Just as an FYI, I was looking for info on how to replace the lights in my instrument panel

Sorry, I could have mentioned my truck is an 88 Jeep Comanche.

BTW, two weeks after swapping the coolant overflow tank, and no overheating

Clint

I think I tried rotating the knob fully both ways, but I'll check that out tonight. In the past the knob seems to slide back towards the middle (dimming the lights), and I just have to crank it over again, but this morning it was right off, and no joy on adjusting. I had to turn on the interior lights a couple times on the way into work, so I could make sure I wasn't speeding! :)

Thanks for the hint.

Clint

Does anyone know how many bulbs I need? I'd like to find that out BEFORE I pull the dash! :) They indicate that you need 5, but the older ones may need more bulbs. Hmm, now that I think about it, it seems odd that all 5 would burn out at once. Or is it possibly just one that burned out, screwing up the circuit for the rest? What is that, a serial circuit?

And the page I posted indicated an L194 bulb, but that was for a 91-96 Cherokee. Can anyone confirm the kind? I couldn't find it in the FSM.

Clint

I doubt that they all went at once. It is a parallel circuit.

I have the page from my owners manual in jpg format that lists all the lights on my 88 Cherokee. I could email it to you if you would like.

The 2 lights for the heater control are #74's. I also doubt they are both gone, it is usually the plug on them that comes loose or is missed when it's off.

Mike

If you could e-mail that to me at snipped-for-privacy@shaw.ca, I'd appreciate it. I'll take a look at the plugs first, and make sure everyone's connected properly. That or a fuse would be the most likely, I'd guess. Everything was working fine one morning, and dead the next. No middle ground.

Are the interior lights (vanity lights?) on the same fuse as the intrument cluster lights? Because those still work.

Clint

Ok, I will send it off.

No, the vanity and dome lights are on a different fuse.

The fuse for the dash light is a 5 amp located on the very top left under the hazard flasher relay can.

The 'other' fuse for the dash dimmer also controls the tail lights so the dash lights go out when the tail light fuse blows. This is fuse 5 or a 10 amp top center of the panel fuse.

Mike

Cl>

Oops, that dash light fuse is at the top right, not left, sorry and is called 'inst lps'.

Mike

Mike Roma>

Thanks for your replies (and the e-mail, too). I'll check the fuses first. That sounds better than pulling the instrument cluster! :) Of couse, then I'll have to figure out why the fuse blew...

Clint

I have the same problem with my 88 Comanche - to the point of finishing the last 100 miles of a long trip with a flashlight. I changed the fuse and it worked for a while then started to being intermittent again. AHA! corrosion in a connector - but where? In the past, the simple resolution was the blasted dimmer rheostat on the light switch but this time the dimmer was fine. I fought it for quite a while then my emergency flashers quit and the brake lights got flakey as well. If you look, the brake light and panel light fuses are right together near the top of the fuse block so that focused things for me. I took a can of WD-40, covered the floor with rags and removed the fuses from the top right quadrant of the fuse block, sprayed the whole thing (soaked it, actually) and used a toothbrush to scrub the fuse panel as best I could. Inserted and removed the fuses while it was still wet, then used the air hose to blow everything dry. The sweet smell of WD-40 was annoying for a few days, but that seems to have fixed things for a while - no problems for the last several months. Probably waiting for a snowy, sub-zero day to act up again...

The next step is probably to pull the fuse panel and either replace it or do a thorough clean up. I d> Sorry, I could have mentioned my truck is an 88 Jeep Comanche.

Thanks, Will. I'll maybe see about picking up a can of whatever that magic stuff is for electrical contacts and water-purging. Or does WD-40 work as well as anything?

I haven't had any issues with the fuses or electrical stuff, to the point that I'll have to go looking for the fuse box. Don't think I kick it on a regular basis or anything, either. I did have to replace 3 or 4 when I first got the Jeep about 2 years ago, but those were just crappy maintenance on the previous owner's part, I think. Some of them were totally mangled. Or maybe it was like you say, and someone kicked them by accident.

Clint

Ok, so this is annoying. Went to head home today, after a long day (dark when I went to work, dark when I went home. Daylight some-time between). Fired up the truck, turned on the headlights, and the instrument cluster lights came on. So that eliminates the fuse or the lights... I HATE intermittant problems!

I guess I'm off to yank the fuses, and try to clean the contacts, as Will suggested.

Clint

Check your grounds, Remember cables have 2 ends...

Mike, just to clarify. Does the "inst lps" fuse also power the tail lights? This morning, I had no instrument lights, but I did have tail lights. This would lead me to the dimmer switch if that fuse powers other things, I think.

Clint

Thanks. BTW, the lights were off again this morning... I'm thinking of starting with the dimmer switch.

Clint

The tail lights and the dimmer are on the same fuse. The dash lights also have their own.

If it was a fuse issue, I would be looking to that 'inst lps' fuse, not the tail light/dimmer fuse.

Mike

Cl>

That sounds more an more like what I had - works for a while, then decides to go AWOL util it just feels like working again. Part of what I saw makes me think that this is pretty much a case of corroded connections behind the panel (located under the dash on the firewall above and left of the clutch pedal where it's easy to hit with your foot if your feet are as big as mine). The wiring diagram shows that the emergency flashers and the brake lights are powered by two wires that connect to the brake fuse. I had one of those wires hot, one dead so there had to be a connection problem there somewhere. If you ever have a clutch master go out, it will leak right down on the fuse block and cause all sorts of grief - eventually.

I'm like you - Ocam's razor says dimmer rheostat. But clean> Thanks, Will. I'll maybe see about picking up a can of whatever that > magic

CRC and a small wire brush work really great. Don't use the brush on any metal that's coated though.

Spdloader

Just as a followup on this, my clutch master DOES have a slight leak (I'll be monitoring fluid levels before I go replacing it), and it is leaking directly on the fuse box. After pulling out the top fuses and cleaning them, my lights are back. If nothing else, I may try putting something in place between the clutch lever and fuse box to try to divert any drips.

Clint