I inherited a 94 nissan sentra and for some reason the light(s) that are supposed to illuminate the instruments in the dash aren’t coming on when they are supposed to…like when I turn on the headlights.I checked the fuses,and the wiring doesn’t appear to have ever been “butchered”.This has me in the dark-literally!
I assume you have checked the dimmer control adjustment already. If that is ok then I would check to see if voltage is getting to the dimmer control. Unless the control is turned to full brightness you should see some voltage on the red/yel wire connected to the control. Fuse ‘H’ supplies power to the circuit through the light switch on a red/blu wire to the dash lights.
Hey Cougar thanks for sharing your wisdom…I’m gonna go buy a voltage tester this weekend and follow your instructions…Do you have a recommendation as to which kind of tester I should buy? It’s about time for me to get one anyway-at least this “LEK’TRIKL” problem I’m having with the Nissan justifies my acquisition of another gadget!..Thanks again for your help!
You are very welcome for the help.
I think you are very wise in investing in a DVM. It can help save you time and money. I like the Fluke line of DVMs and they are usually more money than others you can get. If you are just in need of a meter for simple testing of DC circuits and some occasional AC voltage just about anything on the market will do that. As much as I am sold on Fluke you don’t have to get one yourself. Sears has a pretty good line of meters for reasonable prices so you might want to see what they have. Home Depot has some also. One thing you should make sure you get with the meter is one that will handle testing a 10 amp current load. This can help at times when something is drawing an excessive current. You can also get a DC amp clamp that can handle higher currents but you usually don’t need that.
The other thing I highly recommend you get is a good service manual for the car. This is the most important thing to have when you work on car troubles. Ebay usually has them available. If you don’t see one today you may see one next week. You can also purchase service through Alldata.com
Gee it’s nice to correspond with someone who can make sense of things!I Just got back from SEARS with my new toy…I’m going to sit down and read the instructions and pray that my head doesn’t explode while doing so. Gonna go on Ebay this evening and find the service manual as you’ve recommended I do. Thanks again for your help!..You’re an asset to the rest of us!
Thanks for the compliment Promethius66 and again, you are welcome for the help. You are doing yourself a good thing by investing in those things and really learning about them. You won’t regret it. If you have any questions about using or testing with the new meter just post them here also. Besides myself, there are a number of other members here skilled in the electrical arts that are always very helpful on what to do, and not to do. Before long, you will be able to help others solve their car problems.