

iconoclast
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Apr 30, 2006
Messages
3,581
Since the problem first manifested itself when you got some wet weather, try looking at the outside lite housings, and see if you can see water in any of them.

Sometimes a front parking or marker lite will get a rock chip that lets water in, and eventually that fill up enought to short the bulb out, popping the fuse.

Even after they dry out some, corrosion sets in, and in extreme case can corrode things enough for there to be an additional un-intended path for the current to travel in the bulb socket itself. (this may be one of the reasons a mook would intall a 30amp fuse in a ten amp circuit)


One thing that really works well when troubleshooting this particular problem is to just go thru the whole exterior lighting system. It just takes a few minutes to pull all the housings and eyeball all the bulbs. Any dark bulbs are suspect, and any corrosion in a socket should be cleaned so you don't have a bulb go out in the future.

Check each socket for power and ground with a voltmeter.

Now is also an excellent time to do a little preventative maintainance and slather a little di-electric grease on the bases of the bulbs after you clean the sockets. This will help keep the corrosion at bay, allowing the bulbs work better and live a longer life.

If you didn't find anything in the parking/marker lites it's time to pull the tailight bulb holder assemblies inside the trunk and check them for mechanical damage. (I've seen a couple of the the bulb holders get damaged by loose stuff in the trunk trying to escape .)



Good luck, good catch on the wrong fuse being installed in the circuit! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif

Many people overlook the fuse digram that's printed right on the fuse cover, and will put back in what they took out.

That's a bad plan, as they generally find the problem when something starts smoking.

Things will be much happier with the problem corrected, and the proper ten amp fuse installed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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Lucas03ES

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Aug 28, 2009
Messages
218
Location
Boulder City, NV
Thanks for the help, I will check it out today or tomorrow when I go out to the garage and chase a big oil leak getting inside the drivers fender well and everything.
 

again this may not answer the dashlights, tail lights out question but i did have the same problem. mitsubishi galant (2000) wires these lights in a very complex (and devious way). the wires move in and out of various switches and processors. the first repair person thought it was the light/turn signal lever. $110.00 later it was not. took it to a specialist with all the right equipment and it took him 3 1/2 hours to find the problem. it was on the processor (rectangular white box) on the fuse box under the hood. fix, he shorted out the 2 "data" wires going into and out or the unit. this will do until i can get to " pick a part" and get another one. and yes, i agree that the mfg's do this as a safety measure. good idea. joshua
 

fuel

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Feb 23, 2009
Messages
2,165
Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
thanks for digging up a 2 year old thread to add your insight, however a year 2000 Galant is going to have different circuits than our 10 year older examples with no processors or data wires.
 

citymunky

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Sep 22, 2010
Messages
1,761
Location
Chesapeake, VA
Digging up this old thread. I'm having the same problem as the OP with 733/2k, however this car hasn't seen water in over 10 years.

The tail light fuse in the engine bay was blown. I replace it with a new 10amp fuse and I still don't have tail lights or dash lights. New fuse don't blow as soon as it is installed like the OP.

I pulled the dash and installed new bulbs , still a no go. I pulled the tail bulbs housing assy and checked all the bulbs and they are not blown. The rear Hazard light's work fine as well as the rear lights on the rear bumper.

My side markers also work. I also swapped the tail light relay in the engine bay and I'm still a no go on the dash light lights.

I would check the whole circuit, however I don't have a galant wiring diagram.


Edit: just noticed there is a diagram in the library.
 
Last edited:

citymunky

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Sep 22, 2010
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Chesapeake, VA
So I'm still at a loss /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif. I was able to get my tail lights/brake lights working after I found the brake switch under the dash not plugged/connected.

On page 54-14 (or just page 14 if viewing PDF) of the Chassis Electrical Manual, it show the Meter and Gauges circuit.

1)Starting at the taillight relay with a Red White wire current flows under the hood to the 10Amp fuse under the dash in the J/B aka Junction Block. The Junction Block in the fuse box with all the replays and wire harness plugged into it under the dash.

2) From the fuse, current than flows to Pin# 8 of plug C-37 which is the top plug of the J/B facing the driver.

3) From Plug C-37 current than flows to Pin# 5 of plug C-44 which is on the black side of the J/B. Plug C-44 is the upper inboard plug.

4) From plug C-44 current than flows the Green White wire to Pin# 11 of plug C-52, which is behind the meter and gauge assy I assumed it was the plug on the right-hand side with the yellow plastic trim surrounding the plug.

5) After current flows though the Meter/Gauge assy it makes it way back to plug C-52, pin #10 a Black and yellow wire.

6) After the current flows from Pin #10 of plug C-52, it makes it to pin #15 of plug C-16. Which I assumes is also the "J/C."

Now this is where I'm confused. Is the "J/C" (RHEO) the ETACS (Electronic Theft Alarm Control System)?

7) From Plug C-16 currents flows in the Black Yellow wire into Pin #3 of plug E-01, the Rheostat aka the dash light dimmer switch. FYI the dimmer switch got really hot to the touch with the headlights on.

8) From Pin#3 of plug E-01 current flow back to the J/C.

9) From the J/C (Tail) to pin#8 C-32 in the Juction Block.

The thing that makes this so hard is that NONE of the wiring harness are labeled.
 
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citymunky

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Sep 22, 2010
Messages
1,761
Location
Chesapeake, VA
I been doing some reading on tooners and this seem to be a common issue. The "fix" is to add a jumper wire from the black yellow wire to the black wire on the Dimmer switch. (In other words complete the circuit with a jumper from Pin 3 to Pin 2 of plug E-01.)

I tried this and the lights still don't turn on, which means the Dimmer switch is not the source of my problem.
 

prove_it

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Jul 3, 2008
Messages
4,201
Location
Sioux Falls, SD
Do your HVAC backlights, glovebox, overhead lights work? See if you can find other issues that might be related. So check all devices.
 

citymunky

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Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
1,761
Location
Chesapeake, VA
No on the HVAC, however I know it's related to the dash lights. I don't have a glove box light and all my other lights works (Inside and Outside the car)
 
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